How to make kimchi

Video: Traditional kimchi recipe (Tongbaechu-kimchi: 통배추김치)

Content

Part 2 of 3: Add Seasoning
Part 3 of 3: Fermenting Kimchi
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

1 Cut the cabbage into quarters. Use a sharp knife to cut 1 medium Chinese cabbage in half. Then cut each half in half again to make quarters. Then remove the core (stalk) at the bottom of each quarter. SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

Vanna tran

Experienced Cook Vanna Tran is a home cook. She started cooking at a very young age with her mother. Organizing events and dinners in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 5 years.

Vanna tran
Experienced chef

Vanna Tran, an experienced chef, advises: "If you don't have Chinese cabbage, you can use white cabbage."

2 Cut each cabbage quarter into strips. Cut each quarter crosswise to form strips about 5 cm wide, that is, so that each piece of cabbage is coarsely chopped.

Traditionally, kimchi cabbage is diced. If you prefer this shape, then cut into quarters so that you get cubes.

3 Combine the kale and salt in a separate bowl. Place the chopped cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with ¼ cup (62 g) non-iodized salt. With clean hands, stir the salt into the cabbage leaves until the leaves begin to soften.

You can use sea salt.
Wear gloves if you want to protect your hands from salt

SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

Vanna tran

Experienced Cook Vanna Tran is a home cook. She started cooking at a very young age with her mother. Organizing events and dinners in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 5 years.

Vanna tran
Experienced chef

Want to try something other than salt?Vanna Tran, an experienced chef, advises: "When I was little, instead of sprinkling cabbage with salt, my mother used to dry the cabbage leaves in the sun to remove most of the moisture from them."

4 Cover the cabbage with water and let it stand for 1–2 hours. Pour in enough filtered or distilled water to completely cover the cabbage leaves. Place a large enough plate on top and place something heavy on top of it, such as a jar or pot of water. Let the cabbage soak in the salted water for at least one hour.

Chlorinated tap water inhibits fermentation, which is why it's important to use distilled, filtered, or bottled water.
Do not soak the cabbage for more than 2 hours, or it may become too wet.

5 Drain the liquid into a colander to collect the brine. When the cabbage is soaked, place a bowl or saucepan in the sink, and place a colander on top. Next, fold the cabbage onto it and let the water drain to collect the brine.

6 Rinse the cabbage 3 times under cold water and let the excess water drain off again. Move the brine to the side. Place a colander with cabbage under running water and rinse well in running water. Repeat the rinsing process 2 more times to completely remove all salt water. Let the water drain, leaving the cabbage in a colander for 15-20 minutes.

Part 2 of 3: Add Seasoning

1 Combine garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce. Add 5-6 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon (2 g) grated ginger, 1 teaspoon (4 g) sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) fish sauce to a small bowl. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
2 Add hot pepper flakes. Add 1–5 tablespoons (5–25 g) of Korean red pepper flakes to the resulting paste. Mix well.
- Korean red pepper (chili) in flakes is called kochukaru. You can buy it on the Internet or in some large stores, in the departments with products for Asian cuisine.
- If you want the kimchi to be slightly spicy, add only one tablespoon of red pepper flakes. If you like it spicy, add more pepper.
3 Combine kale, radish, shallots and pasta. Add to a large, clean bowl the cabbage, 200 g radish, after peeling and cutting it into strips, 4 shallots, before that also chopping it into pieces (2.5 cm), and the pasta. Mix all the ingredients with your hands so that the paste evenly covers all the vegetables.
- It is a good idea to wear gloves when stirring vegetables with the pasta, as the pasta can cause burning (especially if you have small wounds), stain and scent on the skin

Part 3 of 3: Fermenting Kimchi

1 Transfer the kimchi to a glass jar and add the brine. When you've mixed the vegetables and pasta thoroughly, transfer everything to a glass jar. Pour the brine over and press down on the vegetables - there should be enough brine to rise above the vegetables. Close the jar with a lid.
- There should be at least another 2.5 cm of free space on top of the jar.
- If you have any brine left, you can pour it out.
- If you do not have a glass jar of sufficient volume, then kimchi can be fermented in a tight plastic bag with a fastener. In this case, before closing the bag, be sure to "squeeze" excess air out of it.
2 Let the kimchi ferment for about 5 days. Leave the kimchi to sit at room temperature. Do not open the jar for the first 1-2 days, then open and crush the cabbage with a spoon.If bubbles appear on the surface, then the fermentation process proceeded as expected. If there are no bubbles, leave the cabbage for another day and check it the next day.
- Another way to check if kimchi is ready is to taste it. If it is sour and spicy, then it is ready.
3 Transfer the kimchi to the refrigerator and let sit for about another week. When the fermentation process is complete, place the kimchi jar in the refrigerator. You can eat kimchi right away, but it usually tastes better if you put it in the refrigerator for 1–2 weeks or even longer.
- Spoon some kimchi out of the jar and place on top of the rice for a simple and tasty dish.
- Kimchi can be added to ramen and some other Asian dishes.
- Try some less classic ways to use kimchi: add it to a burger or sandwich, mix it with scrambled eggs, and so on.
4 Store kimchi in the refrigerator for 3-5 months. If there is still brine in the kimchi, it can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. If bubbles appear on the brine, then most likely the kimchi has deteriorated.

Tips

This recipe can be used to cook a wide variety of vegetables, including turnips and peppers, and raw fish.
If you decide to cook fish according to this recipe, then cut the tilapia into strips. Soak the fish in the vinegar solution for at least 30 minutes and squeeze the fish every 5 minutes to remove the water. Rinse the fish in water and squeeze out the moisture. For the rest, follow the recipe.