Recipe:Traditional Kimchi making manual

Kimchi Making (paechu kimchi)

Ingredients

chinese cabbage 2 kg (1pogi)

water 2400 ml (10C)

sea salt (coarse salts) 240 ml (1C)------> for soaking

radish 250 g

green onion 100 g

onion 100 g

leaf mustard (another vegetables etc) 50 g

red pepper powder 100 g

garlic 5T

ginger 1T

pear or apple or persimmon

fermented fish sauce 60 ml (1/4C)

sticky rice powder (1:5)-1/2T powder +150ml

water (a tangle water (from boiled seaweed) is better) 100ml

medium coarse salt

Equipment

cutting board and knife, large bowl, gloves (optional but highly recommended), plate and something to weight the kimchi down, colander, small bowls, blender, jars, gas/electric range, pots

Instructions

Salt the cabbage (paechu jeorigi) prepare a bowl with water and add salt (ratio salt to water 1:5), preferably use natural course sea salt (3/4C salt melting with water and 1/4C just sprinkled on the cabbage)

• cut the cabbage in halves and then tear the halves appart with hands and transfer into the salt water mix
• put a plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or clean stones so the cabbage is submerged
• let stand for 5 hours, after then switch the cabbage from the bottom to the top
  • summer time or small amount 3~6 hours
  • winter time or a large amount 8 hours~1 day generally
• rinse and drain the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times and drain in a colander for 15-20 minutes

Preparing the filling mix

• prepare sticky rice powder porridge [chapssalpul] and if you can prepare a tangle water (but you can skip this). If you skip the tangle water prepare more chassalpul
  • a tangle water: boil the cold water with a piece of a tangle during 15min
• let this broth to cool down
• clean properly the vegetables from any impurities (the ingredients should not have any major bacterial, yeast or fungal infections) like earth, starting with the radishes
• slice the radish ([chaessulgi]: this type of slice we call [chaessulda]) on a slicer to 2-5 mm strips of whatever length
• slice another vegetables (green onions, leaf mustards, dropworts etc) too, generally 5 cm long cuts, doesn’t matter too much.
• blend yellow onion, apple and pear (add this natural sweetener to the cabbage, if you don’t have you can use sugar)
• add the garlic 5T and ginger 1T and fermented fish sauce 60 ml and blend all together
• add the red pepper powder 100 g into the chapssalpul
• mix well the prepared ingredients in the big bowl (we call this [paste’so]

Mixing and packing

combine the vegetables and paste

• gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage
• mix thoroughly using your hands, gently work the paste into and around the cabbage leaves and between them, one by one until they are thoroughly coated. The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!
• squeeze the air out of the cabbage and try to pack the outer bigg leaves around the cabbage half protecting it and making it more compact
• pack the kimchi into the jar pressing down on it until the brine rises to cover the vegetables (do not push too hard so you do not crush the structure of the cabbage, compromising the texture!)
• seal the jar!!!

Fermentaton

• let the jar with kimchi ferment at room temperature for 1-2 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine may seep out of the lid; place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow
• check it daily and refrigerate when ready. Check the kimchi once a day, pressing down on the vegetables with a clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine (this also releases gases produced during fermentation). Taste a little at this point, too!
• when the kimchi tastes ripe enough to your liking, transfer the jar into the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it's best after another week or two.
• close the container airtight and let to ferment at temperatures between 2°C to 10°C with the fermentation period ranging from 3-4 months till several years
• if we keep the 3.25%salt-concentration kimchi under the 2~7°C for 35 days, after than we can taste really delicious kimchi (best delicious ph; 4.3)
• take out the kimchi when you want to consume it, keeping the container closed in meanwhile, and enjoy!