Koreans eat kimchi for lunch and dinner. Every household can pickle kimchi. After going to Korea many times, I also fell in love with kimchi. I still remember eating kimchi in Myeongdong for the first time. It was very sour, spicy and a bit salty. I thought: Why not add sugar? Later, there are army hot pot, spicy cabbage instant noodles, kimchi pork belly, stir-fried rice cakes, kimchi pancakes, kimchi bibimbap in stone pot, kimchi chicken in stone pot, and kimchi as an appetizer… There are too many delicacies related to kimchi. No wonder people in Shanghai jokingly call South Korea ‘Kimchi Country’. Now I share the steps of making Korean kimchi. If you are interested, Douguo users, buy a Chinese cabbage and ingredients by yourself and try it.
Ingredients for Korean kimchi:
Make two large bowls. Step 11: In the picture, it is 100 grams of salt mixed with 800 milliliters of water, which is a full bowl. Step 12: Continuously stir until the salt is completely dissolved in the water. Step 13: Slowly pour the water from the root of the cabbage. Because there is more salt at the root. Step 14: Pouring two bowls of water just submerges half a cabbage. Step 15: Press a glass bowl on the cabbage and soak it for one night, which is 8 to 12 hours. The purpose is to force out the moisture in the cabbage and make it soft. Step 16: After soaking overnight, the cabbage has shrunk a bit. Step 17: Rinse the cabbage clean with clean water. Rinse each piece by separating it. Step 18: Wring out the cabbage. Step 19: After wringing out, put it in a basin for later use. Step 20: [Prepare marinade] Apples, pears, onions, and a food processor. Step 21: Peel apples and pears, cut them into pieces and remove the cores. Step 22: Put the cut pieces of apples, pears, and onions into the food processor and blend. Step 23: It turns into minced pieces. Pour it into a large bowl. Step 24: Peel ginger and slice it. Take half a garlic and crush it and remove the skin. Step 25: Put ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons of shrimp paste into the food processor. Step 26: The processed paste. Step 27: Pour it into a large bowl and stir. Step 28: Add 200 milliliters of fish sauce. Step 29: Add 250 grams of chili powder. Step 30: Seedless chili powder is actually not very spicy. So if you like spicy food, you can replace part or all of it with chili powder containing chili seeds. Step 31: Bought on Taobao. Four items cost 38 yuan. Step 32: Stir evenly. It is in a paste form. Step 33: Prepare white radish, green onions, leeks, and cress. Step 34: Peel the white radish, cut it lengthwise into three pieces. Select two pieces and shred them with a food processor. Step 35: Thin shredded white radish. Step 36: Put the shredded radish in a large bowl. Step 37: Cut green onions into thin shreds, about 5-6 centimeters long. Take two sections. Step 38: Put the green onions in the bowl. Step 39: Stir evenly. Step 40: Use the green parts of cress. Wash it and cut it into 5-6 centimeter sections. Wash the leeks and cut them into sections for later use. Step 41: Weigh 50 grams of glutinous rice flour. Step 42: Weigh 450 grams of water. Step 43: Pour the water into a milk pot, and then add 1 tablespoon of white sugar and stir evenly. Step 44: Turn on medium-low heat and continuously stir. Step 45: Until it turns into a translucent paste. Turn off the heat. Step 46: Prepare a basin of cold water, stir a few times to cool it down. Step 47: When the glutinous rice paste is completely cooled, pour the leeks and cress into the chili powder. Step 48: Stir evenly.
Add watercress and chives at the end, as they tend to become soft and mushy. Step 49: Pour in the glutinous rice paste and mix well.
Step 50: Wear disposable gloves and spread the chili paste on each leaf of the cabbage, especially the stalk, while the leaves can be quickly brushed over. As shown in the picture, spread the paste layer by layer. Step 51: After applying the chili paste, gather the leaves and twist them to tightly wrap the cabbage, ensuring it remains compact and does not loosen. Step 52: Once all leaves have been coated with chili paste. Step 53: Use a large, airtight jar specifically designed for Korean kimchi. Step 54: Seal the jar and store it in a place below 15 degrees Celsius and away from light for 15 days before consumption. Step 55: Cut a piece of white radish into cubes and mix it with the chili paste marinade. Step 56: Prepare a small bowl of the marinated radish, which is also delicious and ensures nothing goes to waste.