Anyone out there with a recipe for kimchi"?!
Answers: Kimchi is a korean pickle.
Dude, just buy it LOL. Seriously, it is one heck of a dish to try and make, especially if you are just making a small amount for yourself. Even many Koreans just purchase it now!!! But don't buy it from a regular grocery store, that junk is nasty (someone already suggested getting it from Walmart, ewwwww). Go to an asian food market, preferrably one run by Koreans. A little mom and pop Korean store would probably have some that is homemade!
When you say you want a kimchi recipe, I am assuming you want the cabbage one. Well, here is my simple recipe, and unlike the other posters (looks like they got theirs off some recipe site), this one was taught to me by my very Korean mother LOL...
1. Take your Napa cabbage and cut it into small squares... wash and rinse it.
2. Get a large mixing bowl, large enough to submerge the cabbage slices in water.
3. Layer the cabbage in the bowl, sprinkling salt on it. Take another bowl and mix salt and water in it (lukewarm water is easier to melt the salt in) and then slowly pour it on the cabbage.
4. Let the cabbage soak overnight (ie about 6-8 hours NOT 3 days), turning the cabbage (yeah, take your hand and try and flip the whole bunch of it over in the bowl LOL) once in the middle of the night.
5. In the morning, rinse a piece and taste it, is it salty enough? You are pretty much soaking it until it is "just right."
6. When your cabbage is "just right" rinse it and let all the water drain off.
7. Mix well with sauce (sauce recipe below) by hand stirring. I recommend using food prep gloves or your skin will burn like crazy.
8. Store in a airtight container. You can leave it on the counter for a day or so to let it ferment. Then store in the refrigerator. If the smell is leaking out, do not store next to juice or milk because it will make your milk/juice taste like kimchi LOL.
Kimchi sauce mix: (every korean has their own sauce... this is my mom's simple one)
1. Korean pepper flakes (it has to be the korean peppers... no other kind will do) medium grain
2. garlic, grushed
3. green onion, chopped
4. anchovy fish sauce or shrimp sauce
5. a little bit of MSG (optional, I don't use it)
Mix the ingredients into a semi thick paste. You can use a little water if it needs to be thinned a bit.
Notice, I did not give any measurements... my mom always said that real cooks never use measurements LOL.
Your best bet, if you are insistent on making kimchi yourself is to find a friendly korean person to teach you. You are gonna make one nasty mess if you try and make it on your own, trust me. It's hard for me to make and I've done it several times with my mom!
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon pickling salt 6 cups water
2 lbs. Chinese (Napa) cabbage, cut into 2-inch squares
6 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths, then slivered
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons Korean ground dried hot pepper (or other mildly hot ground red pepper)
1 teaspoon sugar
Makes about 1 1/2 Quarts
1. Dissolve the 3 tablespoons salt in the water. Put the cabbage into a large bowl, a crock, or a nonreactive pot, and pour the brine over it. Weight the cabbage down with a plate. Let the cabbage stand for 12 hours.
2. Drain the cabbage, reserving the brine. Mix the cabbage with the remaining ingredients, including the 1 teaspoon salt. Pack the mixture into a 2-quart jar. Pour enough of the reserved brine over the cabbage to cover it. Push a freezer bag into the mouth of the jar, and pour the remaining brine into the bag. Seal the bag. Let the kimchi ferment in a cool place, at a temperature no higher than 68° F, for 3 to 6 days,until the kimchi is as sour as you like.
3. Remove the brine bag, and cap the jar tightly. Store the kimchi in the refrigerator, where it will keep for months.
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. In a bowl, toss the cucumber with the salt; let stand for 15 minutes; drain.
2. Add the vinegar, sugar, sesame oil,garlic,hot pepper flakes and cayenne pepper.
3. Toss to combine.
FRIED KIMCHI
1 head Napa Cabbage (1-1? lbs.) (not Bok Choy)
? lb. bacon (cut 1 inch length)
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
1 carrot (slivered)
1 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic
? teaspoon salt
? teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
? teaspoon miwon (oriental monosodium glutamate)
In a WOK, fry bacon with onions, carrots, and garlic on low heat until bacon fat turns light colored.
Add Napa Cabbage on top.
Sprinkle top of Cabbage with salt, pepper, and miwon.
Cover WOK and increase heat to medium. Steam for 4 minutes.
Uncover and stir mixture.
Cook for additional 3-5 minutes.
I just buy mine at Wal-mart in the produce department (comes in a jar)
Kim Chee
2 pounds coarsely chopped Chinese cabbage
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 dash sesame oil
Place the cabbage into a large dish, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 3 to 4 hours. The cabbage will wilt.
After the cabbage has been sitting, massage it with your hands until it is even softer. Drain off the liquid. Mix in the green onion, garlic, chili powder, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Transfer to a large glass jar, and refrigerate for 24 hours before using. This will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with sesame oil before serving.