KIMCHI: KOREAN SUPERFOOD

Kimchi | July 6, 2017 | By Hyeon Jeong

Quick, Easy, Authentic Kimchi 막김치 キムチ

My easy, authentic Kimchi recipe is the perfect introduction to making kimchi for yourself. Shop bought kimchi doesn’t come close! A great Korean side dish.

Two weeks ago, it was extremely hot for June in England. It was the hottest weather in June since 1976. It was such a lovely sunny day, so, I went for a walk with my 2 year old son. There is a park opposite of the estate where my house is. It has a couple of lovely little ponds with a few ducks and a few fishermen killing their time (I have no idea about the fun of fishing!) As soon as we went near a pond, a few insects bit me. I usually get bitten by mosquitos more than anybody, they do love me! So, I thought they were mosquitoes.

Watch My Easy Kimchi Recipe Video (6m 39s)

And the next day morning, when I got up from my bed, my left knee was swollen twice as much as the other side and my right arm was swollen from the shoulder to the elbow. I felt I was carrying extra weight as if exercising with dumbbells in a gym. I thought the swelling would go down with antihistamine. And then, one more day later, when I got up, the swelling in my right arm got worse and I couldn`t move it. I went to a Walk-In Centre (mainly for minor injuries) and they sent me straight to A&E. Painfully, I drove across town to Whiston Hospital, and after a brief examination, the doctor I saw said I had to be admitted! What kind of bite gets me admitted to hospital. I ended up staying there for four days.

They reckon I got bitten by horseflies. Horseflies bite horses even though they have thick skin, so, they are really ruthless! I can say they are!! Be warned! I had to have an antibiotics IV. Having terrible hospital food (everything seems like it is microwaved..) made me think about delicious food even more than usual. I missed my mum, dad, my sister, my brother, my friends, Korean food…. K-I-M-C-H-I. I definitely need to make kimchi and put it on my blog. Kimchi, Kimchi, Kimchi!!! Give me kimchi please!

Kimchi is the Korean national dish. It is salted and fermented vegetables like chinese cabbages (napa cabbages), mooli, cucumbers with Korean red pepper powder (Gochugaru), spring onions (scallions), garlic, fish sauce and ginger. Koreans eat kimchi as a side dish with every meal. No exceptions! You can find foreigners, who have lived in Korea for a while, get addicted to Kimchi, so, they make it or buy it even when they go back home. My husband is addicted to Kimchi. Well, Kimchi addiction is not a bad thing, right? 🙂 Kimchi contains many different beneficial bacteria (just like probiotic yoghurt) which are extremely good for your health.

Chinese cabbage (napa cabbage) kimchi is the most popular amongst over 200 kinds of kimchi. Even in Korea where kimchi originates, most people think kimchi is difficult to make, so, they buy kimchi instead of making it. This kimchi recipe is from my mum. She showed me how to make it before I moved to the UK. I learnt it to make sure I could eat delicious kimchi in the UK.

KIMCHI QUESADILLAS

If you are a kimchi lover and there isn’t any kimchi in your house, your life gets very difficult. If you have kimchi at home, you can cook anything when you can’t think about a dinner menu. Kimchi pancakes, Kimchi soup, pork and kimchi stir fry, kimchi fried rice, kimchi dumplings, etc, etc. The variation of Kimchi is limitless! I will put those recipes on my blog, so, keep your eyes on it.

I have made fish sauce and used squid sauce as well. There are different kinds of fish sauce and even fish used in Kimchi depending on the region where it is made. I like Thai squid sauce as it has a rich and refreshing taste. If you don`t like fish sauce or if you are a vegan, you can skip fish sauce and add more salt as fish sauce is salty. Also, salt tastes different depending on brands and countries. I found British salt is twice as salty as Korean salt. So, keep it mind and adjust salt for your own taste.

Let me show you my Kimchi recipe! Don’t forget to take a picture of your homemade Kimchi and tag @gildedgingerbread on Instagram and use the hashtag #gildedgingerbread. I would love to see how you get on. Enjoy!

Here are my other kimchi recipes. Radish Kimchi, Cucumber Kimchi and White Kimchi. I also teach a Kimchi making class in association with Food Sorcery in Manchester.

Leave a comment at the bottom of the page. I love to hear from you.

Try my Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice, Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice and Kimchi Pancakes recipes for more Kimchi ideas.

DIY Kimchi Kit

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KIMCHI: KOREAN SUPERFOOD

Author: Hyeon Jeong

Recipe type: Kimchi

Cuisine: Korean

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 4 hours 15 mins

Total time: 4 hours 35 mins

Serves: 3.4 litres

My easy, authentic Kimchi recipe is the perfect introduction to making kimchi for yourself. Shop bought kimchi doesn't come close! A great Korean side dish.

What You'll Need

2 Chinese cabbages/napa cabbages (2kg)
Salt Water Marinade
2.4L Water
¾ Cup Coarse Sea Salt
Fish Sauce Ingredients
2 Cups Water
30 grams dried anchovies
1 piece kelp (3cm square)
1 tbsp glutinous rice flour (It can be replaced with flour)
Kimchi Sauce
1 piece ginger (5g)
1 Pear
1 tbsp mashed garlic
1 carrot (70g) cut into matchsticks
3 tbsp Fish Sauce (optional)
1 ⅓ cups Korean Red Pepper Powder (Gochugaru)
1 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp sugar
9 spring onions/scallions (125g) finely shredded

How to Make It

Wash the chinese cabbages (napa cabbages) and chop them into small bite size pieces and put them in a big bowl.
Mix sea salt and water together and add to the chinese cabbages. Cover the bowl with food wrap for four hours to marinate. When four hours are up, drain all the salty water from the chinese cabbages with a colander. Leave the colander on a plate or a bowl for around half an hour to drain all the salty water from the cabbage.
Put the water, dried anchovies and kelp in a pan over a high heat until it boils and then simmer over a low heat for around 10 minutes.
Remove the anchovies and kelp with a sieve and add the sticky rice flour to the pan over a low heat, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Don't worry if it is a little lumpy. Leave to cool.
Peel the ginger. Peel the pear and cut into small pieces. Puree the pear, ginger, mashed garlic and thickened cool fish sauce in a food processor.
Put the drained chinese cabbage in a big bowl and add the chopped carrots, pureed sauce, squid sauce, sea salt, sugar and Korean chilli powder (Gochugaru) and mix well with your hands. Koreans call this Sonmat (손맛) as mixing really well with your hands makes it taste even better. Once mixed, add the spring onions (scallions) and mix until everything is combined. Make sure the bowl is big enough to make kimchi! I usually use a huge baking bowl.

Notes

It's a good idea to wear disposable food gloves when mixing all the ingredients together. It's a very unpleasant experience to have chilli powder on your hands and then touch your eyes or nose even if you have thoroughly washed your hands. Ouch! Try and get Korean disposable gloves as they are of better quality than English ones. If you know a good English brand please let me know.

Store the kimchi in an airtight container at room temperature for a day in summer and 2 or 3 days in winter and then keep it in your fridge for up to 2 months, which makes it taste better during the fermentation process. As kimchi ferments it takes on a slightly sour, tingly on your tongue taste.