KIMCHI MADNESS! (김치 광기!)

So I have been having this incredible urge for Kimchi the past few weeks and- no joke– I have been eating at the Korean Restaurant (I really do love that place) for a week straight. Sadly, no matter how much I eat during the day, at around 2 am, a little man I’ve dubbed the Kimchi Monster (or KimMi for short), begins rumbling in my belly . KimMi  has been keeping me up all night and wont let up unless I have some Kimchi. Today I’ve decided ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I’ve hopped onto the almighty internet and procured several Kimchi recipe’s to try out. It is currently 6:21 A.M. and I’m off to purchase all the ingredients I will need. Once I know the results of my Kimchi Madness I will finish this entry and post it up with the best recipe.

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Well ladies and gents I’ve spent the whole day making Kimchi and I have a few things to repost.

1. The recipe’s where easy.

2. But going over so many I’m WAY tired    and

3. Boy was I surprised with how amazing my Kimchi came out!

All of the recipe’s came out tasting pretty good but Maangachi’s was by far the best. I don’t think KimMi will protest again . To me, this recipe is perfect as it is and, as I’ve only made it once, I haven’t altered it at all (no need really). You should be warned, however, there a bazillion and one Kimchi recipes and some are easier than this one but I found  this one- out of the 5  I tried- to have the best flavor . Now, before we proceed, let us all please thank the lovely Maangachi!!

http://www.maangchi.com to view more AMAZING recipe’s.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size Napa cabbages and 2 Korean radishes
• salt, sweet rice flour, sugar, water
• 4- 6 cups of hot pepper flakes
• fish sauce, white onion, fresh garlic, ginger
• green onions, Asian chives, fresh oysters (optional)

How to handle cabbages and radish:

1. Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core, but not through the rest of the leaves.
2. Soak each piece in cold water and sprinkle some salt (about ½ cup of salt per 1 medium size cabbage), and then set it aside for 2 hours.
   *tip: the stems should get more salt than the leaves
3. Skin 2 radishes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Do this by cutting them into several disks, and then cutting horizontally, and then vertically. Put them in a big bowl and sprinkle them with ½ cup of salt. Then set these aside, too.
4. 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage over so they get salted evenly. Turn the radishes as well.
5. Another 2 hours later, you will see the cabbage look softer than before, and it should have shrunk.

 
*the total salting process can take 4 hours as these are some VERY big cabbages.

1. Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.

Making Kimchi paste:

Make porridge

1. Put ½ cup of sweet rice flour (you can replace with plain flour) and 3 cups of water into a skillet and mix them up. Then cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
2. When you see some bubbles, pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the porridge and stir one more minute. Then cool it down.
3. Place the cold porridge into a big bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
4. Add 1 cup of fish sauce, 4~6 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1 tbsp. of minced ginger, 1 medium size minced onion
   *tip: it’s much easier to use a food processor.
5. Add 7 diagonally-sliced green onions, 2 cups of Asian chives (cut into 2 inches in length), and 2 cups of shredded Korean radish.
6. Add  2 cups of frozen oysters, but this is optional. (I found out lots of people can’t eat them.)
7. Mix all ingredients well and your Kimchi paste is done.

 
Are you ready to spread our paste on the leaves and make your kaktugi?
* I recommend you wear rubber gloves so that you don’t irritate your skin.

1. Spread the Kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage, and make a good shape out of the leaves by slightly pressing with both hands.
2. Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar. 
3. Mix your leftover paste with your radish cubes (this is kaktugi).

That’s all!

You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator there after.

How do you know it’s fermented or not?

One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.