Making Kim Chi - The Proper Kim Chi By Chef Ajin!

My feet's been hurting quite a bit and I don't know if its from the 3km walk I took in the forest the other day or just standing in the kitchen too long but I saw this Chef's Mat from Foodbuzz daily special and wondered if it would help in alleviating it. Did anyone try it before and how was it? Do write to me and let me know! O and a special hi to Denise who dropped me an email after reading my blog, it was very nice to hear from you!

Anyways, I got to know a real Korean lady from the church group I am attending cell in Lund and she recently organized a Kim Chi making session at another friend, Lina's place. It was a great time of fellowship and I learnt another way of making Kim Chi. If you remember, I posted one before from a recipe I found on the internet and in it I substituted the Korean pepper powder with my own mix of paprika and chili powder. Still works but thought this is more authentic. So here are the steps taught by her and of course with real Korean pepper powder, which I also got some from here this time round. Thanks Ajin!

Jag träffade en riktig Koreanska kvinna, Ajin från kyrkan som jag delta i på bibel studie. Hon och en kompis Lina hade en kimchi session i förra vecka och jag lära sig rätt metod som man göra Kim Chi. Jag har gjort en förut men här man använder riktig Koreanska paprika pulver så det smacka bättre, tror jag. Det följa med bilderna vad vi har gjort.

Ingredients
1 large head chinese cabbage or napa cabbage or you can use white radish or cucumber but vary the amount of seasoning accordingly
1 dl coarse salt
3 dl cold water
2.5 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoon Korean pepper powder
5 tablespoon fish sauce
about 1/2 onion, 4 garlic and 1 fresh chili blended into a paste
3-4 tablespoon cooked (1/2 dl flour & 1.5dl water) mixture
1/2 chopped onion and 1 spring onion for mixing in the end


Steps

1. Cut the lettuce or cucumber into quite large chunks and add the salt and water and 'massage' the vegetables thoroughly. Leave it to rest for about 2 hours.
   
   
   
2. While waiting, prepare the onion and garlic mixture and just sit around and talk or take pictures like us :)
   
   
   
3. Also prepare the flour and water mixture by cooking it in a small pot. It should be a thick mixture but not hard like cooked glue!
   
   
4. After the 2 hours wait, wash and squeeze as much water out of the vegetable or cucumber as possible. It is also possible to taste these pickled vegetables now to see if they are salty enough. Rule of thumb is your own test buds eventually, the amount given are just guidance and you are free to vary as you like.
   
5. This brand (looks like the roof of the house) is supposedly to be one of the better ones for Korean paprika powder, so try to find that if you can.
   
   
   
   
   
6. So the last stage is just to assemble, prepare a large bowl to do this, as Chef Ajin will tell you... (do note the steps are same for the cucumber or radish version but you have to vary the seasonings according)
   
   
7. First add the pepper powder:
   
   
8. Then the garlic and onion mixture:
   
   
9. Next the cooked flour & water mixture:
   
   
10. Finally, sugar and fish sauce. This part is a balancing act, so add more or less depending on how salty or spicy you want your Kim Chi to be.
    
    
11. Put on gloves at this stage if your hands are sensitive and wash your hands and dry them before you mix everything thoroughly, being careful not to bruise the vegetables too much. You can also try tasting and adjust the seasoning accordingly to your preference. Remember, taste, taste, taste!
    
    
     
12. Remember to store them in clean containers in the fridge and they can last you for a couple of months. The longer you store them, the more fermentation occurs and it will carry the sourish familiar tinge.