#throwback to some Kimchi made yesterday. I’ve been on a Kimchi making craze lately, as I found that it is not only cheaper to make, and pretty easy too. It’s a little time consuming, but hey, it’s really worth it. Colleagues, friends, and the Kimchi crazy BF loves homemade kimchi. They said its very much different from what we get outside. My dad was a little worried about the amount of Kimchi we have at home. Before he knows it, 3/4 of the 3kg kimchi made yesterday were repacked and given out. 🙂
I’ve tried a few different Kimchi recipes previously, but recently, I’m stuck to the recipe from Bear Naked Food. The result and taste so far has been good. I’m pleased with the compliments I’ve received from it. 🙂 If you would like to try it out, please find the recipe below
Ingredients:
1 large napa cabbage or “wong bok” (I just bought 1 big wong bok not caring about the weight)
1/2 cup salt
Kimchi paste:
1 cup water
3 tbsp rice flour or cake flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 knob ginger
10 cloves garlic – peeled
1/4 cup fish sauce
5 tbsp Korean red pepper powder (depending on your tolerance / taste. We like ours spicy)
Salty shrimp paste (optional)
Method:
Cut the cabbage lengthwise. Chop it up into bite size pieces.
Rinse the chopped cabbage in cold water and put them into a large plastic basin or bowl big enough to hold everything.
Sprinkle salt and gently toss them around to ensure each piece is well coated. Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage over to salt. (From bottom to top)
Repeat every 30 mins. 1.5 hours later, rinse the cabbage in tap water 3 times to wash off the salt. Drain the cabbage and set aside. (Make sure there is no water left in the basin).
Boil the water in a small saucepan and add in flour. Once it comes to a bubble, add in the sugar to melt. The texture should be thick, smooth and shiny. Set it aside to cool. (This step is optional if you do not have the type of flour required. Instead, just boil 1/2 cup water and melt the sugar and set aside).
In a food processor, add in the fish sauce, garlic, ginger and onion. Blend till smooth. If you do not have a food processor, use a blender. (I used a garlic presser, and just mix everything together after mincing the ginger and garlic).
Place the cooled flour paste into a large bowl. Add the blended mixture, hot pepper flakes. Mix well.
Add the kimchi paste (few spoons at a time) to the cabbage and mix it up. 🙂 To protect your hands from burning & staining (red pepper powder is the major culprit), wear a pair of plastic or rubber gloves.
Put the kimchi into an air-tight sealed plastic container (BPA free) or glass jar. Press down to make sure no air is trapped in between the cabbage. Leave about an inch of space from the cabbage and lid. Leave it outside for approximately 3 days to ferment before putting it into the fridge. Start tasting it from day 2 onwards. Once it has reached your preferred taste, store it into the fridge.
Happy Kimchi making. 🙂
marianbakes 