Kimchi ( Making Authentic easy, instant Cabbage Kimchi)

I am so annoyed by famous celebrity chef's recipe on kimchi. I am going to write  how to make real easy kimchi like in Korea and at home in UK.

Ingredients: 2 cabbages. 1/2 mooli. 1 cups of sea salt.
1 tbsp crushed garlic, 2 tsp grated ginger, 3tbsp Korean chilli flakes ( buy at Korean Shop), 2 tbsp. Korean anchovy fish sauce, 1 tsp Korean salted baby shrimp. 1tbsp sugar, 1 bunch of spring onion.

Choose cabbage with plenty of green out layer of leaves on, which gives more nutty taste. Cut the head in half and pull by hand then cut again head first and pull again make 4 sides, If you like to have instant kimchi cut again 2cm , put in the big bowl, add 2cups of water and makes wet leaves.
Sprinkle sea salt and mix well . If you do not have sea salt ( you can buy at Korean shop) use table salt ( 3/4 cup) and leave 40 minutes to an hour. This process is very important, if cabbage salted too long, moist has taken out , cabbage can be too chewy, White part is still crunch, leaves are slightly wilted, this makes a good kimchi.

Rinse the salted cabbage twice and  drain well. cut mooli like matsh stick ( 5cm long) and spring onion as well.
Put all ingredients except. cabbage, sugar, fish sauce and salted shrimps, mix well , add cabbage, shrimps( this is optional, if you do not have, it will be fine), and slowly pour fish sauce little and taste, add again, add sugar mix and store the air tight jar to ferment ,  the best way to ferment, is keep in the fridge to slowly ferment, if you like to ferment quickly, put in the cool place for 2 days and keep in the fridge, it will last at least 2 weeks-4 weeks

If you like to eat strait away like kimchi salad, you have to dress a bit because newly made kimhi tastes too raw with garlic and fish sauce, add 1tsp sesame oil, 1tsp sugar and mix, add toasted sesame seed( 2tsp) and serve.

If you like to have as a part of bossam, cut kimchi thinly and serve with ssamjang ( ready made ssamjang at Korean shop)

I read kimchi recipe from celebrity chef, using chilli paste ( gochujang) instead of Korean chilli flakes, but I never heard , seen or taste this. I do not know where chef got this recipe , it is certainly not real Korean kimchi recipe, gochujang is fermented very thick paste, it will be too sticky to my liking.  But I never heard of, seen or tasted, using chilli paste in Kimchi!!
It may taste  nearly same, salty, sweet ( gochujang has hint of sweet taste), but I strongly recommend use chilli flakes ( Korean).

kimchi stuffing ( can be use as bossam sauce)

my instant kimchi

If you do not have Korean anchovy sauce, Thai fish sauce is best one. Specially oyster Thai fish sauce is very good for kimchi. My family in South East of Korea ( near Busan), use fresh oyster in kimchi stuffing as oyster is not too expensive in Korea, which makes best kimchi, specially matured( fermented) oyster stuffed kimchi is my all time favourite. so delicious.

Thai fish sauce is widely available in every supermarket, easier to use than anchovy in the jar in olive oil.
When Kimchi is stored in the jar, always press down because if Kimchi has too much air in between, it makes funny, unpleasant taste kimchi, when it is fermented, we call this kind of kimchi, crazy kimchi or kimchi has gone mad. it can be used in stew only after washed off all stuffing.

Golden Rules for kimchi:
1.  Use Korean chilli flakes ( from Korean Shops, London or New Malden,  Gochu Garu ( in Korean))
Not use Chilli paste as celebrity UK chef wrote in the paper , Do not use Thai or Mexican chilli too hot for the Kimchi.
2. Use good sea salt, not UK's expensive, use Korean Sea salt , it is much less expensive than Uk sea salt.
if using table salt, use less!!


Authentic Kimchi class : 8th of February 2014 11:00 AM

Email; kiejosarsfield@hotmail.co.uk