Wednesday, January 27, 2010

How to make Kimchi 김치


Well, it's finally here! The Kimchi recipe! I've been trying to make Kimchi on my own for a while now. I thought I'd never be able to.

Koreans judge one's cooking skill by how delicious her or his kimchi is. People say kimchi is a hard one to master and they might be right because it took me a while to make a perfect kimchi that I just love! Once it was too bland. Once it was too salty. Once I didn't have enough fillings. The list goes on.

Then this time, I made it just the way I like it. It doesn't mean you will love it, too, though as people like Kimchi differently. I like mine spicy. But if you can't handle the spice very well, you can always add less pepper flakes than I did. Also, I don't really care for "fishy" kimchi. Normally, Koreans add shrimp chunks to it but I don't like it. So I added 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. But if you want to add fine shrimp chunks to it, go ahead. No problem. But this recipe is how I like it. I couldn't find any Korean daicons around so I used 2 Japanese daicons. They taste pretty much the same to me. The difference between Korean and Japanese daicons is the shape. Korean ones are short and fat and Japanese ones are long and skinny. The daicon filling is one of my favorite things about Kimchi. It gives such a great and unique flavor to Kimchi. Okay, enough said about Kimchi. I know a lot of you have been waiting for this recipe. So here is it. Enjoy!

Korean Kimchi

Ingredients:

2 nappa cabbages. washed
Very coarse salt  for Kimchi (*You can find this salt at any Korean stores or oriental market. The salt is very coarse and it drains the water out of the cabbages)

Filling
2 Korean or Japanese daicons, washed and peeled
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
15-20 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes for Kimchi (Now you can definitely add less or more according to your liking.)
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cup warm water

Directions:


Cut the nappa cabbage in half lengthwise as shown in the picture above. In a very large bowl, sprinkle coarse salt on each layer of the cabbage thoroughly (You will need at least about a handful of salt for each half-cabbage.) Cover the bowl and set aside, about 5-6 hours. I, personally like my kimchi a little bit crunchy at first, but if you want yours to be softer in the beginning, you may let it stand a while longer.

Now, the filling-


Cut diacons in half about 3 inches long.



Slice the daicon thinly lengthwise and cut into thin strips as shown in the picture above. Put it in a large bowl.



Add the rest of the filling ingredients into the bowl and mix with your hand thoroughly until all the daicon strips are covered in red. Set aside about 1 hour. There will be water in the bowl from the daicon. Mix well again with your hand until the water is soaked into the mixture.



Wash the cabbages thoroughly with water and squeeze it to drain extra water from the cabbages.


Fill each layer of the cabbage with a handful of the filling.


When you're done, they should look like this. The filling should cover all the white parts of the cabbage. Let stand about 1 hour in room temperature.



Transfer the kimchi to large and deep containers. Seal and refrigerate. The kimchi will be ready to be eaten in 3-4 days. The juices of the cabbage come out and make the kimchi taste wonderful. Sometimes I eat it right away but it is definitely a lot crunchier in the beginning.


Slice the kimchi about 2 inches wide.


Enjoy!!

47 comments:

  1. I've eaten Kimchi once, have thought about making it, have looked at many recipes and have made the decision to leave this one to the experts. However, If I ever do decide to make it, I know where to come. Thanks for this recipe.

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  2. Sook, this is great! I've made kimchi once with a friend, but never on my own. Your guide is super informative and helpful, especially since I love kimchi. Thanks!

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  3. I always wondered how to make Kimchi. Thanks for the clear directions.
    Mimi

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  4. Wow!!! that looks great dear Sook:) A very helpful post...

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  5. Okay, that looks absolutely amazing. I am all over this! Can't wait to make it.

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  6. i am fascinated by kimchi and would love to make it. Thankyou for the recipe, directions and pictures!

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  7. oh..i love this post!! the kimchi looks great.

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  8. Wonderful pictures! I have never heard of this but I am intrigued and would love to try it.
    rita

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  9. Great! I really love kimchi! Never made it yet though. Would love to make it.

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  10. Aside from the high sodium content, I love everything about kimchi. I'm gonna have to make a trip to the Asian grocery store for some of the ingredients, but I'll definitely want to make it someday.

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  11. I absolutely love kimchi. I made them last week but I used a different type of chili because I couldn't find any Korean chili pepper flakes. But I would definitely find it because the tastes is more authentic. I could eat kimchi with everything at anytime of the day. Thanks for your recipe.

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  12. This looks so good! Living in the middle of hickville,small town missouri I've never had the pleasure of eating Korean food (I made a recipe once that said Korean in the title, but honestly I'm sure it wasn't authentic at all!). I know I would LOVE it!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I hope to one day find all the items to make it!!!

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  13. what an elaborate process! I'll never under-appreciate the banchan again!:)

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  14. I have been wanting to make this, and your photos help me understand the process better...now I have no excuse Sook, so thanks!

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  15. Nice step by step pics,well explained too and looks delicious, a very nice recipe too...

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  16. I have never had kimchi before, but if I did then I know I would want it spicy! It looks very pretty.

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  17. Couldn't agree with you more.
    It seems to be very simple to make, but it's very hard to master and balance its taste.

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  18. This looks like a very tasty dish!! Beautifully pictured too!!

    MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,...

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  19. my hubby loves kimchi. Thanks for sharing the recipe

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  20. Yes, Kimchi! I love it. I think life for me is not very balanced without kimchi :P

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  21. I've not made Kimchi before, but I have heard a lot about it. It's definitely something I would like. I need to give it a try.

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  22. I've never had Kimchi, should give it a shot.

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  23. I've always wanted a good recipe for Kimchi! Thanks a lot :).

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  24. I have yet to try Kimchi but it looks so delicious. I am glad you finally found a method and taste that works for you!

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  25. That looks wonderful! I love the flavors used in that dish.

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  26. Good for you for mastering Kimchi! This is something I still haven't tried - but they are really promoting how healthy it is for you to eat fermented foods nowadays - so it is very timely.

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  27. You have masteresd this beautifully and your pictures help me understand what this is supposed to look like. I am hoping to try this soon!

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  28. well, as far as i'm concerned, the more spice, the better. bring on the red pepper flakes! i never really knew what was involved in making kimchi, so i enjoyed this post!

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  29. Oh this is awesome,.....have to make this kimchi sooonnnnnn...ur fantastic....

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  30. Kimchi is on my list of ingredients to get to know this year so your post is beyond mega-helpful. Thanks ^_^

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  31. Simply mouthwatering! I've been waiting for you to post a recipe for this. I'm definitely making this next week! Though I have some convincing to do since my bf isn't as big of a fan. Fret not, he will be a kimchi fanatic after I try out your recipe :)

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  32. This looks spicy and delicious! It's such a good feeling when you master a recipe...congrats!

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  33. awesome post! thanks for sharing this recipe! I LOVE kimchi! absolutely love it!

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  34. I'm so glad you posted this! My Mom and I have been wanting to make kimchi forever but didn't know where to find a good recipe. Thanks so much!

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  35. mmm your pictures make the kimchee look especially delicious!

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  36. Thanks a lot Snook for dropping by and leaving nice comments. I'm so happy to be here. This particular post has caught my eyes because my hubby loves Kimchi Salad. It looks fabulous. Nice presentation. Thanks for sharing it !
    Deepa

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  37. Thank you everyone for your lovely comments! I see that a lot of you haven't tried kimchi before. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish that you eat with rice, soup, and other side dishes. There are so many things you can make with Kimchi. I have a category just for dishes made with kimchi. Check them out if you want. :)

    And also please understand that this is a perfect recipe for "me". This is how I like "my" kimchi. If you want it to be more salty or spicier, you can definitely accommodate the recipe to make it perfect for yourself.

    Thanks!

    Sook

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  38. I've only had kimchi from a Korean restaurant and really enjoyed it. I did not realize there was so much work involved, so now my appreciation for this is even greater.

    This looks delicious. Your photo tutorial helped to explain exactly what to do and how to do it. thank you for this excellent, well written, and DELICIOUS post!

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  39. I made these last year! Extremely spicy but they look gorgeous. Yours look fantastic! Bravo.

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  40. You have been drooling here! Thanks so much for this recipe!

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  41. Wow, thanks I have never know how kimchi is made, I love it!! Thanks

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  42. These look spicy & delicious ! I love spicy stuff and the last time I tried this was more than 15 yrs ago...hahahaha

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  43. Great post Sook! I'm glad to see more of these popping up on the web.

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  44. Nothing like freshly made kimchi...mmm, so good!

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  45. Do you really put it in the refrigerator? It's not too cold to put it in there? I'm going to try this recipe this weekend, but other recipes say to leave it out.

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  46. I followed your recipe! I made one small mistake when mixed up some bottles, and I accidentally added this marmalade/soy sauce into the mix when I meant to put fish sauce, but I decided to keep going anyway and just put fish sauce on top of that. I also chopped up the cabbage before salting because I saw other recipes suggesting that and it would just be easier. I also let it sit out overnight before putting it in the fridge.
    It turned out pretty good! I'm eating some kimchi fried rice right now with my very own homemade kimchi. Mmmmm... Next up, kimchi chigae! Thanks for the recipe!

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