Kimchi

This is the national dish of Korea. We toned down the spiciness; yet it yields a lively version. “The library of a kimchi museum in Seoul holds more than 2,000 books about kimchi and thousands more dissertations. The U.S. magazine Health listed kimchi in its March issue as “one of the world’s five most healthful foods.”

This is a wet version of kimchi. It is much faster and easy to prepare. After initial fermentation, you can adjust for more spiciness by adding extra chili flakes or even hot sauce.  This recipe makes two quarts.

– Recipe adapted by Bill Hettig

Ingredients for Kimchi:

• 1 pound of Chinese Cabbage (Napa), chopped into 1-inch squares.
• 1/2 pound of Daikon Radish cut into thin, half moon slices.
• 2 tablespoons of fresh, finely minced ginger.
• 1½ tablespoons of fresh garlic, minced.
• 3 or 4 scallions cut into thin, slanted slices.
• 2-3 tablespoons of Korean Chile flakes (gochugaru), or ½ teaspoon of cayenne (to taste).
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional).
• 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (optional).

Directions for Kimchi:

1. Prep the five vegetables and place in a large bowl, mix well.
2. Toss ingredients well with the chile
3. Pack a clean, 2-quart jar with the mixture, tamping lightly as you go.  Add sugar and fish sauce if using.
4. Make a salt water brine solution. To do this, dissolve salt in filtered water at a ratio of 2 tablespoons of salt to 4 cups of water for this 2-quart batch.
5. Fill your 2-quart jar with this brine solution until about 1 inch from the jar lip.
6. Use some sort of weighty object to hold the kimchi under the brine solution. Be sure to place the jar in your sink as you do this as there is sure to be spillage. We sell our brine overflow cup as a weight here: Brine “Catch” Cup – Wide Mouth
7. Remove the cup and wipe any debris on the lip of the cup and the jar, then put the cup back in. Install a Lid Gasket inside a Wide Mouth Fermenter Lid. Tighten the lid until its snug.
8. Add tap water to a ClearView Airlock to the max line. Now gently insert the airlock into the hole of the fermenter lid until snug. Make sure not to push too deeply into the lid. As the fermentation happens, the water should move back and forth, and bubbles should move through the airlock, this is correct and indicates a tight seal.
9. Write down the date you began fermentation on the lid using a Lid Marking Pen. After 4 days, check to see if the kimchi is sour enough for you. If its not, just add a day and re-check.

For even better and more delectable recipes, check out our Fermentation Recipe Booklet, where you will find many recipes, tips and tricks to brine pickling, and so much more!