김치
Journal
January 2021
January 10, 2021
Made a giant batch with six small Napa cabbages — 7.27 pounds total. I didn't cut the leaves, and I only salted it for a few hours. I also added four julienned small daikon radishes, each slightly larger than my hand. I put about a dozen spring onions (including greens) in one inch slices. No 새우젓! Instead, I shucked 15 oysters and made a paste with the ginger, garlic, and peppers. I had a small amount of juice leftover from my last batch, so I added that to the paste. Smells good!
November 2020
November 15, 2020
Made a batch with two medium-sized heads of Napa cabbage. I also added four extra small Sweetwater oysters from Hog Island Company. All other proportions were the same.
Now I understand why we make kimchi with Napa cabbage. It was so much easier to work with. I cut them into 1.5 inch pieces, and salting them was a cinch. Made about 2/3 of a gallon jar. Fermented for three days. And it was delicious. Even got some juice.
Sent some to Mom and Dad to sample. They liked it! And, they had some feedback:
- Too hot. (I think it's fine. I already adjusted for the super hotness of the peppers, and the kimchi mellows over time.)
- Too wilty. Mom said I salted it too long (overnight). She said I only need to salt it for an hour. I'm skeptical, but will try. Mom also thought I cut the kimchi too much, which may have contributed to the wiltiness.
- Not enough garlic and ginger. Mom tends to overdo it with garlic and ginger, so I think it's fine.
- Didn't use the right green onions. Mom doesn't use scallions, and she only uses whites, because she thinks the greens get slimy.
September 2020
September 20, 2020
Salted 4.6 pounds of Savoy cabbage in the morning. Took up two large bowls — my timpano bowl and my large pyrex bowl. Tried shifting and flipping it throughout the day so that everything got properly brined. Noticed that it wasn't releasing as much water as the previous batch. There was also a bigger disparity of salt across the thick spine and the much thinner leaves. Tried to add more salt on the thicker pieces and continued to move.
In the evening, didn't feel like it had collapsed enough, but was at least able to combine both bowls into one. Decided to let it go overnight.
September 21, 2020
Noticed a lot of orange spots had developed on the cabbage. It's possible that the cabbage was just old (I bought it on September 15, five days before processing) or that Savoy cabbage is more delicate and that the salt never got evenly distributed. Chopped off as much as the orange parts as possible (planning to stir fry and eat for lunch). Still had tons of cabbage left. Chopped the good cabbage into squares, add a little more salt, and let it sit for another hour while I processed the other ingredients. In retrospect, wish I had cut it up last night — think it might have brined more evenly.
Processed six large garlic cloves (all I had), the equivalent amount of ginger, a tablespoon of 새우젓 in my food processor, then mixed with slightly less than half a cup of 고추가루. Also chopped a bunch of scallions.
Tasted the cabbage. Some of the thicker pieces were now too salty, whereas some of the thin leaves still didn't taste salty enough. Decided to rinse everything anyway. Massaged the chile paste in two batches, mixed in the scallions, and put it in my onggi. Took up about 3/4 of the pot.
Tasted the kimchi. Sharp and good, and not too hot this time. Crossing my fingers!
September 23, 2020
The kimchi tastes fine, but the texture is all off. I think it's the Savoy cabbage. Glad I tried, but won't do it again.
First Batch Ever!
Have been wanting to make kimchi forever, but the pandemic finally forced my hand.
August 8, 2020
Berkeley Bowl didn't have good napa cabbage, so bought a normal green cabbage (about 3.25 pounds). In the afternoon, I took it apart, washed it, salted the leaves individually, layering them in my large enamel bowl (the one I use for timpanos).
Every four-ish hours, I mixed the cabbage, adding another light layer of salt, so that the upper leaves could soak in the natural brine that was forming on the bottom.
August 9, 2020
Morning, prepped my other ingredients: 8 cloves of garlic and about equivalent ginger, pulsed in food processor with a tablespoon of 새우젓, then mixed with half a cup of 고추가루. Also chopped a bunch of scallions.
Tasted the cabbage. Tasted pretty good! A few leaves felt saltier than others. Decided to rinse the cabbage and chop it into roughly 1.5-inch squares. Still salty, so glad I rinsed.
Massaged the spice paste thoroughly with the cabbage.
Then transferred it to my onggi, pushing it down thoroughly to squeeze out the air. Took up about a third of the vessel.
It tasted good raw. It's spicy — my batch of 고추가루 is hot — so I might cut back a little next time. Might be a tad salty also. There was no juice — my spice paste was pretty dry — so curious about that. Hope to see juices form in the next few days.
August 12, 2020
Transferred to gallon jar and refrigerated. (Would have fit in a half gallon jar.) Still hot, but tastes like kimchi!
September 2020
Finished my jar in almost exactly a month. Really enjoyed it, undoubtedly more so because I made it. Heat and sharpness continued to mellow to the point where the heat really wasn't a problem.
Jee's Mak Kimchi Recipe
Active prep time: around 2 hours
Salt water brine time: 4 hours
Fermentation time: 3-4 days
Yield: About 8 lbs of kimchi
Ingredients
For brined Napa cabbage
- 2 fresh Napa cabbages (about 5-6 lbs total)
- 2 cups sea salt
- 4 cups water
For sweet rice flour slurry
- 3 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of sweet rice flour (can also use all purpose flour)
For marinade
- 1 tbsp 새우젓
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup 고추가루
- 6-8 cloves peeled garlic
- 1 one-inch piece peeled ginger
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cubed into 4 sections
- 1 bunch scallion, trimmed and sliced into one-inch pieces
- 2 lbs of daikon radish, sliced into 1.5"x1.5" thin slices
You'll also want disposable plastic gloves and a 1 gallon glass jar.
Recipe
Prepping Napa Cabbage
- Wash Napa cabbage and roughly chop into 1.5" square pieces
- In a large bowl, add half of your cabbage and 2 cups water. Sprinkle one cup of salt into the mix with your hands and toss the cabbage so that the salt is evenly distributed throughout.
- Add the remaining sliced Napa cabbage, 2 cups of water. Add remaining cup of salt. Cabbage should be slightly submerged
- Press firmly down on the cabbage mixture, and cover with a wet, clean kitchen towel or lid. Set aside at room temperature for one hour.
- After about 2 hours, turn the mixture to bring the cabbage on the bottom to the top, press firmly so the cabbage is immersed in the salt brine, cover it, and leave it for another 2 hours at room temperature to continue the brining process. The salt will cause the cabbage to "sweat" and when it has done so, it will reduce to about half in volume.
- After about 4 hours, rinse your cabbage thoroughly and drain in a colander. Rinse the bowl, and set it aside.
Remaining Ingredients
During the brining, prep the following.
Make your sweet rice flour slurry
- In a small pot, boil 3 cups water, reduce flame to medium high heat once boiling.
- Add 1/4 cup flour at once, whisking vigorously. When mixture thins and starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and cut back on the whisking. Slurry should be left to cool to room temperature before use.
Make your marinade
- In a food processor, add 새우젓, sesame seeds, 고추가루, room temperature slurry, garlic, ginger, and cubed onion. Liquify, and set aside.
Prep your other vegetables
- Clean and slice the daikon slices, and set aside in separate bowl.
- Clean and slice the scallions in 1/2 inch pieces, and set these aside as well.
Mix
In the large mixing bowl:
- Add the cabbage that's been rinsed and drained in the colander
- Add the prepared daikon, scallions
- Add marinade mixture to the cabbage
- Put on your gloves, and with both hands, mix the marinade into the cabbage using light tossing movements. Do not press or grind into the cabbage, as this will bruise the leaves and eventually reduce the crunch. Do this until the marinade is evenly distributed to all pieces of cabbage and daikon.
- Fill the jar leaving about two inches at the top for fermentation. Press the kimchi down firmly to reduce the air pockets and seal the jar. This is an important step.
- Place the jar on a baking sheet (in case the juice overflows) and leave at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you prefer fresh kimchi, pour about a spoonful of sesame oil over the serving of kimchi, and it's ready to eat at this time!
