This is a pretty quick and easy kimchi. This recipe is from David Chang's book Momofuku. It was the first recipe I tried, although that decision was not based on any kind of analysis or research into kimchi-making. Since starting to make kimchi, I have learned that there are all manner of variations and yet also a great similarity between recipes. It seems you need to just start, and let your own kimchi, and your own technique, find its own groove.
As you might recall from Tuesday's post, these were the basic ingredients.
David Chang has you chop the cabbage into relatively small ribbons of about 1 inch in width. I rather like the way this turns out. The resulting kimchi is quite easy to use. I have yet to determine what I think about the larger pieces of cabbage used in the next two kimchi versions. This recipe calls for a small to medium nappa cabbage. The small cabbage is about 10 ounces. The wedge is almost a quarter of a jumbo (4 pound) cabbage for a total of slightly over 1 1/2 pounds.
Next you massage the cut cabbage with 2 tablespoons each of sugar and salt an stick it in the refrigerator overnight.
When you pull it out the next day, you see that the cabbage has reduced in volume, and some liquid brine has developed. Rinse the cabbage and allow it to air dry while you make the kimchi brine.
Peel 20 garlic cloves, and slice 20 coins from peeled gingerroot. I obviously took this photo before engaging in a little necessary trimming. But I'm just happy that I actually took photos.
Combine the garlic, ginger, gochugaru, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and shrimp to form a paste. I used the food processor.
Add the kimchi brine to the cabbage along with the julienned carrots and the scallions (which have been cut into 1-inch lengths). I made this fairly late after a fairly stressful day, and I forgot to add the carrots an scallions until after I took the photo. You can use a spoon. I used my hands, massaging the cabbage lightly as I blended. I tend to think interacting with our food on a personal level is important. Although scrupulously clean hands are fine for home cooking, if you have sensitive skin, or are inclined to be somewhat scatterbrained, I would recommend wearing gloves for this step, in order to avoid the risk of burnt skin or eyes.
Pack the kimchi into a container and place it in the refrigerator to ferment. It will start to be tasty the next day, but will be much better after a week. I have left the kimchi out at room temperature for a day before adding it to the refrigerator, and that does speed the process and the funk factor, but I find that there is a shorter period where the kimchi is in that almost prickly, bubbly stage, a stage I particularly enjoy, before getting stinkier, softer and funkier.
The kimchi on day 5. I personally like this kimchi best when it is 2 to 4 weeks old. I let the last batch last longer, over six weeks, and it was starting to get soft and funky by the time it was gone. But this recipe only makes about 1 1/4 quarts of kimchi, and it usually doesn't last that long. I'd like to experiment with aging some kimchi longer, and it seems, since I am about to have a kimchi glut in my refrigerator, I may soon have that opportunity.
