KIMCHI

KIMCHI

“Pickled radish slices make a good summer side-dish,
Radish preserved in salt is a winter side-dish from start to end.
The roots in the earth grow plumper everyday,
Harvesting after the frost, a slice cut by a knife tastes like a pear”— Yi Gyubo, Dongguk isanggukjip (translated by Michael J. Pettid, in Korean cuisine: An Illustrated History)

Kimchi is a staple in Korean cuisine its typically served as a side dish consisting of fermented vegetables and it’s usually spicy.  There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi and this recipe is a pretty solid one.  The origins date back to the 37BC in Asian where fermenting vegetables and fruits was a staple to get through the winter months.

 

1 head of Napa cabbage

¼ cup of gochujang paste

2 TBSP Kosher salt

½ cup of Korean chilis – gochugaru

3 ½ TBSP water

4 garlic cloves

¼ cup of rice wine vinegar

1 TBSP grated ginger

½ cup of thinly sliced onion and daikon radish

4 scallions – cut into 3” pieces

 

Remove the bruised leaves of the cabbage, quarter washing it well and allowing it to dry.

Place the cabbage quarters in a large working bowl and salt it, ensuring that you’re thoroughly coating in between the leaves with the salt.  Set aside for about 30-40 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the gochujang, gochugaru, water, ginger, garlic cloves and vinegar and pulse to create a paste.  Rinse the cabbage and remove all traces of the salt even between the leaves and then dry well with a kitchen towel to absorb as much of the water as possible.  Cut each core into medium slices (about 1½ “thick) and add the other sliced vegetables.  Spread the paste all over the veggies and pack them into a large mason jar.  Refrigerate for about 2 days before using to allow the flavors to marry.  Keeps up to a week and makes about 1 quart of kimchi.

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