Kimchi Making

This is my first attempt at making kimchi and kaktugi. Kimchi and kaktugi are traditional korean side dishes. They are a staple of korean eating, and you'll probably see it at any and every meal. I'd been wanting to get more into cooking korean, so let's see how it went!

So this is the radish for the kaktugi. I've peeled, cubed and salted heavily.

This is the napa cabbage, cleaned and quartered and salted. You end up salting the vegetables for about 4-6 hours!

This is the kimchi paste. A wonderful mix of hot chili flakes, green onions, garlic, and some other ingredients.

This is what the cabbage looks like after salting for 4 hours. Afterwards, you need to rinse it three times in a sink full of water to remove some of the salt. Make sure to squeeze the leaves to get out as much water as possible.

Here's the finished kimchi! I ended up cutting the cabbages up into bite sized pieces so that way it would be easier to eat. You should also throw out the stem, because that's not very tasty. Mix the cabbage with the kimchi paste until coated well and tastes good.

Hello, kaktugi. I hear you're mighty delicious. Perhaps I should try you as well.

So good luck if you're going to try to make kimchi. It takes a long time, but the effort is totally worth it. I'm hoping to set aside some time soon to make this again.

Kimchi and Kaktugi

2 Medium Napa Cabbages

1 Korean Radish

Salt, and a lot of it. I would use regular table salt.

1/2 C Sweet Rice Powder

3 C Water

1/4 C Sugar

1 C Fish Sauce

Red Pepper Flakes (enough to make the paste a rich red)

2 Heads of Garlic

1 Onion

Ginger Root

7 Green Onions

Bunch of Chives

Begin by cutting the radishes in half. Slice each one halfway through the core. Soak each piece in cold water and then remove excess water. Salt each piece of cabbage and set aside to rest for 2.5 hours.

Peel the radish and cut into cubes. Salt and let sit as long as the radish.

Turn the cabbages and the radish over. Let them soak for 2.5 hours. Begin the kimchi paste.

Start by putting the rice powder and water over a medium-high flame. Cook for a minute or two. Add the sugar. Cook until bubbles break the surface and the paste looks smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl.

Add the fish sauce and red pepper flakes to the bowl. Take the garlic, onion, and ginger and pulse in a food processor until minced. Add into the paste. Cut the green onions on the biased and the chives into two inch pieces. Add to the paste.

When the time is up for the cabbages and radish, rinse them each three times. Then try to remove as much water as possible by squeezing them. Cut off the core and slice the cabbage. Add paste until well coated. Repeat with radish. Store in an airtight container.