Well, it's lockdown here in SA, which means you cannot leave your house unless you are shop or pharmacy bound. I won't go to deep in to the politics and my opinion as I always try to keep my blog a happy place. No, I'm not ignoring the crisis or anything like that; blogging is my happy place, and in my happy place these things are not front and center.
I'm using this time to make recipes I have never had time to make, and do activities I have not had time for previously, LIKE MAKING KIMCHIIII 馃グ
KIMCHI is a Korean pickle, which means it is fermented. it's super versatile, and can be used as a condiment, main ingredient, or even a snack by itself. I lurve kimchi, and was craving some the other day, but didn't have the right cabbage on hand. I used a red cabbage and was pretty stoked at the result.
I've made this with store cupboard ingredients, depending on your cooking habits, you may have most ingredients in your cupboard too. I think most people will have everything except for the dried Korean chilli flakes
It was pretty cool to look at the ingredients, and be like I have all of these ingredients", but I am also very big into Asian food, so I guess it all depends!
INGREDIENTS
METHOD:
Chop your cabbage into chunks, I prefer to have the pieces quite chunky, and not shredded up, this is a pickle we are making :)
Add to a large container, cover with water, and sprinkle the salt into the water.
You will want to leave this to soak for at least two hours.
In the meantime, mix the rice flour into half a cup of water, you don't want any lumps. Heat on a medium heat, and stir continuously until a paste is formed. Leave to cool
In a seperate bowl,grate up the garlic, ginger and half a pear, and add the spring onions. Once cooled, add the rice flour paste, and stir in.
Then, add the chilli paste and fish sauce.
Once the two hours is up, drain the cabbage, but do not rinse.
Add the paste and massage well into the cabbage. Like really well 馃榿
Now, pack it into your vessel. It can be a canning jar or any jar. Traditionally Koreans use an Onggi Pot
NB - It's important to press the cabbage mixture down hard, there must be no space for air in between the pieces. Fill the jar up as much as you can, and squash down to prevent any air bubbles.
Close the jar, but do not close tightly. I just placed my lid on top, and gave one small twist. The reason for this is that it is going to fizz and bubble, and also probably leak some liquid.
Place the jar in a room temperature spot, on a tray or plate (to catch those liquids, and ferment anywhere from 24 hours to seven days, depending on your taste. The longer you ferment, the more tangier it will become. I did 48 hours for one jar, and the other is still fermenting, I will probably stop at one week.
To stop the fermentation, just place in the fridge 馃挏 Simple!
Kimchi can be served with fried rice, as a pickle with sandwiches, by itself, in dumplings, in soup, a million ways - just google "ways to eat kimchi" if you are at a loss. Here's 14 ways to try kimchi!
I will be making Kimchi-bokkeum-bap tomorrow night, which is a Korean fried rice, made with fried rice, bacon, kimchi juice, vegetables and a fried egg on top. I can't flipping wait!
Next, I'm going to pickle some onions, maybe some carrots, and I really want to try pickled eggs! YAS!
Please let me know if you make this recipe and how yours turns out :)
