Kimchee
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 12:17PM As I may have stated - some millions of times - I love kimchee (also spelled "kimchi" and "kim chee") so, so much. On top of being delicious, it's low-calorie, and apparently pretty nutritious. A power food, if you will. Despite being a little scared of making anything that had to ferment for a couple of days, I really wanted to try making my own kimchee at home.
I was a little intimidated by some of the more "authentic" recipes I found, so for my first home attempt, I decided to ease my way into it by adapting the recipe of a white dude, namely, our ice cream guru (I know, what?) David Lebovitz. And the result was really tasty, and surprisingly close to the kimchee I've eaten at Korean restaurants.
- 1 huge head of Napa cabbage
- 1 1/2 gallons water
- 3/4 cups kosher salt
- 2 heads garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 2" piece of ginger, peeled and minced
- 3/4 cup of Korean chili powder
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1" pieces
- 1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp honey
First, I rinsed the cabbage and sliced it into half lengthwise, then sliced the halves into three equal sections, also lengthwise. I also trimmed off the tough stems and core chunks.
I dissolved the salt in the water in a very large tub, then submerged the cabbage into the water. I couldn't get it to stay down, so I improvised with my cutting board and my (very well cleaned) set of weights. I let the cabbage sit for about 2 hours.
Right before the two hours was up, I mixed together all the other ingredients in a large bowl with my (ungloved) hands. Despite washing my hands several times, I stunk like garlic and chili powder for a good long while after this step. I didn't mind too much, though.
I drained the cabbage, rinsed it, and dried it well. Then I put it in the container that I was going to store it in, another large plastic tub, since I have not yet been able to purchase my large glass "kimchee jar." Google tells me that using a plastic container is okay, but that I may have to use that container for kimchee only from now on, since the mixture will stain and make the container smell like kimchee forever. I also don't mind that too much. I poured the chili-garlic mixture into the tub as well, and made sure that each and every piece of cabbage was slathered with the fragrant red paste.
I sealed up the container and set it in the back corner of one of my kitchen cabinets for two days, until I noticed bubbling in the container (from the fermenting process). I opened the container and was hit with a roundhouse punch of pungent aroma that sent me into ecstatics and sent Mark's nose into a pillow. I stored it in the fridge, and have been snacking on it ever since.
The finished product was super-garlicky and awesome, although I wish it had been a little spicier (maybe I used too mild of a chili powder - I couldn't decipher the markings on the container, and had to go by the word of one of the store employees that it was what I should use for making kimchee). Nevertheless, I can't wait to use this in some upcoming recipes (kimchee stew, kimchee fried rice, kimchee and pork belly, kimchee noodles, kimchee ice cream?). And I feel quite a sense of accomplishment - I tackled a scary food preparation and came out on top!
Korean, Vegetarian in Recipes: At Home
Reader Comments (13)
Love it! I'll give you the recipe I used for radish kimchee if you want.
Ooh, yes, please!! I actually may like radish kimchee better than I like cabbage (although not by too much). Thanks!
YUM. i have been meaning to buy korean chili powder for over a year now. I need to get on that!!
Evan-
Yeah, just have an idea of exactly what type of chili powder you are looking for when you go - you'd be surprised at the sheer number of different types of Korean chili powder that are available.
Yea. the first time i went, i ended up getting korean chili paste, gochuchung. That was wrong and I dont know what to do with it. I saw it one night in the east village at an asian store, but wasn't heading home.
This is awesom you did such a great job with it that now I want to have it but you make it! :) Great picture and great entertaining writing, made me burst out laughing there couple of times.
Thank you, Shulie! Next time we come visit DC (or you come to LA!!), I will be sure to have some homemade kimchee for you!
I love that on a foodie blog weights are used not for lifting but for weighing ingredients down.
My brother was stationed in Korea for 3 years and when he returned he made these dumplings that were nothing short of amazing. Try using kimchi instead of plain cabbage in pork dumplings. It’s has just enough kick to make regular dumplings taste awesome.
I'm not exaggerating - that is like, the best use of kimchee I've heard so far. AWESOME. I suck at making dumplings, but I may just do it anyway just to try this. Thanks, Debb!
Where did you find korean chili powder? Thank you
Amy-
I got mine at Han Kook Supermarket in Koreatown, at 124 N Western Ave. Pretty much any Asian market will have it, though, and generally, there's a photo of kimchee on the label, so you know you're getting the right stuff.
i finally made mine! http://bit.ly/jYWTw4
:) I know, I saw it yesterday when I was catching up on your blog! Good work.