Kimchi

First off, this is no way an attempt at traditional Korean kimchi. This is my personal interpretation and to-taste recipe based on my own flavour profile favourites. Feel free to experiment as you see fit, I have provided a couple of different options, both delicious AND approved by my lovely Korean colleagues – so I must be doing something right? Am I right? 🙂

Slice Down then Pull Apart & Repeat!

Ingredients:

CABBAGE:

1. 1 head napa cabbage

2. Salt (I have used both pickling and kosher salt)

SAUCE OPTIONS:

1) Sweet Sauce

1. 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari for a GF option

2. ¼ cup pineapple juice

3. ½ cup hot water

4. 2 tsp glutinous rice flour

5. 1 tbsp white miso paste

6. 1 tbsp sugar (optional)

7. 1 tsp kelp powder or crumble nori sheet (optional more of a fishy taste)

Perfectly Soggy & Ready to be Rinsed!

2) Savoury Sauce

1. 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari for a GF option

2. ¾ cup hot water

3. 2 tsp glutinous rice flour

4. 1 tbsp miso paste

5. 1 tbsp mushroom powder for a nice umami flavour (grind a dried shiitake mushroom OR option to soak it in the hot water).

6. 1 tsp kelp powder or crumbled nori sheet (optional more of a fishy taste)

Rinsy Rinsy!

SEASONINGS & PRODUCE OPTIONS:

1. 2” piece of ginger, peeled and minced

2. 1 head garlic, peeled and minced

3. ½ onion (white, brown or red)

4. 1/3 cup cup gochugaru powder (mild-medium heat, adjust to-taste)

5. 1-2  carrots, julienne

6. 6 green onions, julienne

7. ½ sweet apple, pear or daikon, julienne or a combo of all three! MMM

Method of Madness & Assembly:

OK. I know it seems like quite the daunting process, but it really is a SUPER EASY thing to make. Fermentation is my JAM. All that good quality probiotic-rich deliciousness, that can top ANY savoury dish, can be modified to your liking AND be a great gift, is a recipe WORTH experimenting with. Kimchi for everybody!

Mixy Mixy

CABBAGE:

1. Rinse cabbage well, shake dry

2. Remove outer leaves, and any other leaves that are dry/brown as you go

3. Make a slit in the thick stalk, about 3 inches up, then down the base so you can pull apart the cabbage into two.

4. Repeat this 2-3 more times and you will have 8/12 separate pieces. Depending on how small you’d like your strands.

5. Cut of remaining core off the bottom of each section, until all pieces are now loose

6. Layer the pieces in a big bowl, sprinkling generously with salt

7. Put a plate over the cabbage and weigh down with something heavy, like a jar or can of food. This will encourage the cabbage to expel excess water

8. Every 30-45 minutes, check cabbage, giving it a good mix to ensure the salt is evenly distributed. Do this for roughly 2 hours total. When it’s ready, the cabbage will have shrunk and be quite limp.

9. Rinse very well to remove any excess salt and put aside

Use Your Mix As A Weight!

PRODUCE & SAUCE:

1. As your cabbage is salting, you can prepare the produce and sauce

2. Julienne fruit and vegetables and put aside

3. Process onion, garlic, ginger and add to produce

4. Bring liquids to boil, add sheet of nori or kelp powder, mushroom powder (or whole dehydrated mushroom), as well as glutinous rice flour, sugar (if using) and simmer until thick. Remove from heat to cool. This mixture adds a sticky mixture to the kimchi to help bind everything together.

Final Mix

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER (finally!)

1. Combine cabbage, sauce, and all produce together and mix well

2. Add chili powder and mix again (use gloves or utensils to mix and it will BURN YOU!)

3. Once everything is well combined, pack well into two well-cleaned 1-L Wide- Mouth Mason Jars. Pack down tight, and loosely put on lid (so air can escape). You can also try the lid-on-tight method, but you will have to “burp” the jars a couple times a day to let out any excess gas. I’ve tried both methods.

4. Now you wait. Place jars in dark warm place (I use the oven with door closed) for about three days. I recommend a dish under the jars, as the contents will rise as it ferments, as you don’t want that juice leaking all over the place.

5. Taste it. If it’s tart enough for you, move to the fridge for another 5 days

6. EAT! Top with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Homemade antipasto platter: kimchi, seitan, cashew cheese, bok-choy gomae & fresh veg

Choose Healthy!