Iam a Bohemian girl, through and through. My ancestors came from theCzech/Slovakia area and traveled to Ellis Island long before my time tosow their roots in the wonderful United States. They came from a placecalled “Paa Town”, so when they arrived here in the US and were asked asurname, they removed town and went with Paa. I sure do get a lot ofquestions about my last name….it is very unique. If I get married someday, my plan is to change my middle name to Paa so I am able to carry itwith me forever. I grew up in New Ulm, a small, full fledged Germantown along the Minnesota River in southern Minnesota. It surely is abeautiful place that is packed with history – Hermann the German, The Glockenspiel, Faschinand Schell’s Brewerythe second oldest family run brewery in the United States! As a littlegirl you could often find me wearing a drindl and requesting just aplate of sauerkraut for dinner, maybe a couple of my grandma’s pillowysoft potato dumplings as well. I am still in love with sauerkraut as anadult and recently made my own through lacto-fermentation for the firsttime. It is so yummy and full of probiotics! I even find myself eatingit for breakfast some days.
My adventures in fermenting have not stopped there. With all thebeautiful cabbages and asian vegetables overflowing at the farmer’smarket, I decided I wanted to try and make kimchi. Kimchi is a theKorean version of sauerkraut, a very spicy condiment with a basic baseof cabbage, garlic, salt, peppers. It is loaded with vitamins A, B, andC, along with healthy bacteria (lactobacilli). I looked through severaldifferent versions online before I began, and even asked a few of theAsian vendors at the market for some tips. I found this websiteto have an excellent video on the process of making kimchi! Once I feltlike I had enough knowledge to create my own kimchi, I gathered all theveggies and the madness began!
Here is the step-by-step recipe for homemade kimchi:
1. I gathered about 6 1/2 lbs. of napa cabbage and one large daikonradish. Core the napa cabbage just like a regular cabbage. Cut in halflengthwise, then in half again so you have four quarters, then removethe core from the bottom of each quarter. This picture is the napacabbage chopped into about 1 to 1 1/2 in pieces and the daikon radishjulienned. As you can see, kimchi has a much chunkier texture comparedto sauerkraut.
2. Place into large bowl that you will have enough room to cover withbrine and submerge the mixture. Dissolve 4-5 tablespoons of sea saltinto about 10 cups of filtered water to create your brine. Pour over cabbage and daikon, then press down with plate that barely fits insidecontainer so that brine rises above mixture. I used a heavy pot filledwith water to keep the plate in place and the mixture fully covered.
3. Let this rest for about 8-12 hours. In the meantime, I julienned 5carrots and 1 green pepper and thinly sliced 2 leeks including greenparts.
4. To make the paste above I pureed the following in a food processor:
-4 cloves of garlic -3/4 tablespoon of dried, ground alpeppo pepper -1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger -1 tablespoon sugar -2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari (which is naturally gf) -1/4 cup filtered water
5. Once I had let the cabbage/daikon mixture rest in brine for about12 hours I drained all of the brine off into a separate container tokeep in case I needed a little extra after packing the jars. Then Isqueezed all of the brine out of the mixture. To this I added theadditional veggies that I had chopped.
6. Then for the fun part – I poured the paste on top of the mixtureand thoroughly worked it in, coating every inch of it! It is a good ideato wear rubber gloves for this part because of the strength of thepeppers.
7. Finally tightly pack into a crock or glass jars (I like to use THESE) so the brine risesabove the top of the kimchi and put cover on. If you are not gettingenough brine from pressing the kimchi down, feel free to add some of thebrine you drained off.
8. Let ferment on the counter for about 1-2 days, (if roomtemperature is around 70 degrees F), depending on how you like it totaste. Some people put it in the refrigerator right away because theylike a milder version, however you will not get any of the probioticcomponents by doing this. I taste mine every 12 hours or so to make sureI like how it is coming along. Be careful when opening the jar thoughbecause the live bacteria will cause lots of bubbles and fizz!
9. Once the kimchi meets your taste standards, place in refrigerator,where it will last 4-6 months and continue to slowly ferment.
Kimchi is great as a small side dish or condiment on a tasty burger. Need other inspirations to how to use it? Check out these kimchi recipes,everything from kimchi pancakes to fried rice. The nicething about this recipe is you can really adapt it to include whateveryour favorite Asian veggies are and modify the spice level to yourliking. The only things that are a must are having the right cabbage andat least one root vegetable in the mixture. Let your creative juicesflow!
this blog is supported by affiliate amazon links, which i may make a small portion from if you decide to purchase.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with fermented vegetables. Its ingredients can vary, but napa cabbage and Korean radish are common bases. Kimchi also often includes green onions, ginger, and garlic.
The cabbage then sits in the brine for 12 hours, and all you have to do is flip the quarters, swishing them around in the brine again when you flip them, at least two times to ensure that they're evenly salted.
The process of making kimchi involves brining (salting) the vegetables to draw out the water, which helps in preservation and allows the seasonings to penetrate the food over time; the final salt concentration ranges from 2-5%. Kimchi is typically fermented by 'wild cultures' naturally present on the vegetables.
The fermentation time for kimchi can vary from a few days to several weeks. Either way, it will be safe to eat and delicious. After 5 days of fermentation, the kimchi will be slightly acidic and firm.
It will continue to ferment at a cool temperature. If kimchi over-ferments, it will have a very vinegary odor and taste. It is not pleasant to eat raw, so it is often used for soups and stews. If any fermentation gets soft and slimy, then it is a sign of spoilage.
Kimchi is high in sodium, with about 500 milligrams per cup. That's more than 20% of all the sodium that you're supposed to get in a day. Too much sodium can raise your risk of high blood pressure. If kimchi isn't prepared or stored properly, it can cause food poisoning, especially in people who are immune compromised.
Kimchi should be stored in the fridge as chilling is the only thing that keeps its level of fermentation (i.e. the activity of those happy little probiotics) slowed down. If you leave kimchi outside of the fridge, over time it will become over-fermented and won't taste so great anymore.
Rice flour and water - These two ingredients are cooked into paste that makes the marinade stickier so that the marinade can adhere to the napa cabbage. You can use either regular rice flour (red bag) or glutinous rice flour (green bag). Gochugaru - Also known as Korean red pepper flakes.
It's typically made with napa cabbage, radish, gochujang, garlic, ginger and a mix of anchovy, shrimp or fish sauce for a kick of umami. Many kimchis also have apple or pear for a touch of sweetness to balance the fermented, umami flavor.
In a small mixing bowl, combine Fish Sauce (1/4 cup), Granulated Sugar (1/3 cup), Korean Chili Flakes (2 Tbsp), Shrimp Paste (1/2 Tbsp), Gochujang (2 Tbsp), Fresh Ginger (3 Tbsp) and Garlic (3 cloves). Stir in Water (1/3 cup) and mix until well combined. Combine the cabbage, daikon and spring onion, and brine.
Well, you already know my conclusion – that Korean Cheonilyeom aged 3 years or more is the BEST salt for making Kimchi in terms of taste, texture and long term storage. At least a 3 year old (longer the better), aged Korean solar sea salt where the bittern is drained away over time works best.
As you push down, more and more water will be released, creating your brine at the top. It's essential that the veggies be completely submerge and the water is only at the top as you need to create an oxygen-free environment.
Pickling in 15% salt solution is the traditional standard for Kimchi cabbages. A recent trend is to make it less salty and many Koreans now pickle at 10~12 % salt solution. e.g. If you want to make a 10 cup brine solution, you can mix 8 1/2 C of water and 1 1/2 C salt.
Cooked kimchi is commonly eaten with Korean meat (the zip cuts through fatty pork belly beautifully) or lightly boiled tofu (another delicious study in contrasts), but it can also work well in anything that needs a boost of acidity without the crunch and sourness of raw kimchi: a burger or hot dog topping, inside a ...
As a way of preserving the harvest just before winter, Koreans would first salt then tightly pack their cabbages into large clay urns, burying them underground to avoid the frost. The resulting fermented product took on a delicious flavour, and Kimchi began bubbling up across the whole country.
Kimchi is fermented by anaerobic halophilic lactic acid bacteria. During the fermentation process, lactic acid bacteria produce organic acids and bacteriocin, which suppress the growth of harmful bacteria and impart a unique flavor to kimchi [4].
Kimchi is typically made by first salting the vegetables to draw out their water content. The vegetables are then washed and mixed with a variety of spices, such as ginger, garlic, onion, and chilli pepper. This mixture is then fermented, typically for a period of one to two weeks, but often for months or even years.
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