Kimchi

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There are many variations to kimchi recipes. This is the recipe from my first attempt.

Ingredients

2 large Chinese (or Napa) cabbages (or Hakusai)
2L 10% salt water (or enough to cover the cabbages)

Mixture A

4 TBSP Shiratamako or flour
350ml Konbu Dashi
100g red chili pepper powder (coarse+fine)

Mixture B

1 apple
1/2 sweet persimmon (make sure to taste it first. Some are bitter)
200g carrots (~20 baby carrots)
10 garlic cloves
1 medium size ginger
4 TBSP sugar

6 bunches of Nira

Other optional things to add are: Daikon radish, celery, green onions, onions, shiitake mushrooms, sesame seeds, chestnuts, dates, pineapple, pine nuts, honey, canned fruit, shiso.

Preparation

Day 1

1. Take off the outermost leaves. Keep them. Cut each cabbage in quarters. When doing so, cut only halfway longitudinally from the bottom and use hands to tear apart the quarters.

2. Soak cabbages in 10% salt water in a stainless steel container for 24 hours (winter time; 16 summer time). Be sure to submerge all cabbages by putting weight on top.

Day 2

3. Wash cabbages thoroughly to remove excess salt. Soak in fresh water for 1-2 hours if necessary. Taste a piece to make sure it's not too salty.

4. Drain the water by putting the leafy side downward on a strainer for 3 hours (winter time; 5 hours summer time).

5.Make the chili paste: Boil Konbu Dashi and add sieved Shiratamako (or flour). Boil for 20 seconds. While hot, mix in chili. Cool the paste.

6. Massage carrots with salt. Blend apple, persimmon, garlic, ginger, carrots, sugar in food processor.

7. Mix 5 and 6. Mix in nira (~5cm).

8. Insert the chili mixture between the leaves. More mixture towards the core.

9. Fold each cabbage quarter in halves and put into stainless container without any space between the quarters. Cover with the outermost leaves kept in Step 1. Put glass or ceramic top and some weights on top.

Kimchi maturation works better without air.

Kimchi will be ready in 1-3 days at room temperature or 2-4 weeks at 4-5C. The more time it ferments, the sourer it gets. Sour kimchi may be used in many recipes.