Hi everyone, today I am going to show you how to make Korean Kimchi.
You can never miss a kimchi dish in Korean dining.
And it's easy to make at home.
The detailed instruction of this recipe, please refer to the description down below, or you can find it on my blog.
First off, rinse the Chinese Napa cabbage, and cut it lengthwise into halves.
Put them in a large bowl, and rub with salt.
You'd better use sea salt, because it give a milder flavor.
Rub salt on each leaf pieces in between evenly.
The amount of salt needed equals to 3% of that of the cabbage.
Once you finish, rub and toss with your hands.
And then let it sit aside.
It takes about 6-8 hours.
Wait until the cabbage wilted and becomes a little translucent.
Prepare the other ingredients when your cabbage is almost ready.
In a pot, add in 150ml of water and 2 tbs. of glutinous rice flour.
Cook over low heat, and stir constantly.
Until the flour mixture thickens up,
And bubbles away.
Turn off the heat when it becomes a paste like mixture.
Add in a tbs. of caster sugar when the flour mixture is still very warm.
Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Leave to cool and set aside.
Peel a piece of ginger,
Grate the ginger into very fine pieces with a grater.
Grate a peeled apple half as well.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl.
Press in a clove of garlic.
Or you can do this with other tools, like a food processor, a mandoline, or a knife, anything you can use to combine all these ingredients into a paste like mixture.
Pour the cool flour mixture over.
Add in a tbs. of fish sauce, and 4 tbs. of Korean chili flakes.
Mix well.
I suggest use Korean chili flakes here, for they have a brighter color, and they are not very spicy.
Do not use those extremely spicy chili flakes.
Rinse and drain the chives.
Give it a little press over the bottom part.
Cut them into long strips, and then set aside.
Now our cabbage is ready.
Rinse them in a large bowl of water to remove any excess salt.
You can give it a taste, it should have a touch of salty flavor.
If they appear to be very salty, you can rinse them for a couple more time.
Squeeze out water from the cabbage.
Now combine chives into the chili flour mixture and mix well.
And we are ready to pickle them.
Open up and separate each piece of cabbage leaf, rub the sauce in between, and rub more on the stem end.
Rub less over the leaves.
Make sure you rub every piece of it with chili flour mixture.
Wear a pair of gloves if you have.
Otherwise your hands will be hurt.
Finish by wrapping the leaves.
Once you are done rubbing two cabbage halves, transfer them into a food container.
Cover with lid, but do not seal it.
Leave it to ferment under room temperature for about 1-2 days.
After 1-2 days, there should be clear liquid in the bottom of the container.
And a fermented smell.
That means you are right on point.
Now seal the container, and pop it in the fridge.
Let it sit to ferment under a low temperature for about 5-7 days, and then you are ready to serve.
It's done.
It's quite simple. But make sure that your hands and every utensils you use are very clean without oil.
Only under a sanitary condition can kimchi ferment successfully.
This is what it looks like after 7 days of fermentation. It has a strong ferment smell.
Cut them into strips, and then you are ready to serve.
If you are serving it as a side dish, 7 days of fermentation is just right.
It should have a fermented flavor but not too strong.
And it's crunchy and light.
If your kimchi continues to ferment in the fridge, the sour smell will get stronger.
And cabbage will get wilted.
After 2 weeks, the sour ferment flavor will reach a peak point.
At this stage, it's better to serve as a side dish with other ingredients, like pork belly, or in a kimchi soup.
I hope you like this classic Korean Kimchi, and thanks for watchin