Cabbage kimchi
Summary Not available
- Cabbage kimchi
- 2 l warm water
- 225 g sea salt
- 2.5 kg Napa cabbage (wilted and tough outer leaves discarded and rinsed well)
- 2 small onions (roughly chopped)
- 12 shiitake mushrooms
- 10 dried anchovies ((myulchi) head and guts removed)
- 6 spring onions (roughly chopped)
- 64 garlic cloves (8 crushed and the rest left whole)
- 1 dried seaweed ((25cm long))
- 250 g ochuaru ((Korean chilli flakes))
- 14 tbsp fish sauce
- 10 tbsp salted shrimp (rinsed)
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 3 carrots (julienned)
- 12 spring onions (cut into 5cm pieces)
- 200 g white radish (peeled and julienned)
In a large bowl, stir together the warm water and 115g of the salt until the salt has dissolved
Set aside and leave to cool Meanwhile, partially cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, starting from the root end and cutting about halfway to the top
Using your hands, pull the cabbage apart to split in half completely
Repeat so that each half is halved in the same way, which keeps the leaves intact and whole Loosen the leaves of each wedge so that they are easy to spread
Sprinkle the remaining 115g of salt over and between all the leaves, salting the core area more heavily Place the cabbage into a large bowl (use two if they don’t fit) cut-side up
Pour the cooled salted water over the cabbage, then pour enough cold water into the bowl to cover the cabbage; don’t overfill the bowl, as some liquid will be drawn out of the cabbage Weigh down the cabbage with a plate so the wedges are completely immersed
Leave at room temperature for 6–8 hours, flipping the wedges halfway through Rinse the wedges well under cold running water and gently squeeze out any excess moisture
Place the wedges, cut-side down in a colander and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the onions, mushrooms, anchovies, spring onions, the 8 crushed garlic cloves and the seaweed and bring to the boil over a high heat
Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 20 minutes
Strain the liquid, discarding the solids and leave the anchovy stock to cool completely When the stock has cooled, combine the remaining garlic cloves, chilli flakes, fish sauce, salted shrimp, sugar and ginger in a food processor and blitz until smooth Add enough of the stock to make a smooth paste, about 475 ml total
Discard any remaining stock
Transfer the spice paste to a large bowl and stir in the carrots, spring onions and radish Rub the spice paste all over the cabbage wedges and between each leaf
Pull the outermost leaf of each wedge tightly over the rest of the wedge, forming a tidy parcel
Pack the wedges into one or more glass or other nonreactive containers with a tight fitting lid Cling film directly on the surface of the kimchi, then cover
The kimchi can be eaten at this young stage or after it sits at room temperature and starts to get sour and ‘bubble’, about 2–3 days Stir the kimchi in the fridge, where it will continue to ferment at a slower pace
I like to age mine at least 2 weeks, but it really is up to your personal preference
Cut the kimchi before serving
No extra notes