How To Make Living Spicy Kimchi
A little history
I’m utterly and ghastly in love with kimchi. There are so many different styles and kinds, I’m convinced I could totally live off of the stuff. Korea, as a country, are high Kimchee enthusiasts. Apparently I was born on the wrong side of the world.
Like most of human fermented foods, Kimchi’s history stretches back into the dusty tomes of yesteryore. The earliest known reference can be found in the Chinese Poetry book called Sikyeong, written some time before 1000 b.c. The earliest surviving edition of this book is a fragmentary one of the Han Dynasty, recorded on bamboo strips, it was unearthed in the city of Fuyang, and refers to Kimchee as ‘Ji’.
Anyhow, there are countless recipes for Kimchi, here is one I’ve been working on for several monthes. I’ve tried to model it off of this chi by the Deer Garden people. There have been 3 or 4 bungled attempts. The batch that I have photographed here is my 5th, and it is coming along quite well.
a lively spicy kimchi recipe
2 green cabbages
5 large carrots
1/2 large onion
a handful of gingerroot
a large spoonful of crushed or powdered chillies
a large spoonful of crushed or powedered cayenne
a dab of salt(very little is okay, like 1 tsp or less)
a large mixing bowl
1 gallon ceramic crock
a cheese grater
a small plate that fits into the crock
a clean rock or something heavy
a sharp knife
Preparation & Instruction
1. Pull off 5 or 6 of the outer cabbage leaves, try to keep them intact, save.
2. Slice the cabbage into thin strips, just like you would for Sauerkraut.
3. Do the same to the onion, cut into thin strips and break them apart.
4. Grate the Carrots and the Ginger.
Merge everything into the mixing bowl, sprinkling salt, cayenne, and chillis as you go. Toss and make sure it’s all mixed up well.
Next you are going to pack it into the ceramic crock. Put a few handfuls in, and tamp your chi down with your fists or a potato masher. Fill the entire crock in this manner, leave at least an inch on the top. Take the fully intact cabbage leaves and pack them over the chi to create a tight covering.
You’re prettymuch done here, just take the little plate or saucer and fit it down into the crock, and put a heavy rock or stoneware bowl on the top to keep the pressure. If you use a rock, you will want to wash and boil it first. Now just take a piece of linen or cloth and cover it up to keep the flies and dust out.
Leave it out at room temperature for 1-3 weeks. In my home which is usually around 60f this time of year, it takes 12 or 13 days. Note that the cabbage layer on the top *will* become rotten and very unappealing. After you peel these layers off, the good stuff is waiting for you underneath, and you should transfer it to mason jars and keep it in the fridge. Try some! It’s bubbling with lactobacillic laughter and your body will love it!
Afterthoughts
Kimchi may come in HUNDREDS of different varieties. This one is similar enough to sauerkraut, I sometimes just call it SpicyKraut. or GingerKraut. Let me know if you have any questions, I’ll happily extend my advice. Also…if anyone wants to try some of this last batch…msg me and I will mail you some.
Have you ever had Kimchi before? What do you think of it? Have you ever tried cultivating your own fermented foods? How did it go? What did you try?
Have an idea but short on time? Share it with me, I’m always looking for new projects!
[...] So about this kimchee…welll it’s pretty tight stuff. The ingredients are dirt simple. And consequently you can also make it yourself, here is a link to my post Spicy Living Kimchi. [...]
The korean grandma I learned to make kimchi from used to bury it in the backyard for a year. She had a concrete vault she’d put the crocks in, then put a slab top over it and pile the dirt back on. I never heard of carrots in kimchi. She used cabbage, bok choy and a couple other goodies. It was the best I ever had.
The Korean gals who sell kimchi at the Cowtown Rodeo Flea Market in South Jersey do pretty well by it. They also sell outrageously good dill pickles, so garlicky you will stink for a week unless you chew your fennel seeds.