Kimchi Recipe

Ingredients

For salting cabbage

1. 6 pounds napa cabbage
2. 1/2 cup of Kosher salt

For making porridge

1. 2 cups water
2. 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
3. 2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

Vegetables

1. 2 cups Korean radish matchsticks
2. 1 cup carrot matchsticks
3. 7 to 8 onions, chopped
4. 1 cup chopped Asian chives (optional; substitute with green onions, chopped)
5. 1 cup water dropwort (optional)

Seasonings and spices

1. 1/2 cup garlic cloves (24 garlic cloves), minced
2. 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
3. 1 medium onion, minced
4. 1/2 cup fish sauce
5. 1/4 cup fermented salted shrimp with the salty brine, chopped
6. 2 cups red pepper flakes (gochugaru)

Directions

Prepare and salt the cabbage

1. If the cabbage cores stick out too much, trim them off with your knife over your cutting board.
2. To split a cabbage in half without shredding the densely packed leaves inside, first cut a short slit in the base of the cabbage, enough to get a grip on either half, and then gently pull the halves apart so the cabbage splits open.
3. Cut a slit through the core of each half, 2 inches above the stem.
4. Dunk the halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Sprinkle salt between the leaves by lifting up every leaf and getting salt in there. Use more salt closer to the stems, where the leaves are thicker.
5. Let the cabbages rest for 2 hours. Turn over every 30 minutes, so they get well salted. From time to time you can ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over top of the cabbages if you want to.
6. After 2 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water. Giving them a good washing, to remove the salt and any dirt. As you wash, split the halves into quarters along the slits you cut into earlier. Cut off the cores, give them a final rinse, and put them in a strainer over a basin so they can drain well.
7. Combine the water and the sweet rice flour in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it starts to bubble. Add the sugar and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
8. Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste.

Why is Kimchi Important in Korea

Korea is located in northeast Asia and has cold winters, mountainous landscape covering much of the country, and sparse fertile plains. Ancient Korean peoples were faced with the crucial task of preserving food throughout the winters in order to survive, and preserving food with salt was already a common practice by the period of the Three Kingdoms (57 BCE to 668 AD). It was around this time that other countries began taking note of Koreans’ particular skill in fermenting different types of foods and beverages, including wines, soybean paste, fish, and vegetables. When Buddhism – and its vegetarian lifestyle – caught on throughout the country around this period, kimchi became far more prevalent.

Historically, Korean people prepared kimchi by fermenting vegetables in large earthenware jars and storing them in the ground throughout the winter. It was a highly effective way to preserve food long before refrigeration existed. As an added bonus, kimchi retains many nutrients and develops probiotics and healthy bacteria from fermentation. Korean radish (aka Joseon radish, or mu) was originally very commonly used because it was a native root vegetable. Once trade began to expand during the Koryeo Period (918–1392AD), many new vegetables and seasonings were introduced and quickly implemented into Korean cooking and food preparation, including kimchi.