The Japexican Take on Fermented Goodness: Kimchi.

Kimchi can be a little intimidating for the uninitiated, think about it, a little portion of unidentified stinky and spicy vegetables may be a little off-putting for some, but the Koreans have been at it for  hundreds of years, and they seem to be doing alright. 

Fermentation is one of the best ways of preserving food, by creating the right condition for good germs to grow we prevent the growth of nasty and harmful ones, allowing us to keep food for a very long time (the yummy flavors are just a tasty cherry on top of the cake) this was particularly important in Korea, where winters can be really harsh and months can go by without fresh produce.

Even today, many Korean families gather together in November to prepare huge batches of Kimchi to last the whole winter, in summer, lighter less fermented Kimchis are prepared and consumed with salads. Kimchi is so embedded in Korean food culture, that new houses are built and sold with a Kimchi fridge. But hey, I don’t blame them, it is fucking amazing, it goes great with grilled salty meats as its sourness cuts the richness and fat of meat, it goes great on the side of any rice dish, it goes great as part of a nice pork belly stew, it goes great on top of some korean tacos or why not, just on top of a rice cracker (I confess I do this more often than not). So hey, why not give it a chance, after you overcome the funkyness you will discover a nice, complex and delicious little thing that goes well with everything.

And as it turns out, we are now re-discovering the benefits of fermented foods, apparently Kimchi is great for your gut, aids in digestion and is, a real superfood… but honestly, who gives a fuck when the thing is so goddamn delicious? So, without further ado, and before hipsters ruin it for the rest of us, here is my no fuss Kimchi recipe. Thank me later.

Kimchi ready to start fermenting.

Notes:

• This is not traditional Kimchi, just sayin'.
• Yes, the smell can be quite strong, but you don’t need a separate fridge to keep it, a few of those hermetic glass jars is more than enough.
• A lot of the recipes out there are pretty strict with the ingredients, but I have been making Kimchi roughly once a month for the past 3 years and I have discovered that you can play with the ingredients, if you don’t have something, it is fine, if you want to add something else, it is fine as well. The important thing is that you work clean and let it ferment long enough.
• You should be able to find all of the basic ingredients in the international aisle in the supermarket.
• Great for a Kimchi Stew, Kimchi fried rice or my Kimchi Bloody Mary.

You will need:

• Cabbage. A couple of heads of Nappa Cabbage will be enough to fill two big 1.5 l hermetic jars. 
• Vegetables. In addition to the cabbage, basic Kimchi usually has carrots, daikon radish and spring onions, sliced in sticks. And here you can get creative, I like adding some granny smith apples to the mix, sometimes a little bit of pear or mango also goes great.
• Salt. About a cup.
• Korean Chili Flakes. Not too much to say about this, they are not as spicy as other chilies and they tend to have a natural sweetness.  About half a cup.
• Fish Sauce. Korean fish sauce is a little less salty than the rest, but any Asian fish sauce should do. About a quarter of a cup.
• Garlic. You can adjust this to your taste, but be careful, too much garlic may bring some bitterness to the kimchi. About a head of garlic is to me perfect, but quite strong.
• Ginger. About the same amount than garlic. Peeled.
• Fermented Shrimp Paste. We are getting into the territory of things that are good to have but in my opinion, not mandatory. The Shrimp paste will aid in the fermentation process and will give impart some extra depth. About a table spoon.
• Sweet Rice Flour. This is usually added as a slurry, helps to kick start the fermentation and to  change the texture a little bit. But again, not mandatory. A tablespoon dissolved in water.

Let's get to it!

1. Cut the cabbage. Traditionally, the cabbage is cut in four but leaving the leaves attached to the stem. But this is not a traditional Kimchi. I like cutting it in chunks, this makes the process faster, it makes it easier to put in the jars, and it is just a breeze to eat from the jar with your chopsticks. Cut all the other veggies you want to add as well. Mix everything well in a big bowl.
2. Heavily salt the cabbage and veggies in a bowl, cover with cling film put it in the fridge and let it rest. Every now and then, come back and press the cabbage using your hands. You can do this a day in advance, or at least three hours. During this time, the salt will make the cabbage release a lot of water.
3. Drain the water released by the cabbage. This may be quite a bit. Lightly rinse it of the excess salt. I like to leave some of the salt to counteract the overall sourness of the finished product. Up to you.
4. In a food processor, blender or a mortar blend the garlic, ginger, Korean chili flakes, fish sauce and if using them, the shrimp paste and the rice flour slurry. You are looking to make a nice thick paste.
5. Now, using your hands, some people use gloves,  mix the paste with the cabbage and veggies, make sure that every single piece of cabbage and vegetables is coated with the chili paste.
6. Put the cabbage and veggies in the jars, make sure you press down each time so the kimchi is well compacted and all the air pockets have been eliminated.
7. Close the jars and let them rest in a cool dry place, I put them in the back of a covert.
8. Every day for the next 5 to 7 days, you should carefully open the jars, fermentation's by product is CO2, some gas will build up inside of the jars. Once open, press the kimchi down as much as possible to eliminate air pockets. Little by little, you will notice that a good amount of 'juice' has been released, eventually all the kimchi will be under the liquid.
9. At day 7 I usually transfer the kimchi to the fridge, where the fermentation will continue but at a very slow pace. It is ready to eat and will last quite a bit in the fridge. Over time, it will even develop more character and flavor. Though I doubt it will last that long before you devour it all.

Salted Cabbage ready to rest.

About to mix with the chili paste.