KIMCHI!

steph. here’s what i owe you. everyone else, it’s a process. but it’s fun, and it’s a process i plan on undertaking again soon:


kimchi seasoning.
yield 6 cups

ingredients
1 cup shiitake mushroom stock (see recipe) or water
4 tablespoons sweet rice flour (Mochiko - oriental market or from trader joe’s)
1 cup pear puree (any kind sweet and soft pear), 7 ounces
1 cup onion puree (white or yellow), 7 ounces
1/2 cup Korean radish puree (3.5 ounces)
1/4 cup apple juice
3 cups dried red chili pepper (coarsely ground without seeds - Gochu pepper powder)
3/4 cup minced garlic (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3/4 cup sea salt (note: 1.5 cup fish sauce, 1/2 cup salted baby shrimp? not sure why i wrote that during the class)
1.5 cups shiitake mushroom stock or water

procedure
1. in a small pot, combine 1 cup stock and sweet rice flour. mix well over med heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. keep stirring with a whisk until it turns into porridge (3-5 mins). pour into med bowl and cool.

2. in a medium bowl, combine pear, onion, radish puree, apple juice, cooled sweet rice porridge and dried red pepper. mix until well blended; let sit for approximately 10 minutes.

3. add garlic, ginger, salt and 1.5 cups stock or water to the mixture.

4. divide into 1 cup batches and freeze if necessary for easy use…



napa kimchi
yield: 1 gallon

ingredients
4.5 pounds napa cabbage
3/4 cup kosher salt
3 cups water
1/2 pound Korean radishes, cut into 1-inch pieces (1/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 cup kimchi seasoning (see recipe)

procedure
1. cut the cabbage into 1-inch pieces and put them in a large bowl

2. dissolve the kosher salt in the water, pour over cabbage. using your hands, mix well. allow to sit 4-5 hours at room temp, tossing from time to time.

3. discard the liquid that has leaked out of the cabbage and wash cabbage in water twice and drain well.

4. put washed and drained cabbage back into the large bowl, add radish and sea salt and mix well with kimchi seasoning using your hands (wearing gloves recommended) and pack tightly into a glass jar or plastic container. kimchi must be covered with liquid while it ferments. if more liquid needed, add water to the mixing bowl to get any remaining kimchi seasoning.

5. keep at room temp for 1-2 days, then keep in the refrigerator.


quick shiitake mushroom stock
yield: 8 cups

ingredients
2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms
8.5 cups water
1 8-inch stick kombu

procedure
1. in stock pot, soak mushrooms in water for 30 minutes.

2. add kombu and bring to boil. lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. strain stock, pressing firmly to extract liquid as much as possible.