How to Make Kimchi

Kimchi is a Korean pickled vegetable dish which is usually made by fermenting cabbage. Any kind of cabbage like bok choi or Chinese cabbage can be used although traditionally kimchi is made with napa cabbage.

It is a very versatile dish and it can be incorporated in soups, salads and stews. Although it can be purchase at any local Asian market, it can easily be prepared at home. Here is a guide on making kimchi at home.

Ingredients

• 2 Napa cabbages
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 cups salt
• 2 tablespoons shrimp paste
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ripe apple, pureed
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• ¼ cup red chili powder
• ¼ cup spring onions sliced

Method
Wash the cabbages and cut them into 2 inch pieces. In a small bowl, mix the salt with half a cup of water and stir until it has dissolved. Pour this mixture over the cabbage and let the cabbage sit at room temperature for about 4 to 5 hours.

After 5 hours, all the moisture will be leached out from the cabbage and you will find a solution of brine at the bottom of the vessel. Pour this brine solution away and wash the cabbage two or three times making sure that all the salt water has been rinsed off.

In another bowl add ½ cup of water to the red chili powder along with the minced garlic and ginger. Make a paste and transfer this paste to the cabbage. Add the pureed apple, fish sauce and sliced spring onions. Toss all the ingredients together making sure that everything is well coated. Your kimchi is ready to be eaten. You can store it in air-tight glass jars and keep them in your refrigerator.

Ingredients

• 2 cups pork belly, cubed
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 cup chopped kimchi, along with juice
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups of cooked left over rice
• 2 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method
Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet and stir fry the diced pork belly over a medium flame. Add the minced garlic and sliced spring onions and cook them until the onions turn golden brown and the pork belly is cooked through.

Now add soy sauce and the chopped kimchi into the skillet and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sambal oelek and mix everything well. Stir in the cooked rice and stir fry for 5 to 6 minutes until every grain of rice is well coated with soy sauce and kimchi.

In another small pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in medium heat. Crack open the eggs and cook them one by one until the egg white is cooked around the edges and the yolk is set. Sprinkle the eggs with a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve the kimchi fried rice on a plate and place a fried egg on top. Garnish with a sprinkling of sliced spring onions.

Kimchi jjigae is a very hearty and homely dish made with pickled vegetables and meat. There are many different variations of kimchi jjigae that can be made at home with very little effort.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup kimchi
• ½ cup pork belly, sliced
• ½ cup kimchi juice
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil

• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons miso paste
• 2 tablespoons chili flakes
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 cup silken tofu, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon butter

Method
Heat a heavy bottomed pot with peanut oil and add the finely sliced pork belly. Stir fry pork belly for 2 to 3 minutes until all the fat is rendered out. Add the kimchi, sliced red onion and the minced garlic into the pork and fry for a few minutes. Now add the kimchi juice, sliced ginger, miso paste and dark soy sauce and combine everything together.

When the mixture is reduced add the tofu cubes and the mirin and turn down the heat. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the pork belly is cooked through and the kimchi is soft and tender. Stir in the butter and transfer the jigae into individual soup bowls garnished with chopped spring onions.

Kimchi pancakes are not at all difficult to make and they make a very filling and savory snack. Here is a very simple and easy recipe for making kimchi pancake.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Korean pancake mix
• ½ cup sliced kimchi
• ¼ cup kimchi juice
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chili flakes

Method
In a large bowl mix together the pancake mix, water and kimchi juice. Add chili flakes and sliced kimchi and mix everything until it is well combined. Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet and pour 1 tablespoon of batter at a time and spread it out very thinly. After 3 to 4 minutes, when the edges have brown, flip the pancake and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the edges become crisp.

So, these were some ways to make different dishes by using kimchi. Now that you know how to make kimchi, you can try making many variations by adding different vegetables like scallions or radish.