If my memory serves me right, it was my father that took me to my have my first taste of Korean cuisine when I was a teenager. I remember getting this strange cabbage dish. I remember thinking it was soggy and a bit moldy and I really didn't understand the thing I was eating: kimchi.
Needless to say, it's taken me a while to warm up to kimchi. For those of you who are reading this and have not tried it yet, mold is not a usual part of the deal but, with many fermented foods, it's a possibility.
So far, I have learned two, very different techniques for making kimchi at home. The first involves soaking chopped cabbage in well salted water for an hour or two, draining, adding things like ginger and chili flakes and allowing to ferment at room temperature for a few days before eating.
The second, and more traditional technique is a bit more involved. First, chop, salt and mix the vegetables and allow the salt to draw the liquid out for at least 2 hours. Separately, heat up rice flour mixed with cold water until it boils and has the consistency of pancake batter. Mix in chili paste and/or flakes to the warm liquid as well as some fish sauce. Once sauce is thoroughly mixed it should be added to the vegetables, mixed and packed into containers, making sure to pack down and remove any air bubbles. It can be eaten fresh or allowed to ferment at room temp for a few days or in the fridge. It can be kept and eaten for many months.
In different areas of Korea, fresh or salted fish can also be added. I am most especially interested in the idea of adding fresh oysters to the mix!
The second technique comes from Richie Nakano of Hapa Ramen in San Francisco. I was recently lucky enough to be a participant in his first pickling class along with his business partner, Susana Ok. The result of which is in the delicious photo above. You can see one of Richie's kimchi recipes online here.
Suddenly, I'm feeling hungry...
Resources:
Kimchi on Wikipedia
Handbook of vegetable preservation and processing
Korean Kimchi History
