August 24, 2011

Napa Cabbage Kimchi

Recipe: Napa Cabbage Kimchi大白菜泡菜


Hot chili powder and Korean fish sauce.
Ingredients
Ingredients A
  • 1kg / 1 head napa cabbage (quartered)
  • ¼ cup salt
  • ¼ cup salt + 2 cups warm water (stir together until salt dissolved)
  • 6 cups water (add to the salt water above when salt has dissolved)
Ingredients B
  • 2 TBSP / 30g Mochiko sweet rice flour
  • 150ml water
  • 50g sugar
Ingredient C (* optional)
  • 75g / 4 fresh oysters meat (finely chopped)
Ingredient D
  • 45g garlic
  • 120g sweet onion
  • 40g ginger
  • 80g Korean chili powder
  • 60ml fish sauce
Ingredient E
  • 50g / 3 stalks spring onion (cut into 1" sections diagonally)
  • 100g daikon radish (cut into strips)
Measurements: tsp. = teaspoon | TBSP = tablespoon
Preparation
  • 1. Ingredients A: Quarter the napa cabbage. Roughly rinse them with water. Lift up the leaves layer by layer and lightly sprinkle with salt. Thicker parts need more salt. Pour any excess salt into the prepared salt water. Soak cabbage in salt water for 6 to 8 hours in room temperature. Drain the salted cabbage in a colander, squeezing out as much water as possible. Then, rinse them in clean water for 3 to 4 times, lift up the leaves layer by layer to wash away the salt. Grab a small piece of cabbage to taste if it is still salty. Soak cabbage in a large amount of clean water for 30 min to 1 hour until cabbage no longer salty. Drain and squeezing out the water.
  • 2. Ingredients D: Peel ginger, garlic and onion.
  • 3. Ingredients E: Cut spring onion diagonally into 1-inch sections. Peel daikon and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
  • 4.Ingredient C: Lay oysters flat on chopping board.
  • 5.Ingredient C: Finely chop oysters and set aside.
  • 6. Blend all ingredients D into a paste except for chili powder and fish sauce.
  • 7. Put ingredients B into a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat. Keep stirring occasioanlly.
  • 8. Cook until the mixture starts thicken (about the consistency of sauce gravy). Turn off the heat and set aside. Let stand cool before use.
  • 9. Combine sweet rice porridge (ingredients B) and all ingredients D in a mixing bowl. Mix until incorporated.
  • 10. Add chopped spring onions and daikon root strips (ingredients E) into the mixture in step 9. Mix well.
  • 11. Mix chopped oysters (ingredient C) into the mixture in step 10.
  • 12. Your kimchi chili paste is ready to use now.
  • 13. Put on your disposable poly hand gloves. Rub kimchi chili paste on each cabbage leaf layer by layer.
  • 14. Roll up each cabbage from its root.
  • 15. Put the rolled cabbage in an air tight container. Cover container with lid. Store it at a cool dry place (kitchen countertop) at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Open the lid to check if kimchi has been successfully fermented. If kimchi is fermented, the kimchi chili paste will turn watery. You will also be able to see bubbles as you open the lid and might be able to smell some kind of sour smell. Once kimchi is successfully fermented, you can consume it right away or store it in refrigerator for months.




  • 2 comments:

    1. wah, i didn't know oysters are part of the ingredients -- that must be really pungent! by the way, any difference between korean fish sauce and thai fish sauce?

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    2. I just learnt that fresh oysters & fermented shrimps are the common ingredients in making kimchi for some Koreans. Not all people like oysters though. I found this recipe special juz b'coz of the oysters, and decided to try it out. The kimchi tastes good, may be b'coz I like spicy food so much :P Hmm.... For me, the smell of Thai fish sauce is kinda fishy and strong, but the Korean one is slightly mild and it is a bit different from Thai's.

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