Oh ~ How to make Kimchi at home

One of my most happy moment was I'm so enjoyed making my own Kimchi. This ingredient was shared by my most close friends ~ I called her Vil. She is a food lover, enjoyed cooking , and of course she was creative to share her modification Kimchi recipe with me. The recipe has putting lots of effort to produce the most nearer taste of Kimchi we used to eat at Daorae Korean BBQ Restaurants. 

I must said this was my third or forth times in making the Kimchi,and this time I was totally satisfied with the taste and outlook ( in term of coloring ) of Kimchi I made. :) :)

Well ~ it pretty simple for me to prepare the ingredient and I can easily got all i needed from hypermarket. The cost was so much cheaper compare to buy it! I was addicted to eat kimchi as side dishes in every daily meal. 

What you need : 

Ingredients

1 head napa cabbage

1 piece of green pear 

9-10 tablespoon of sea salt

Water (see Recipe Notes)

1 bulb of garlic (about 8-9 cloves)

1 teaspoon grated ginger 

2 teaspoon of curry powder

5 tablespoons of red pepper flakes 

3 tablespoons of fish sauce

4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Small bowl of small dried fish 

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. 

2. Salt the cabbage. Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands (gloves optional), massage the salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit, then add water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 12 hours. 

3. Rinse and drain the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times and drain in a colander for 15-20 minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting, and set it aside to use in step 5. 

4. Make the paste. Meanwhile, combine the garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce paste(or 5 tablespoons water) in a small bowl and blend all the ingredients become liquid sauce.

5. Mix thoroughly. Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated. The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!

6. Pack the kimchi into the jar. Pack the kimchi into the jar, pressing down on it until the brine rises to cover the vegetables.

7. Let it ferment. Let the jar stand at room temperature for at least 48 hours. If you prefer sour taste, you may leave it more than 48 hours.

8. Check it daily and refrigerate when ready. Check the kimchi once a day, pressing down on the vegetables with a clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. 

9. You may eat it right away, and I really enjoy to eat as side dishes and make my favorite Kimchi soup.