Only in the kimchi world could "instant kimchi" mean kimchi that can be prepared and eaten in "only 30 hours." But of course kimchi is not like any other food in the world. This insant kimchi, or sokpakchi, is today's entry.
I'm always on the lookout for good kimchi preparation methods and am officially chalking this one up as excellent. Unlike more formal kimchis which require that the cabbage remain somewhat whole, sokpakchi is a type of kimchi that is chopped into pieces (together with radishes) before being fermented. This makes everything a little bit easier both in the preparation process and also when it's time to eat -- simply open up the container and take out as much as you like. No fancy cutting mechanisms necessary.
1. To prepare sokpackhi, take one briefly rinsed Napa cabbage and cut it 1/3 of the way from the stem into the heart. Pull apart with your hands to make two pieces. Salt it liberally with sea salt. Be sure to put plenty of salt inside the leaves. Allow the salt to remove the water -- this process will take about 5-6 hours. Rinse briefly and then squeeze out the water your hands. Squeeze tightly to remove as much water as possible, because excess water will lead to early mold.
2. Cut one Korean radish or Japanese daikon into flat, square pieces (about 1 inch across on each side). Also cut one bunch of green onions into 1 inch pieces, cut diagonally. If you have access to Korean water cress, trim one bunch and add to the cut green onions.
3. Next combine cloves from 1 bulb of garlic together with a large knob of ginger (about 1/2 or 1/3 the amount of the garlic), cut into small pieces. Place both into a food processor and combine. (If liquid is needed, use a little of Korean fish sauce.)
4. Combine the cut cabbage (cut into 1/2 pieces, removing the hard stem), radish pieces, and garlic-ginger mixture together with 2 tsp sugar and red chili flakes. (The red chili flakes amount should be equal to approximately the amount of garlic used, so, about two heaping tablespoons.) Secret: don't limit yourself to chili flakes alone because you'll be missing out on that gorgeous flaming red color one sees in restaurant kimchi. Add an additional teaspoon full of red chili powder (as in, the powder used for Korean chijae soups).
5. Now add fish sauce to this mixture until the chili seasoning looks "wet." (In other words, enough so that it stops being a dry mixture.) Combine with very clean hands. Add a sprinkling of sea salt and mix again.
6. The kimchi is now ready to be placed into an airtight container. Top with a little bit more sea salt and place the lid on top. Allow to ferment at room temperature for 30 hours. Do not open the container at any point. After exactly 30 hours, move the container into the refrigerator. This 30 hour period is an absolute requirement -- otherwise your kimchi won't have that outstanding, pungent taste so vital the kimchi experience. Enjoy!
Comments
That looks good and authentic.
Posted by: ZenKimchi | November 25, 2007 09:03 PM
First of all, thank you for this easy version of kimchi. Two questions.
1. Can I substitute soy sauce for fish sauce?
2. In point 3, do you mean ginger?
Posted by: Suganya | November 25, 2007 09:12 PM
Zen: thanks!
Suganaya: thanks for the correction. I would not use soy sauce as it's fermented and may affect the kimchi's ability to itself ferment -- it's a complex, delicate balance. The fish adds pungency but I understand you want to make it vegan. I would try leaving out the fish sauce and add just a bit more sea salt. For liquid, use purified water. I have not tried this method but I think it should work. Let me know how it turns out.
Posted by: Evil J | November 26, 2007 06:47 AM
Thanks. That helps.
Posted by: Suganya | November 27, 2007 01:43 PM
You know, I have never tried kimchi. I really enjoyed reading about how it is made.
Posted by: vegeyum | November 29, 2007 12:39 AM
It is so amazing that you make kimchi. I am one of "those" Koreans - I buy mine. Or beg my mother to make some for me. : )
There is just one thing I've noticed that you don't mention. My family & friends always add a tiny bit of rice slurry (it's just cooked rice blended with water) in their kimchi mix. It's supposed to help with the "roundness" of the flavour or something.
Have you ever tried that? Or do you leave it out on purpose?
Posted by: vixen | November 30, 2007 04:15 PM
Hi Vixen, thanks for nice compliment! Yeah I have used the 'rice slurry' as you say in other kimchis -- this recipe happens to not use it. (My sokpakchi kimchi recipe comes from the Book of Kimchi, which is published in Korea and my favorite kimchi reference.) But yeah I do enjoy the flavor and texture that the rice mixture creates. YUM!
Posted by: Evil J | November 30, 2007 06:07 PM
Oh, thank you so much for posting this one. you have no idea what a kimchi freak I am. I have tried several times making my own, but somehow it always rots :-(
But I am always up for trying it again. I ll try yours. Btw. I love it extra super spicy. What would be the best paprika or chili powder you would recommend? Do you have your favorite brand?
I have tried several PAPRIKA STRONG brands, but they do not give it the "kimchi color".
Posted by: Zlamushka | December 2, 2007 04:36 AM
Zlam: You're welcome! I would guess that part of your problem might be using the wrong pepper powders, or perhaps not using the right kind of salt (sea salt). When you say you are using paprika, I wonder if the spice you're using isn't causing the problem. I suggest using Korean pepper flakes, Korean pepper powder, and Korean sea salt meant specifically for kimchi. These will all be formulated for kimchi use specifically... the spices you are using might have preservatives which are throwing the fermentation balance off. Also make sure you are using Korean fish sauce specifically made for kimchi. Thai fish sauce or another fish sauce are also likely to contain preservatives and will throw off the taste itself.. for example Thai fish sauce is very sweet. Also make sure everything you do is sterile... clean scrubbed hands, clean vessels for the kimchi. This recipe will assist you too because it's easier to keep the kimchi submerged... usually it's the exposure to air that causes mold. I usually order my ingredients by mail from Kgrocer.com. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
Posted by: Evil J | December 2, 2007 06:54 AM
Looking good!
I'm in need for another batch of Kimchi myself, and knowing that it I get cracking on this tonight I should be able to throw down a pretty mean Kimchi and Pork Chijae later this week.
By the way, have you ever made a kimchi w/o the use of chili pepper/powder? We picked up a jar of whole daikons, 1/2 an apple, and a korean chili pepper all fermented in a brine yesterday..it was delicious :)
Posted by: Brian | December 3, 2007 09:35 AM
Also regarding the topic of sanitization I would recommend looking into using Iodaphor which is a concentrated sanization compound that you mix with water to and submerge whatever tools, hands etc that you want to be sanitized before working with your mediam. In homebrewing beer,sake,wine it is absolutely necessary.
Your local homebrew and/or restaurant supply stores would have it on hand (fyi-1 bottle lasts a looonngg time).
Cheers,
Brian
Posted by: Brian | December 3, 2007 09:42 AM
I was actually searching for pictures of cakes that had gone wrong (mine is in the oven, but I am anticipating the worst so that I will be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't go wrong!). I came across this site and then got stuck reading the recipes. I don't give compliements lightly, but you are AMAZING! Reading and testing recipes and looking at pictures of food comes second only to eating food. I will have hours of fun trying out these recipes and taking on board your experiences with them...thanks :)
Raybena.
Posted by: Raybena | January 22, 2008 02:10 PM
Hi,
I made somthing similar today (first time making kim chi!!) using the recipe from here:http://kimchi.pyongyang-metro.com/
it's actually v. similar. However, I didn't get much sauce at all!!! ie. your pic shows a lot of red "sauce". I saw one recipe that said fill up with water to submerge it a little but i wanted to stick to teh recipe.
Since this recipe and your recipe call for no liquid except small amounts of fish sauce i'm wondering how so much sauce amounts? Is that what it looks like post-fermentation? (ie. a gain in fluids) versus the initial presentation which is (in my case) quite dry.
I also found that my recipe and yours didn't say pack the kimchi in tightly! I didn't pack mine that tightly (ie. push/squish with my hands in the container) though the containers are mostly full and am wondering if this is going to affect the result greatly.
Posted by: elle | February 13, 2008 03:52 AM
Hey,
I just posted my ultimate kimchi recipe and cannot wait to try it again. Thanks a lot for the valuable info. I used regular sea salt and Thai fish sauce, but I did buy the real Korean chili powder. Gosh, it was the best thing I have ever made. WIth the leftover juice, I made kimchi fried rice.... You re the best!
Posted by: Zlamushka | April 19, 2008 10:12 AM
I love your Korean recipes; very clear instructions, great photographs. I'm living in South Korea and have all the best ingredients close at hand but, ironically, neither an English language cookbook nor English speaking person to teach me are to be found anywhere.
Posted by: Daryl | February 3, 2009 05:34 PM