Kimchi
http://userealbutter.com/2014/05/26/kimchi-recipe/
from Maangchi (I halved the original recipe)
5 lbs. napa cabbage
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sweet rice flour (like Mochiko)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 cup garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup onion, cut into medium chunks
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 1/4 cups coarse ground red pepper powder
5 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
1 cup leek, chopped (greens too)
2 cups Korean radish, julienned
1/4 cup carrot, julienned
Prepare the cabbage: Remove any wilted outer leaves of the napa cabbage heads.
Quarter the heads lengthwise and cut out the cores. Chop the cabbage into bite-size
pieces. Place the cabbage in a large bowl of water (use two large bowls if it won’t all fit).
Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage (divide it accordingly if you have multiple bowls of
cabbage). Turn the cabbage every 30 minutes to get an even brining for a total of 90
minutes. Rinse the cabbage in a large bowl of water three times. Drain the cabbage and
set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the paste: Combine the sweet rice flour and the water in a small saucepan.
Stir over medium high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Keep stirring until it is
bubbling and then add the sugar. Continue to stir until the mixture turns somewhat
translucent. Pour into a large (really large) clean bowl. Place the garlic, ginger, and
onion in the bowl of a food processor and purée. Add the purée to the sweet rice paste
along with the fish sauce and the red pepper powder and mix it all together. Stir in the
green onions, leeks, Korean radish, and carrot until the vegetables are well-coated.
Mix and ferment: Add the cabbage to the paste and mix by hand (wear a disposable
glove – you will be happier for it later) until all of the cabbage is evenly coated with the
paste. Pack the kimchi tightly into an airtight container (glass jar, plastic tub, etc.). You
may have to use multiple containers. Push the kimchi down so the liquid covers the top,
but leave at least 1 inch of headspace in the top of the container. Let the kimchi sit on
the counter for a day with some sort of plate or bowl to catch any leaking liquid
underneath the container. If it is fermenting, there will be gas bubbles developing down
in the kimchi which pushes the liquid up and possibly out of the top of your vessel. Open
the lid once or twice a day to let the kimchi de-gas and to push the cabbage back down
into the vessel. After 2 days, it should start to sour a little (this is good!). If this is the
right taste for you, seal it up and place it in the refrigerator to enjoy as you like. I let mine
go 5 days and it was AWESOME. Makes a gallon.
