Good morning, Kimchi

Last night we made a big batch of kimchi. What a sweet sight it was to behold this morning:



Each time we make kimchi we like to experiment with the ingredients, so we have never have actually followed a single recipe. However, this webpage by Eric Armstrong is highly recommended as a guide. Just a taste:

After sprinkling salt, gently stir it into the cabbage. Do this with your hands, rather than with a tool... Use your hands like you're hugging the cabbage. Move them gently around the sides, and then gather them into the center. Then push the cabbage to the sides (gently) and pull your hands around the edges like you're swimming with a breaststroke.

The hugging motion is gentle. Generate love while you're doing it. Its hard to overstate the importance of this step. Whenever we make Kimchi, it comes out good, but nearly as good as Grandmaster's. We're pretty sure that the missing ingredient is love.

Love! But really, why not? I always try to think positive thoughts while finely chopping and massaging the vegetables. And each time we have made kimchi, it has been delicious. Coincidence or?

For you skeptics, here are some more practical tips we have learned through experience:

Always choose the most fresh looking vegetables at your local shop and don't be afraid to experiment. Yesterday Rolf came across some especially firm Pakistani carrots so in they went with the more traditional nappa cabbage, daikon, and scallions. Unlike the ubiquitous orange carrots, Pakistani carrots are reddish purple and have a distinct sweet taste.

Dried shrimp. Dried shrimp = umami. Armstrong's recipe actually doesn't include this very vital ingredient, maybe he is a vegetarian? A word of caution, though: we have broken two immersion blenders within the last 6 months making dried shrimp paste. If you attempt this, try adding a tiny bit of water or invest in immersion blender with more power than 450 watts.

Do not be afraid to add a little more ginger or garlic. Or chilies if you like your kimchi hot!
Usually we will create the spicy paste in one bowl before mixing it together with all the vegetables and salted cabbage in another (bigger) bowl. Remember to taste this paste before mixing the two together and that it should be spicier than you hope your final kimchi to be.

If you want to your final kimchi to be (naturally) extra colorful or even neon, try adding turmeric. Not only will turmeric give your kimchi a beautiful color but it is a healthy and spice-spicy (as opposed to hot-spicy) addition.

Once the fermentation gets going, we put our kimchi in the fridge. But before it does, we let it sit out in the kitchen to let the ambient warmth help it along. The metal pan in the photos above is insurance against the kimchi juices that escape (once the kimchi really starts fermenting, they often do) staining or otherwise ruining the kitchen counters. Just a tip.