Sunday 28 February 2016

Korean Kimchi German Style

I want to eat some Kimchi fries soon. Fries to make is not the problem, but I´ve tried canned Kimchi before and it was not to my taste. I checked a couple of YT videos and some recipes on the web and found a method that sounded good enough for me.


I make preserves often, but I have never made that kind of kraut before. I remember my grandmother´s cellar where several earthen pots stood filled with homemade sauerkraut and cut up green beans- they stank to high heaven. As a child I hated to go down there and get some of the stuff out of the pots.

I found the ingredients and started in the afternoon with the China cabbage. I will go down with the amount of chili, because I am European and not used to too much heat. The fermentation will take 2 to 3 days. Keep a bowl or higher plate beneath the container, the juices will leak out and make a mess. Close the lid after the fermentation is done and keep the Kimchi in the fridge up to 4 month.

Cut up the cabbage into 3 cm long strips, don´t use the hard core. Dissolve the salt in the water and a huge bowl and get the cabbage in. It will look as if it is to much for a bowl, but the salt makes it go soft soon, so press everything down and let it sit for 8 hours. Press out the water, but keep the salted water for later.

Grate carrots and apple and chop the green from the spring onions into fine rings, grate the ginger and press the garlic. Messure the spices.

Use the gloves!
Mix the carrots, apple and onions with ginger and garlic and put the spice mix in. With your hand start squisching it for a good 5 minutes. 

recipe:
1,4 kg head of china cabbage
1,5  l  water
3 tbsp salt
3 large carrots
1/2 bunch of spring onions - mostly the green and less of the white
4 cloves of garlic
6 cm fresh grated ginger
half of an apple grated
1 tbsp Korean chili
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
a pair of kitchen gloves

Press out the water from the cabbage and  mix with the squished mass, knead about 5 minutes more with your hand.


grate everything into a metal bowl
do not close the lids due to fermentation


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