YIELDS 1 GALLON, 3-6 WEEKS
FROM THE AUTHOR:
" ... Kimchi has hundreds of varieties.You can follow this recipe in a strict sense, but don’t be discouraged if you can’t locate some of the vegetables here.You’ll want roughly seven pounds of veggies to make one gallon.This recipe calls for an overnight soak in brine, which is the traditional Korean technique—it lifts bitter elements in the vegetables."
INGREDIENTS
- 3 medium napa cabbage (4 lbs.)
- 1 bunch carrots (1 lb.)
- 2 bunches radishes (1 lb.)
- 2 bunches turnips (1 lb.)
- 1 leek
- 1/4 cup salt (3 percent salinity)
INGREDIENTS FOR PASTE
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 inches ginger
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 tbsp chili powder or fresh chili peppers
- 2 tbsp fish sauce or tamari
MATERIALS
- Gallon jar
- Blender
- Weight and cover
PROCESS
- Chop napa cabbage, carrots, radishes, turnips, and leek and place into a large bowl.
- Combine the salt and water in a half-gallon container to make brine (3 percent salinity), then pour the brine over the vegetables in a large bowl. Submerge the vegetables in brine using a large plate with something heavy on top.
- Allow the vegetables to soak for 6 hours or overnight. In the meantime, make the paste for your kimchi.
- Peel garlic, ginger, and shallot and roughly chop into smaller pieces. toss them into your blender bowl. Add chili powder or fresh peppers and fish sauce or tamari. Blend the ingredients and put aside until your vegetables are one soaking.
- After the soak is done, strain brie from vegetables. Add the paste to your veggies in the large bowl, thoroughly covering them with the spicy goodness. You can use your hands, but you may want to use a large utensil to protect them from the hot peppers.
- Pack the spicy vegetables into a glass gallon jar or ceramic crock until brine comes forth and the vegetables are completely submerged. Use a weight to keep vegetables under the brine, cover with a cloth and store at room temperature.
- Wait a week and taste the kimchi - it should be mildly tangy. Let it ferment for up to 6 weeks for maximum tanginess. Taste throughout the duration of fermentation and keep at room temperature until it reaches desired flavor. I recommend fermenting it for at least 3 weeks.
- Keep in cold storage when it's reached desired flavor and enjoy for 6 months, 12 months, or even a few years. Let your senses serve as your guide.
SOURCE: © Tara Whitsitt, 2017, from Fermentation on Wheels, published by Bloomsbury
