I promised my friend and fellow homeschooling mom Ruth a post on how I make my kimchi. Ruth is the queen of lacto-fermentation. I get so inspired whenever I see her jars of healthy eating and drinking. Hope you and your family enjoy this, Ruth!!
First of all you’ll need a large bowl to do all your mixing. A wide rather than a deep one is better for this purpose so you can get both your hands in there.
Next you’ll need a large jar to put your kimchi in.
My mom has been making lacto-fermented stuff since I was a child. In the Philippines these are called buro. Growing up I wasn’t too fond of them, but my adult nose and taste buds have learned to appreciate them, probably also because I’m more health-conscious now.
My mom used whatever deep container she had, usually a jar reused from store-bought food. She didn’t have any specialized containers. So I was surprised when I saw the great debate on jars and pickling containers and crocks. I read a bunch of articles until my brain cells couldn’t handle anymore. I did end up getting a couple of Pickl-Its and a couple more hermetically-sealed jars for storage, but I’m just not going to sweat the details too much. My mom is 80 and my dad’s 86 and they’ve never had problems eating what she’s made. I do have a hubby and kids who suffer from allergies and other ailments that could be related to the digestive system, so I wanted to increase the chances of them getting as much benefit from this as possible. The important thing is that while the vegetables are fermenting, make sure they are completely submerged in the liquid.
1 large napa cabbage
1/2 cup coarse salt (I like using kosher or sea salt)
1/3 to 1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean hot pepper powder — these vary in heat so adjust to your liking, though kimchi *is* supposed to be hot)
1/4 cup Korean fish sauce — can substitute other fish sauces, though I like this one for Korean dishes
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 medium daikon (I try to get something that’s about 6-8 inches long, though sometimes my Asian market only carries huge ones, and I don’t like those so I skip the daikon), quartered lengthwise and cut into thin slices crosswise
1 2-inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
half a handful garlic, peeled and minced (I like garlic, what can I say — you can adjust if you like)
5 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon saeujeot (Korean salted shrimp) — this is optional, but if you can find it in your local Asian store it’s a nice addition
1 tablespoon sugar
The procedure is simple. Cut the napa cabbage in half lengthwise, then into 2-inch pieces crosswise. (Another way to cut it is into quarters lengthwise, then slit the stem portion but don’t cut all the way through, leaving each quarter whole.) Put everything in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Get your hands in there and rub the salt all over the cabbage, making sure you salt the stem portions very well. Add water to cover and let sit a couple of hours. At the end of two hours, turn things over just to mix up again and let sit another hour.
Drain the water off, rinse with fresh water, drain again, and squeeze any excess water out. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well with your hands, making sure the seasonings are evenly distributed. You might want to use gloves if you’re sensitive to the hot pepper.
Pack into a 2-quart jar, squeezing everything in so that everything is submerged in the liquid. If there’s not enough liquid at first, don’t worry. The liquid will increase as it sits, so check every now and then and push everything to the bottom with a chopstick or some other long-handled implement. Some people use weights like an small inverted bowl, or plastic baggy with water inside, but I haven’t found it necessary to do this.
Set inside a dark cupboard or pantry and let ferment 3-4 days, releasing the gases every day if needed (with a Pickl-it jar I haven’t had to do this). Transfer to a hermetically sealed container, store in the refrigerator and enjoy. (I’ll post recipes for using kimchi in future posts.)
You can play around with the vegetables, add more or less of what you like. Things like apples and carrots go well here. The seasonings are also adjustable though I wouldn’t skimp on the hot pepper powder and the fish sauce and shrimp (these things can be omitted and salt used in their place but you’ll have to play around with amounts for it to ferment properly).
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