Comments on: The Search: Cabbage Kimchi

By: The Case for Hard Cider

The Case for Hard Cider — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:50:43 +0000

[...] It’d be best if we just started. We’d read enough and talked about it long enough. Just like our kimchi challenge, we realized that the best way to learn was to try. If we failed, we’d hopefully learn [...]

By: Homemade Kimchi Contest, Part I

Homemade Kimchi Contest, Part I — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:04:10 +0000

[...] and I are currently in the middle of a fierce kimchi-making contest, in which we’ve both set off to do our own research and exploration, make a batch of the best [...]

By: Nick Kindelsperger

Nick Kindelsperger — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:59:56 +0000

Thanks everyone. We are both working hard on our batches. Hopefully everything goes well.

By: cath

cath — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:42:52 +0000

I make it often to sell at our farmer’s market stand and there is nothing difficult about it at all!. There is only one hard and fast rule: specificaly buy Korean chilli powder for the job, nothing else will do.

Basically I chop up wombok and rub a generous quantity of salt into it. Probably about 5 tablespoons for 5 cabbages. leave this sit for at least 4 hours. I have left it overnight. Rinse. Squeeze. Put in bowl. To this I then add chopped green onions, ginger, garlic and a huge amount of chilli powder. Mix around then pack into a glass jar. Cover. Leave it on the bench for about 24 hours, or until you are happy with the taste. Then refrigerate. It just keeps getting better from there. Over time more juice leaches out, and this is fine. As it gets older it is better cooked – or so I”m told, ours doesn’t get too old before it is snapped up.

The proof is in the eating, and if you could see the look on my Korean customer’s faces when they taste this, then you would know it’s darn tasty.

By: David

David — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:28:02 +0000

Great recipe as always. I keep wondering, are one of you guys married to a Korean babe? I bought an expensive rice cooker because of this site!

By: cathy

cathy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:48:59 +0000

Also, although I’m interested in traditional Korean kimchi, I’ve been making mine from vegetables that grow well in my area. For instance, I’ve been using (green, mostly) peppers that grow here and not using the red peppers and powdered chilis used in traditional Korean kimchi. I also try to add some unexpected vegetables in each batch — sugar snap peas in spring, green beans in summer. These turn out crispy and wonderful. If the daikon leaves are in good shape, put them in the kimchi, too. I also use mustard greens and kale sometimes.

I don’t have a recipe, but I have a process. I find tremendous pleasure in using what’s fresh, local, and alive in my garden (or in someone’s garden nearby) to make the kimchi.

By: cathy

cathy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:29:56 +0000

Indeed, I do have success making kimchi in a Harsch crock. In fact, I’m teaching someone to make it tomorrow and will take some photos (will try to remember) and post them on my blog. She’s bringing seaweed to put in it, and I’m looking forward to how good that will make it. So far, all of my batches have been vegan, and tomorrow’s will be, too. I’m just not ready to fuss with sugar or fish of any kind. Maybe later this year.

By: leja

leja — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:13:41 +0000

How to make ketchup, now Kimchi!

For small, or shall I say “select,” group of us, these topics are pure heaven (often to the dismay of our spouses). Your topics and the way you present them, make this “must” visit site in my very busy day. I am always waiting to see what comes up next. Thank you for your obvious dedication and hard work.

Zimmern or Bourdain visited Korea and showed how they make Kimchi. There were raw oysters in it. It looked awesome.

There was also a show were they made soy sauce. If you are going to jar ferment, why not try this as well – although the purity of your one topic at a time approach may suffer.

By: Jumper

Jumper — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:49:07 +0000

All I have is a story:
A Chinese place I frequented had homemade kimchi. I asked and they said Grandma made it; she wasn’t Korean but she loved kimchi so she made it for the restaurant. By the way, the two go together well. I used to get a bowl of hot and sour soup and a bowl of kimchi. And egg rolls. A fine trio together.
Years went by and one day I went in and THE KIMCHI TASTED DIFFERENT. I asked “who made the kimchi?” and all hell broke loose! The guilty party came out of the kitchen, horribly embarrassed! She had taken over kimchi duties, and my questioning it was a mark of shame. If I had known all that I would have kept my mouth shut.

By: thesandwichlife

thesandwichlife — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:20:51 +0000

My friend Cathy over at Growing Curious has had great success using a Harsch crock….

http://growingcurious.typepad.com/growing_curious/2009/06/kimchi-birthday.html