Growing up one of the dishes that my father always ate was kimchi. Both my parents worked overseas and while I was born in Taiwan, my brother was born in Vietnam. Because of the time that our family spent overseas, eastern cuisine became a staple in our house. While I wouldn't recommend the peanut butter and kimchi sandwiches that my father ate (which disturbed both my brother and I to no end as kids) I highly recommend kimchi. The spicy, salty, crisp and refreshing textures and flavors are great to add to soups, in omelets, fried rice, as well as sandwich ingredients just to name a few uses.
My father would always say, that when they make this fermented cabbage dish, they would pack it in clay pots and bury it until the aroma that comes out starts attracting the dogs in the area and that's how they knew it was done. While this exaggerated story explains the lengthy fermentation process it also does this beautiful dish an injustice. The aroma of the dish can be powerful when fermenting because of the combination of fish sauce, miso, and gochujang. Though it can be strong, the aroma grows on you and personally I find it enjoyable.
There are different ways to make this, and during the pandemic I was looking for a good way to replicate the flavor, while cutting down on the time required to ferment the dish. I stumbled across Rebecca Lindamood's blog "Foodie With Family" where she has a great recipe for Mak Kimchi. While I didn't follow the ingredients exactly (I've changed em each time, but they were the stepping stone for most of my versions), I took the quick fermentation process and began to play around with it.
For this particular recipe I kept fairly close to what her recipe used, minor changes in amounts and some small ingredient difference, to make it easier for people to follow.
A couple of quick notes on this dish. When the fermentation process is going, the aroma will be strong. While I like it, a lot of people don't appreciate it that much. If you have the space to store it away from common areas, that's always a good thing. Also if you are using smaller jars, when they are packed down to the brim liquid will bubble out while this is going. Make sure to put a tray underneath it, even when you move it to the fridge, because it's a pain to clean up the dried up liquid.
Ingredients
Napa Cabbage 1 ea
Scallions 1 bunch
Carrots, peeled 5 ea
Water 1 qt
Salt* 1/4 cup
Miso 8 oz
Ginger 3 oz
Garlic, peeled & stems removed 1 head
Gochujang 1/2 cup
Gochugaro 2 T
Fish Sauce 1/4 cup
Pineapple Juice** 1/2 cup
*Because the ingredients will vary in size the specific amount of salt will vary for the curing process. It should have a salt flavor but not be overwhelming. This helps pull the water out of the carrots and cabbage, while also adding salt to the vegetables.
**The original recipe calls for apple juice so you can substitute.
Method of Procedure
Prepare your cabbage and carrots for a simple brine. Reserve 2 full leaves of the napa to cover the kimchi at the end.
For the cabbage cut it in half lengthwise and remove the stem. Then cut the cabbage into bite size pieces.
For the carrots peel and julienne them. If you have a mandolin it is easy to do this with one of the blade attachments but you can also use a knife.
Combine the salt and the water together and pour over the cabbage and carrots. Using your hands mix the vegetables together and make sure there is enough water to partially cover. Let the vegetables stand for 1-2 hours.
Once the cabbage mixture is cured remove it from the water and squeeze out as much as possible. Place the squeezed cabbage into a separate bowl that has extra room to mix. Repeat until all the vegetables are processed.
Slice your scallions and mix them into the cabbage and carrots.
Take all of the other ingredients and add them to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Taste the mixture and adjust accordingly*.
Pour all puree over the vegetables and mix thoroughly making sure that all of the vegetables are coated.
Place the un-fermented kimchi into a mason jar of appropriate size (for a regular batch I use two jars) and using a tamper** press down on the cabbage to remove all the air.
Using your reserved cabbage leaves place it on top of the kimchi to serve as a cover. Place a weight on top and put a lid on it. Place the sealed jar on a tray to ferment it.
Leave your kimchi out for about 7 days for the fermentation to occur. You will see bubbles and it will have a strong aroma.
After a week place it in a refrigerator to enjoy at your leisure.***
*I use more ginger and less garlic when I make it, but you can adjust it to your particular liking.
**If you get into the habit of making this, or other fermented vegetables I would suggest buying a tamper specifically for your vegetables. You can however use a pestle or the hilt of a knife to press the air out of the kimchi.
***Placing the kimchi in the cold will arrest the fermenting process, though the flavor will continue to grow.
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