Homemade Kimchi

January 4, 2009

Barnaby loves himself a good kimchi. The stinkier and more sour, the better. I must say, I'm right there with him. After living in Japan and traveling in Korea I, too, developed a fondness for this spicy fermented cabbage dish. We'd never made it ourselves though and decided to begin the "stinky cabbage" quest.

We supplied ourselves with Napa cabbage, green onions, salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, and the pièce de résistance: Korean red pepper powder. The sweet flavor of this chili beautifully comes through without being overly spicy. We're now so hooked on this blend of red peppers that we're moistening it into a paste with a touch of cider vinegar and putting it on about everything from scrambled eggs to roast chicken.

We chopped the vegetables, mixed all the ingredients into a beautifully vibrant red concoction, and put it in an earthenware pot to "brew and bubble." The longer it sits, the better, as the acids begin to break down and soften the vegetables, but after about a 24 hour period we tasted it and it was spectacular! The majority of it went back down to the basement for further "aging."

For the complete recipe go to Foodista:

Kimchi on Foodista

Note: We purchased Wang's Red Pepper Powder at our local Uwajimaya. Check your local Asian market this product.

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Comments

Evets Nitfol's picture

If you like Kimchi, you will love Gye Muchim: marinated raw blue crab. Try this link:
http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/0922.html

After 24 hours it's good, 48 best and still improving. In fact, I just talked myself into making some today if I can find some nice live crab.

Sheri Wetherell's picture

Thanks, Evets! I never knew what those crabs were called! They were a favorite of ours at a Korean BBQ place in the Bay Area, but haven't had them since moving back to Seattle. Now I have a name and a recipe, thanks to you!

Cheers!

Pharmacy Reviews's picture

Written at the begining of the year yet still very relevant, you should add your twitter link, ill follow for sure :)