in other words
may19
2016
An Unusual Culinary Column: The Mysterious Kimchi
By Karen Kain
I have long wanted to make
kimchi, but I have been very much
afraid of the process, of the ingredients
and let’s face it, the smell! I was feeling
a bit guilty for not just giving it a whirl,
so, after a recent visit to a local Asian
market, I rolled up my sleeves and made
a batch. Now that I have figured it out, I
want you to know that kimchi is easy to
make, the ingredients can be found and
yes, it is smelly.
I researched a few recipes
before I committed to
this challenge. If you
decide to make kimchi on
your own, and of course I
suggest that you do, you
will need:
Cabbage - they suggest
Napa but I used regular
cabbage, sea salt, garlic,
ginger, sugar, Korean
red pepper flakes which
can also be called “go-
chugaru,” shrimp or fish
paste, daikon radish and
scallions. Most of these
ingredients are easily
found, however, there are a few tricky
ones in there. At my local Asian market
I picked up a package of “hot pepper
powder” which were the only words leg-
ible to me on the package, and a 6-ounce
container of fish paste; both were inex-
pensive.
You will also need a quart sized
glass jar and canning lid, for fermenting;
I used fermenting lids that I bought on-
line, but you don’t have to use them. I
have discovered that after the kimchi is
fully fermented and in a sealed glass jar
I can still smell the pungent odor each
time I open the refrigerator door, but
please don’t let this stop you.
Now that I had made a batch of
kimchi, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was
going to do with it. I found a plethora
of recipes online but I started out pretty
slowly. I first tried stir frying chicken in
some soy sauce with a teaspoon of sugar,
some sesame oil with onion and broccoli
and serving it with rice and kimchi; that
was lovely. After that meal I found my-
self craving kimchi, I decided it was be-
cause our bodies need a bit of fermented
foods with every meal so I had it again
for breakfast the next day. I wanted to
get some fun recipes together for you
and here they are.
I really enjoyed making kimchi
and moved on to making soup, kimchi
butter and Brussels sprouts with kimchi.
First off, the soup turned out to be tastier
than I expected. I made kimchi butter,
which I am going to slather on steaks be-
fore I broil it. What’s a better combina-
tion than brussel sprouts and kimchi? It
is definitely a combination that you will
have to try to believe. I really enjoyed
making all three and I think I will try
some kimchi cocktails next time. Please
let me know if you do. I am curious
about what smelly foods you are cook-
ing!
the water is removed from the cabbage
and add the remaining ingredients to the
paste and thoroughly mix to combine
working it into all the vegetables until
fully coated. You can use gloves for this
process as it is a bit smelly and may stain
your hands. Pack the kimchi into a glass
jar pressing down to leave an inch of
headspace. I used a fermenting lid with
a spout on it to release the gases but you
can use a lid and let it ferment for 1-5
days at room temperature. You might
see bubbles inside the jar as the brine
may seep out of the lid so I suggest you
put a plate underneath to catch it. I did
not have this happen. But I will confess
that I put the jar outdoors for a bit. You
can check it daily pressing down on the
veggies with a wooden spoon keeping it
submerged into the brine and refrigerate
it when ready.
9
Brussel Sprouts Kimchi
Ingredients:
• 1½ Pounds brussels sprouts, cleaned
and quartered
• ¾ Cup kimchi
Directions:
Boil the brussels sprouts until tender
about 10-15 minutes, drain and combine
the kimchi together mixing thoroughly
and serve.
Kimchi Soup
Ingredients:
• 2 Cups kimchi
• 14 Ounces firm tofu, cut into bite sized
pieces
• 1Tablespoon sugar
• Mushrooms, about 8 ounces, chopped
• 6 Cups water
• 5 Stalks green onions, chopped
Directions:
Kimchi Butter
Mix a ¼ cup of kimchi with a ¼ cup of Throw everything into a stockpot and
butter in the food processer and use as a cook for about 30 minutes then serve.
spicy finish for steaks or broiled fish.
Karen Kain can be reached at
KarenKain8@icloud.com.
Kimchi
Ingredients: 1 Cabbage about 2 pounds
• ¼ Cup sea salt or kosher salt
• Water, distilled or filtered - I used our
well water
• 5-6 Cloves garlic
• 1 Teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 Teaspoon sugar
• 2-3 Tablespoons shrimp paste
• 1-5 Tablespoons Korean red pepper
flakes, or hot pepper powder (gochugaru)
• 8 Ounces daikon radish, peeled and cut
into matchsticks
• 4 Scallions, trimmed and cut into
1-inch pieces
Directions:
Cut the cabbage into lengthwise slices
removing the cores. Put the cabbage
into a large bowl and add the salt.
Using your hands massage the salt into
the cabbage until it starts to feel soft.
Cover the cabbage with water and place
a plate on top to weigh it down and
allow to stand for 2 hours. Rinse the
cabbage thoroughly and let drain for
20 minutes in a colander. Combine the
garlic, ginger, sugar, and paste into a
small bowl and mix together to form a
paste and add the hot pepper powder; I
used about 3½ tablespoons. Make sure
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