I'd like your best kimchi recipes, please.
July 25, 2008 2:21 PM Subscribe
I'd like your tastiest kimchi recipes, please.
I have no idea which of the plethora of kimchi recipes available online to use, so if you can recommend your own, that'd be great. I'm thinking about averaging the recipes, "One Mean Cookie" style, to see what I get.
I have no idea which of the plethora of kimchi recipes available online to use, so if you can recommend your own, that'd be great. I'm thinking about averaging the recipes, "One Mean Cookie" style, to see what I get.
Response by poster: I guess I should clarify that I mean cabbage kimchi (thanks though).
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 2:40 PM on July 25, 2008
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 2:40 PM on July 25, 2008
Best answer: Best Kimchi really boils down to preference. Each family makes it their own way, with wide variations in ingredients, even in the bog standard cabbage kind. My grandmother usually throws oysters in (sooooo good) but later I found out not that many people do that. My dad's side make them extra spicy (and a tad too salty in my opinion) It also varies region to region (mountain, seaside, valley). I find it incredibly hard to make it outside Korea, as I can't find the right basic building blocks. (garlic, ginger, red pepper powder is easy, but I need to go to specialty shops for the fish paste and some other things I only know the words in Korean and have difficulty translating.) It also helps if it's a group activity. I help out when I can when the women folk in my family meet to make kimchi, but I'm usually delegated to carting the cabbages around from the bathroom (where they sit over night in brine) to the kitchen.
Not sure if this is helpful, but here are two pretty good links, one for the kim jang po gi kimchi (that takes place around/after harvest to stock up on kimchi to last through the winter) and another cabbage kimchi, for when you're running out. I can't vouch for them, but it looks about right. I can translate them for you if you feel like they are worthwhile. Hope this helps a bit. While these sites list measurements, most Koreans just do it by feel, so it's really hard to come up with a mean recipe.
I find the ones they sell in stores are chogajib (I was going to link, but it takes you to scary korean commercial site with too many pop-ups) and it's too vinegary. So I would like to make my own, but it's never turned out like grams. I suppose if you live in LA or NY it would be easier to get nicer ingredients, but I live in Manchester. I haven't met ANY koreans here (I'm sure there are) and the Chinese Super Store doesn't even have Gochujang so....
posted by slyrabbit at 3:23 PM on July 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
Not sure if this is helpful, but here are two pretty good links, one for the kim jang po gi kimchi (that takes place around/after harvest to stock up on kimchi to last through the winter) and another cabbage kimchi, for when you're running out. I can't vouch for them, but it looks about right. I can translate them for you if you feel like they are worthwhile. Hope this helps a bit. While these sites list measurements, most Koreans just do it by feel, so it's really hard to come up with a mean recipe.
I find the ones they sell in stores are chogajib (I was going to link, but it takes you to scary korean commercial site with too many pop-ups) and it's too vinegary. So I would like to make my own, but it's never turned out like grams. I suppose if you live in LA or NY it would be easier to get nicer ingredients, but I live in Manchester. I haven't met ANY koreans here (I'm sure there are) and the Chinese Super Store doesn't even have Gochujang so....
posted by slyrabbit at 3:23 PM on July 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
slyrabbit: If you're offering, it'd be great if you would post a translation of the kim jang po gi kimchi recipe you recommend. Also, your second link ("cabbage kimchi") is broken.
posted by mumkin at 5:54 PM on July 25, 2008
posted by mumkin at 5:54 PM on July 25, 2008
Also, if you just want to *have* good kimchee rather than make it, try a korean market. Around here the good ones will have very tasty homemade kimchee in various sized jugs in the refrigerated section. YUM. Sometimes it's the "summer" kimchee like I made, but more often it's just the regular cabbage or daikon radish.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:12 PM on July 25, 2008
posted by Stewriffic at 6:12 PM on July 25, 2008
Best answer: Mumkin,
Here it is! also second link and the homepage of the site has a whole rainbow of kimchi. Hope you attempt it. Looking at the pictures on the website while reading the recipe might help clear up any uncertainties. Think I'll give it a go as well.
Po Gi Kimchi
Po Gi means the whole cabbage, and that's how you dole them out. Pogi, and half pogi.
*This recipe is from Chul-la-do, a region famed for it's culinary skills. (both my father and mother's family are from here - it really is the best)
Amount = 2 Pogis
Main ingredients : 2 Cabbages, 10 cups of water, 2 cups of corse salt
Side ingredients : 10 spring onions, 30g gat (leaf mustard, or other hardy green, you can see the picture), 1/2 ~ 1 cup grated turnip(the big kind - also pictured), 4 Tablespoons anchovy extract
Seasoning : 15 dried chillies, 3 cups minced garlic, a bit of minced ginger, 30g dried anchovies, 1/2 cup anchovy sauce, 1 1/2cup red chili powder, bit of sugar substitute (artificial sweetener)
Sauce : 10 Tablespoons glutinous rice flour, 1 teaspoon sweet potato flour, 1 teaspoon soybean soaked water
Brining : Cut the cabbages in half length wise (see picture), Mixed 5 cups of water to 1 cup salt, and soak over half cut cabbages. Use other cup to wash in between the leaves.
Leave for 8 ~ 10 hours. 12 hours is not soaked (the mass will reduce visibly)
Rinse in cold water at least 4 times
Side :
roughly chop the leaf mustard, cut the spring onion 1/2 or 1/4 length wise, coarsely grate the turnip.
add 4 Tablespoons anchovy extract, mix and set aside.
Sauce (optional, but it makes a difference)
Mix 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon soybean soaked water, 1 teaspoon sweet potato flour in a pan and mix well. Allow to cool.
Seasoning : cut the dried chilies in 3 or 4 pieces (with a scissor), quickly rinse in water, and blend in a food processor (not too finely). Add some water in the process. Add 1/2 cup anchovy sauce into the processor. Add the dried anchovies (remove innards and head first) into the processor.
Empty everything into a BIG mixing bowl, and add the cooled sauce and mix (with hands - I highly recommend you wear plastic gloves for this - chilies burn). Add chili powder, mix. Add minced garlic, ginger, and sweetner. Add previously mixed side ingredients, mix again.
Now for the fun part
Stuffing : Get the mixture and insert in between the leafs of the brined cabbage. Stuff in between every 2 or 3rd layer. Only stuff near the end (head?) of the cabbage, leave the leaves alone ( tasted better later). If it's too bland, sprinkle some salt in between the layers, it 's too seasoned, add more sauce and seasoning.
Fermenting : You can eat kimchi at any stage. One of the perks of kim jang with my gran is eating the newly made kimchi wrapped in boiled pork. yummmmm. But for peak stage, leave it out 10 ~ 14 days outside, and then keep in the fridge. You can taste a little bit at a time to see if it's ready.
It you leave it too long, and it get's too vinegary, just stew it up as kimchi jjigae.
posted by slyrabbit at 2:23 AM on July 26, 2008 [5 favorites]
Here it is! also second link and the homepage of the site has a whole rainbow of kimchi. Hope you attempt it. Looking at the pictures on the website while reading the recipe might help clear up any uncertainties. Think I'll give it a go as well.
Po Gi Kimchi
Po Gi means the whole cabbage, and that's how you dole them out. Pogi, and half pogi.
*This recipe is from Chul-la-do, a region famed for it's culinary skills. (both my father and mother's family are from here - it really is the best)
Amount = 2 Pogis
Main ingredients : 2 Cabbages, 10 cups of water, 2 cups of corse salt
Side ingredients : 10 spring onions, 30g gat (leaf mustard, or other hardy green, you can see the picture), 1/2 ~ 1 cup grated turnip(the big kind - also pictured), 4 Tablespoons anchovy extract
Seasoning : 15 dried chillies, 3 cups minced garlic, a bit of minced ginger, 30g dried anchovies, 1/2 cup anchovy sauce, 1 1/2cup red chili powder, bit of sugar substitute (artificial sweetener)
Sauce : 10 Tablespoons glutinous rice flour, 1 teaspoon sweet potato flour, 1 teaspoon soybean soaked water
Brining : Cut the cabbages in half length wise (see picture), Mixed 5 cups of water to 1 cup salt, and soak over half cut cabbages. Use other cup to wash in between the leaves.
Leave for 8 ~ 10 hours. 12 hours is not soaked (the mass will reduce visibly)
Rinse in cold water at least 4 times
Side :
roughly chop the leaf mustard, cut the spring onion 1/2 or 1/4 length wise, coarsely grate the turnip.
add 4 Tablespoons anchovy extract, mix and set aside.
Sauce (optional, but it makes a difference)
Mix 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon soybean soaked water, 1 teaspoon sweet potato flour in a pan and mix well. Allow to cool.
Seasoning : cut the dried chilies in 3 or 4 pieces (with a scissor), quickly rinse in water, and blend in a food processor (not too finely). Add some water in the process. Add 1/2 cup anchovy sauce into the processor. Add the dried anchovies (remove innards and head first) into the processor.
Empty everything into a BIG mixing bowl, and add the cooled sauce and mix (with hands - I highly recommend you wear plastic gloves for this - chilies burn). Add chili powder, mix. Add minced garlic, ginger, and sweetner. Add previously mixed side ingredients, mix again.
Now for the fun part
Stuffing : Get the mixture and insert in between the leafs of the brined cabbage. Stuff in between every 2 or 3rd layer. Only stuff near the end (head?) of the cabbage, leave the leaves alone ( tasted better later). If it's too bland, sprinkle some salt in between the layers, it 's too seasoned, add more sauce and seasoning.
Fermenting : You can eat kimchi at any stage. One of the perks of kim jang with my gran is eating the newly made kimchi wrapped in boiled pork. yummmmm. But for peak stage, leave it out 10 ~ 14 days outside, and then keep in the fridge. You can taste a little bit at a time to see if it's ready.
It you leave it too long, and it get's too vinegary, just stew it up as kimchi jjigae.
posted by slyrabbit at 2:23 AM on July 26, 2008 [5 favorites]
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Ingredients: Cucumber, green onion, garlic, ginger, hot peppers, salt, vinegar. Cut up the cukes in 1" chunks. Put in a non-reactive bowl and salt generously. Leave them for at least an hour. Drain and rinse if too salty. Mince up some garlic. Mince up an equal amount of ginger. Slit open 4-ish really hot peppers. Layer brined cukes, hot peppers, garlic, and ginger into a one quart canning jar along with a couple of green onions. Don't add extra water. Let sit for a day or so in the fridge. Then pour in some white vinegar (not a ton), for tang.
Eat far away from other people.
posted by Stewriffic at 2:30 PM on July 25, 2008 [2 favorites]