Kimchi 101

Hello everybody!!

Ah... good to be back... I have no excuse.... none whatsoever for not blogging, besides the ever so tiny issue of blogspot being blocked in the Motherland...

Anyways... I have just come back from.. making kimchi haha.. so not exciting, but so yummy.

I.should.stop.watching. Korean.drama.series.and.drooling.over.the.food.

I have made it my mission on this career break of mine, to cook better. I can make basic stuff like bake cakes, pies and quiches... and roast lamb, chicken, fish... but I needed to learn how to fry an egg and cook rice in a rice cooker.

For those who are wondering how to make yummy fresh kimchi from scratch, here goes!

Ingredients:

A head of cabbage (about 2kg) - get one that's heavy and compact

1 cup of Korean chilli pepper powder - Szechuan chilli powder is spicier for those who like it

30ml Fish sauce (or to taste)

30ml light soya sauce

30g sugar (or to taste if you like it sweeter)

10g grated ginger

1 bulb of garlic sliced lengthwise

1 small radish julienned - I had pink lemonade preserved radishes which I made earlier

Bunch of spring onions julienned

15g toasted sesame seeds

A sprinkle of cinnamon because I like it

1 puréed pear/apple/chunks of tinned pineapple -optional as I used pink lemonade

Rock salt - lots of it

Method to my madness:

1. Split the cabbage into half or quarters. Sprinkle generous amounts of rock salt all over and including the inside leaves. Leave in a bowl for about 3-5 hours until the water is drawn out.

2. Wash the cabbage at least twice to remove the salt. Squeeze dry and leave to drain.

3. Mix everything else together to form a paste then using your hands, rub into the cabbage. Using a spoon to apply all the spices just won't cut it... Remember to wash the hands well especially under the nails!

4. Put into a earthenware jar to ferment for 6-24 hours. You can use any jar or a large Zip-lock bag. You will see excess liquid formation after about 6 hours, and a zip-lock allows the kimchi to be rotated for a more even coating.

Store in the fridge and consume within 2 weeks for best taste. If you leave it longer, you get a stronger and more pungent smell. This kimchi is very good for stewing cuts of meat and frying rice and making omelettes!

Bon appetit!