(chopping sounds)
(polka music)
These are some FAQs.
Some of my readers have been making kimchi for over the years,
and they asked me questions, so many so many similar questions.
These are my answers, so I hope it helps.
First,
" Maangchi,
which one is a good quality cabbage or radish?"
Good cabbage is the leaves should be really green
and fresh
and also really thin, thinner, instead of thick.
So, thin leaves are good.
and
inside, when you cut it,
it's kind of yellow, perfect, delicious, and tastes sweet.
This kind of cabbage is really good quality.
Radish is
smooth,
and then there's a green part, white part.
This green part is more than white part.
Juicy,
firm,
and very tasty and sweet,
and usually this good stuff, its peak seasons are
like harvest time,
fall season.
But, all around the year,
cabbage, radishes are available in Korean grocery store.
If Korean radishes are not available,
use daikon, it turns out good.
Number two,
"Maangchi,
how long can we preserve kimchi in the refrigerator?"
My answer is...
almost forever!
(chuckles)
Kimchi is always fermenting,
by time goes by, kimchi turns sour and sour and sour,
but, it'll never go bad.
Whenever you take some kimchi
to serve,
always press down on top,
so that this all juice, kimchi juice, is submerging,
like the whole top.
In that case, kimchi never go bad.
But, Korean winter kimchi,
winter kimchi or gimjang, when we make this we use more salt.
More salt makes the kimchi more firm.
Some people age kimchi for couple of years.
This kind of kimchi, you need to add more salt.
So you'd like to make aged kimchi with my recipe?
Just add more salt.
"Maangchi I made kimchi! But kimchi too salty!"
You follow my recipe, it's not going to be salty kimchi,
but it happens I would suggest
just cut the radish,
cut radish or daikon slices around quarter inch thick
and then between the kimchi, just insert.
The radish will dilute the kimchi, so it's going to be okay.
"What kind of hot pepper flakes are good quality?"
Actually, I like the sun dried hot pepper flakes,
it's called 'taeyangcho'.
If you are so confused,
choose the most expensive one.
(chuckles) Sometimes you don't know, and also color is bright red color, not dark.
Dark color, when you make kimchi,
kimchi color will not be pretty bright red.
And also,
hot pepper flakes, some hot pepper flakes, it says 'spicy'
and spicy version hot pepper flakes
and mild version, medium.
So you can check out, in my case, I used to love spicy version
hot pepper flakes, but these days
I like mild one,
because I make my kimchi really red,
so red color, really appealing.
I love red kimchi.
"What should I do with leftover paste?
I made too much kimchi paste, what should I do?"
Keep in the freezer,
freeze,
and then when you make next batch of kimchi,
thaw it out in the refrigerator,
and maybe it takes overnight or several hours.
After that, just make kimchi.
I hope you guys make really delicious,
enhanced
kimchi from now on.
And then let me know, how your kimchi turns out.
Good luck with your Korean cooking.
If you make kimchi well, that means you're good at Korean cooking.
Enjoy my kimchi recipe.
See you next time!
Bye~!