A note about making Kimchi: Making kimchi is not about precise measurements. It’s about taste. Many things can influence the final result, like the taste of the unseasoned cabbage. Some heads of Napa are very sweet so you would add less sweetener (sugar/nashi pear), some are slightly bitter so you would add a little more salt, ginger, daikon, and sweetener to overcome the “bitter”. If you get a strong fish/shrimp paste, you would use less in the recipe. etc. —————————————————- This is a variation of kimchi which includes Asian chives, and “whole leaf” style prep.
Servings: 20
Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 48 hours
Ingredients
2 heads napa cabbage (approximately 2 lbs)
1/2 cup salt (for brine)
1/4 small Daikon radish
8 each spring or green onions
1 bunch Asian Chives
1/4 cup fish sauce
Seasoning paste
8 Each Hot red chili peppers
1 tablespoon finely ground red chili powder
3 tablespoons coarse ground red chili pepper
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 small nashi pear
2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Procedure
Directions
Prepare the Cabbage
Cut the cabbage in half from bottom to top.
Place the cabbage in a large pot or other container big enough to handle the cabbage cut side up. Carefully lift the leaves and salt between them using about 1/2 the salt.
Slowly add water until there is enough to submerge the cabbage.
Add the rest of the salt spread over the cabbage and let sit for at least 4 hours. (overnight is best)
After soaking discard brine then rinse cabbage in cold water.
Prepare the Daikon, Green Onion, and Chives
Cut larger daikon in half from top to bottom.
Shred the daikon into a strainer or colander
Rinse 1 time in cold water and drain.
Place in a small bowl and lightly sprinkle with salt.
Cut the green/spring onion into roughly 1 inch sections and add to shredded Daikon.
Cut the chives into roughly 1 inch sections and add to Daikon/Green Onion.
Add fish sauce and mix well.
Set aside until time to mix.
Prepare seasoning paste
Slice the ginger and pear into small pieces and toss in blender.
Remove stems from peppers and add to blender.
Add garlic cloves and just enough water to blend into a thick paste.
Pour blended mix into a small mixing bowl, then add all other paste ingredients and mix well
Let stand about fifteen minutes.
Mix the Kimchi
Add the seasoning paste to the Daikon/Green Onion/Chives and mix well.
Add the seasoning mix to the Napa cabbage. Be sure to raise the leaves and spread the mix throughout the cabbage.
Place into storage container(s), leaving room at the top to accommodate swelling, and refrigerate.
Depending on your “sour” level, the kimchi will be ready to serve in anywhere from one hour to several days.
Tips
To jump start the fermentation/souring, leave the kimchi on the counter top for several hours before refrigerating.
Storing Kimchi
Kimchi will swell and create pressure during the fermentation process. It is important to release pressure every so often to prevent breakage of storage container.