Traditional Kim Chi Recipe

By Dr. Ben Kim

DrBenKim.com Ingredients: Napa cabbage - approximately one pound 4 cups of cold water 3 tablespoons of sea salt 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 tablespoon of fresh green onions (scallions), finely chopped 1 teaspoon of dried red chili pepper flakes (more if you like things spicy, less if you don't) 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of sugar Directions: Separate and wash cabbage leaves. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt evenly on cabbage leaves. Place salted cabbage leaves in a large bowl, add 4 cups of cold water, cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator overnight. Be sure that water covers all cabbage leaves - place a plate or other heavy object on top of leaves to ensure that they stay covered with water. The next day, pour off water and thoroughly rinse cabbage leaves. You can shake them gently in the sink to remove excess moisture. Place cabbage leaves back into large bowl and add garlic, green onion or scallions, ginger, dried red chili flakes, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Use your hands to rub seasoning evenly into all cabbage leaves. Be sure to use gloves to do this, otherwise, your hands will burn from the chili flakes. If you are pressed for time, mix seasoning ingredients with about a cup of warm water before adding them to cabbage to allow for easier distribution on cabbage leaves. Transfer seasoned cabbage leaves into a large glass bottle. Be sure to use firm pressure with your hands to push down on cabbage leaves as they stack up inside the bottle. Transfer any liquid that accumulated during the mixing process into the bottle as well - it will become kim chi brine. Some liquid will also come out of the cabbage leaves as you press down on them as they are stacked in the bottle. Leave about 2 inches of room at the top of the bottle before capping it tightly with a lid. Allow bottle of kim chi to sit at room temperature for 2-3 days. Your kim chi is now ready to eat. Use scissors or a knife and cutting board to cut cabbage leaves into 2 inch pieces before serving as a side dish to a bowl of rice, soup, and perhaps a piece of fish. Refrigerate remaining kim chi and take out small portions right before meals. The refrigerated kim chi will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator over time, becoming more sour and flavorful with each passing day. So long as you use clean utensils to take out small portions, it will keep for up to a month in your refrigerator.

Kim chi, Korean miso soup, a bowl of rice, and some dried anchovies are a typical Korean meal - high in omega-3 fatty acids and friendly bacteria.

Kimchi Two quarts Recipe adapted from Epicurious and the San Francisco Chronicle (links below).

I couldn't find chili powder so I used some Thai chili paste, which made the kimchi a bit murky. If you can, try to find the Korean chile powder. I added a scant teaspoon of Mexican chile powder for color. Even though my arm was killing me from carrying home all that pork, I was a trooper and hand-chopped all the garlic and ginger. But I think it could also be done in a blender or food processor.

1 large Chinese or Napa Cabbage 1 gallon (4l) water 1/2 cup (100g) coarse salt

1 small head of garlic, peeled and finely minced one 2-inch (6cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced 1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce 1/3 cup (80ml) chili paste or 1/2 cup Korean chili powder 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch (3cm) lengths (use the dark green part, too, except for the tough ends) 1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated 1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1. Slice the cabbage lengthwise in half, then slice each half lengthwise into 3 sections. Cut away the tough stem chunks.

2. Dissolve the salt in the water in a very large container, then submerge the cabbage under the water. Put a plate on top to make sure they stay under water, then let stand for 2 hours.

3. Mix the other ingredients in a very large metal or glass bowl.

4. Drain the cabbage, rinse it, and squeeze it dry.

5. Here's the scary part: mix it all up.

Some recipes advise wearing rubber gloves since the chili paste can stain your hands.

6. Pack the kimchi in a clean glass jar large enough to hold it all and cover it tightly. Let stand for one to two days in a cool place, around room temperature.

7. Check the kimchi after 1-2 days. If it's bubbling a bit, it's ready and should be refrigerated. If not, let it stand another day, when it should be ready.

8. Once it's fermenting, serve or store in the refrigerator. If you want, add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds over the kimchi for serving.

Storage: Many advise to eat the kimchi within 3 weeks. After that, it can get too fermented. Ingredients:

2 medium size napa cabbages and 2 Korean radishes salt, sweet rice flour, sugar, water 4- 6 cups of hot pepper flakes fish sauce, white onion, fresh garlic, ginger green onions, Asian chives, fresh oysters (optional)

How to handle cabbages and radish: 1. Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core, but not through the rest of the leaves. 2. Soak each piece in cold water and sprinkle some salt (about cup of salt per 1 medium size cabbage), and then set it aside for 2 hours. *tip: the stems should get more salt than the leaves 3. Skin 2 radishes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Do this by cutting them into several disks, and then cutting horizontally, and then vertically. Put them in a big bowl and sprinkle them with cup of salt. Then set these aside, too. 4. 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage over so they get salted evenly. Turn the radishes as well. 5. Another 2 hours later, you will see the cabbage look softer than before, and it should have shrunk. *the total salting process will take 4 hours

6. Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.

Making Kimchi paste: Make porridge 1. Put cup of sweet rice flour (you can replace with plain flour) and 3 cups of water into a skillet and mix them up. Then cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. 2. When you see some bubbles, pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the porridge and stir one more minute. Then cool it down. 3. Place the cold porridge into a big bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one. 4. Add 1 cup of fish sauce, 4~6 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 medium size minced onion *tip: its much easier to use a food processor.

5. Add 7 diagonally-sliced green onions, 2 cups of Asian chives (cut into 2 inches in length), and 2 cups of shredded Korean radish. 6. Add 2 cups of frozen oysters, but this is optional. (I found out lots of people cant eat them.) 7. Mix all ingredients well and your Kimchi paste is done.

Are you ready to spread our paste on the leaves and make your kaktugi? * I recommend you wear rubber gloves so that you dont irritate your skin. 1. Spread the kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage, and make a good shape out of the leaves by slightly pressing with both hands.

2. Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.

3. Mix your leftover paste with your radish cubes (this is kaktugi). Thats all! You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until its fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator. How do you know its fermented or not? One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means its already being fermented. Q: Ok, maangchi, can you tell me how to make the salty squid for kimchi? A: Choose about 300 grams (2/3 pound) of very fresh squid. Then: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Remove the guts and backbone and rinse it. Add 3 tbs salt and mix it with a spoon. Put it in a container or glass jar and keep it in the refrigerator for a week. Rinse the squid thoroughly until not slippery and drain it (you can skin it if you want). Dry the squid with paper towel or cotton and chop it up. Add it to your kimchi paste!

Ingredients: Baechu (napa cabbage 10 pounds), salt, sweet rice flour, sugar, water, garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, squid, hot pepper flakes, leek, green onions, carrot, radish. Directions: 1. Trim the discolored outer leaves of 10 pounds of napa cabbage. 2. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Chop it up into bite size pieces.

3. Soak the pieces of cabbage in cold water and put the soaked cabbage into a large basin. Sprinkle salt. *tip: 1 cup of salt will be used for 10 pounds of napa cabbage

4. Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage over to salt evenly (total salting time will be 1 hours).

5. 1 hours later, rinse the cabbage in cold water 3 times to clean it thoroughly.

6. Drain the cabbage and set aside. Make porridge: 1. Put 3 cups of water and cup sweet rice flour (chapssal garu) in a pot and mix it well and bring to a boil. Keep stirring until the porridge makes bubbles (about 5 minutes). 2. Add cup sugar. Stir and cook for a few more mintues until its translucent.

3. Cool it down.

Make kimchi paste: 1. Place the cold porridge into a large bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one. 2. Add 1 cup of fish sauce, 2.5 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1-2 tbs of minced ginger, 1 cup amount of minced onion. *tip: much easier to use a food processor.

3. Wash and drain the salty squid. Chop it up and add it to the kimchi paste. *tip: ow to prepare salty squid is posted on the FAQ above!

4. Add 10 diagonally-sliced green onions, 2 cups amount of chopped leek, 2 cups of julienned Korean radish, and cup of julienned carrot.

5. Mix all ingredients well and your kimchi paste is done.

Action! Mix the cabbage with the kimchi paste!

1. Put the kimchi paste in a large basin and add all the cabbage. Mix it by hand. 2. *tip: If your basin is not large enough to mix all the ingredients at once, do it bit by bit.

3. Put the kimchi into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.

You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until its fermented.

I usually put all my kimchi in the fridge except for a little bit in a small container. I like fresh kimchi, so this way the kimchi in the fridge ferments slowly and stays fresh, while the smaller container ferments faster and gets sour. I use this sour kimchi for making things like kimchi chigae where sour kimchi is better. Then, when the small container is empty, I fill it up again with kimchi from the big container. It takes a little management, but experiment and youll get the hang of it!