making kimchee

kimchi is one of my favorite things to eat! now that i've begun making it, i have been eating a whole lot. its all probiotic, salty, spicey goodness. i read a few different recipes before i started, and i've made 4 or 5 batches now, and have refined what i like. namely, adding cilantro. hey! here ya go:


you need a giant glass jar or many small ones or a bowl you can cover for the duration of fermentation. also a colander is essential, sesame.

My recipe contains cilantro, which is a non-traditional ingredient and will affect the flavor. the other ingredients are all traditional. I do not use fish or shrimp paste/oil which are often found in traditional recipes. other variations i've seen add sugar, or sweet fruits like apple or pear. often if you buy kimchee at asian markets, there will be MSG in it.

do what you see fit, do what you like! i will tell you how i do what i do. its easy, its beautiful, its fermented. it won't go bad, its delicious, and its full of probiotic goodness. when you eat it, i suggest adding a fat, like sesame oil or avocados, as it will then feel and taste and be a more balanced food. kimchee can be eaten alone, or added to other foods like soups, noodles, salads.... enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!


Jacqueline Dandelion's Cilantro Kimchee



ingredients:

(you can use any crispy/hard vegetables you like. my first batch, i used a ton. now i use just what i like)

red cabbage (1/2 a head makes enough to last a week if i eat some every day. a whole head makes too much for my jar. if you have space, do it up) (chopped)

daikon radish (chopped in big pieces)

green onions (chop)

fresh cilantro (chop)

fresh ginger (mince)

fresh garlic (mince)

korean chili powder (do yourself a favor and get the korean kind. i did it with regular american dry chili, and it was not as good. just watch out if you go to a korean grocery and avoid the spices with msg. read labels, yo! always!)

salt

water

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so, toss the cabbage and daikon in a bowl, cover with warm water and salt. how much salt? well, i eyeball it. you're making brine here, so you need enough salt to pull moisture and start pickling the vegetables right away. i fill the bottom of a mug til it seems to me that "hey, thats a lot of salt!" and then i mix it with warm water and soak the veggies. its probably about 1/4 cup or a little more of salt. and enough water to cover. this is when you brine any hard veggies you want to use. i prefer red cabbage over traditional napa cabbage because its firmer and crunchier and prettier. let it sit for at least an hour.




during the brining time, you can mince the ginger and garlic, and chop up the cilantro and green onions. set aside the green babies, and mix the garlic and ginger with about as much red chili pepper as you used salt in the brine, and warm water to make a paste.

i use a whole head of garlic, and about an equal amount of ginger


if you have a food processor, you can make the paste by combining these ingredients in it. then you don't have to mince as finely, cus the machine will do it for you!!! i've done it either way and it doesn't make much difference. i guess it depends on whether you'd rather sit and chop for a long while, or if you'd rather do more dishes.



ok, so its been an hour, right? those veggies look brined, right? they're all crisp and super salty. so, drain them over a bowl to catch the brine. keep it, you may need it. ok. rinse the veggies THOROUGHLY!!! if you don't, they'll be so salty you will cringe. i did that one time. i couldn't eat the kimchi straight, i had to make it into other things. so trust me, rinse it! keep that brine! ok. next.

this is the fun part.

in as large a container as you can, mix everything! the brined veggies, the cilantro, scallions, and the pasty goodness you just made.

mix it up! i use my hands, cus its fun and efficient!
look how pretty:




yum.

so now, put it into jars, or one huge jar, or a bowl, but that's not preferable. a cylinder is best.
pack it in tight and if its not watery, cover with the brine you saved til the veggies can be pressed down and be covered with brine. but don't over-do it. remember, its salt water you're dowsing them with.

weigh down the veggies so they're not hitting the air. its not like super crazy important to make sure no milimeter of veg surface is exposed, but do your best to keep the veggies submerged. i've found the easiest way for me to do this is to fill a tupperware/leftover tub container thing with water or brine, and push it down into the veggies, or weigh it down with a plate. its only important the first day, it seems, anyway.

so, leave the whole thing out somewhere room temperature and not too bright, for 24 hours or more. the longer you leave it out, the faster it will ferment. its still going to ferment in the fridge. i leave mine out for probably a day and a half, then fridge, and find it delicious on the 3rd or 4th day, and all days thereafter. it lasts me about a week, if i'm the only one eating it.


yum. enjoy!!!

cilantro is my own addition. i love cilantro and i figured it would be good, and i was right! you can do whatever you want! maybe you hate cilantro! whatever, dude. Use what veggies look good, use herbs you like. or just use the green onions, or none at all.

kimchi is awesome for so many reasons. once you've got the chili powder and a bunch of salt, the other ingredients are super cheap. you don't need green onions or cilantro, really. you could make it with just cabbage, garlic and ginger. garlic+ginger+chili powder are essential, i think. otherwise it would be some other fermenty vegatable thing and not kimchee anymore.





i have found that adding avocado when you eat it is fantastic. i also make a noodle dish with it that i'm pretty into. maybe i'll tell you about it later. <3