Recipe: Mama Chai’s Kimchi

There are many kinds of kimchi, from radish to baby Napa to cucumber, and even non-spicy kind with cold soup, also known as “mool kimchi.” Kimchi is an iconic staple in Korean food, and it’s gotten more popular over the past few years. This recipe calls for quartered pieces of cabbage, then filled with a radish mixture and sliced right before serving.

Whole napa cabbage kimchi

My mom wanted to show me how to make kimchi, especially since I’ll be getting married soon. Traditionally, it’s one of the basic skills that a Korean married woman should have. After going through the steps with her, I think I can handle the task! I will keep you posted.

There are so many ways to make kimchi, so use this as a guide and go from there. Some people prefer adding oysters and rice flour for more flavor. My mom’s version is a bit healthier and clean tasting than what you might be used to.

Recipe: Mama Chai’s kimchi
Makes 3 big glass jars

*When choosing cabbage, choose ones that are not as tightly packed and offer a little bit of resistance when you cup both hands on the cabbage.

Special equipment: 2 large bowls and large colander. And my large, I mean as big as a bathtub. But if you don’t have these, do not fear – just work in batches with your normal sized bowl and colander.

Ingredients:

4 Napa cabbage
3 cups of sea salt
2 cups of gochugaru (do not substitute)
1 tablespoon of shrimp paste or fish sauce
Juice of 2 Asian pears
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 whole garlic bulb
2 knobs of ginger
2 large Asian radish, cut into thin strips
6 stalks of scallion
Disposable gloves or rubber gloves

Procedure:

1. Cut cabbage into 4 equal pieces by running your chef’s knife through 2/3 of the way, then using your fingers to separate the cabbage. Slicing it all the way down is not recommended, as it won’t be as pretty. (Note: for smaller cabbage, cut in half.)

2. Fill up the large bowl about 2/3 of the way. Add handful of sea salt to the water and mix. Submerge each piece of cabbage in the water, just for a minute. This is just to wet the cabbage so that it will soak up the salt better. Then transfer to another bowl. Repeat with the remaining pieces. (If you get any loose pieces of cabbage, save them for later.)

3. Using your hands, insert sea salt into every nook of the cabbage. Separate each layer by hand and add sea salt, almost as though you’re throwing salt to the cabbage.

4. Once you’re done, cover bowl and let it sit for at least 4 hours.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Slice radish. Peel and blend pears into a liquid. Either use a mortar and pestle or blend garlic and ginger in a food processor. Set aside.

6. Mix about 2 tablespoons of water to the gochugaru in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes. You want gochugaru paste at this point. Set aside.

7. Take cabbage ready test at the 2 hour mark, then again at 3 hours. If you pinch a piece of cabbage, it will be slightly springy. If it’s not salted for long enough, the cabbage piece will break. If it’s been there for too long, it will be very soft.

8. Rinse off the salt, piece by piece, by placing it under running water. Place each piece upright on colander and drain.

8. If using shrimp paste, mince on a cutting board (if using fish sauce, skip). Chop scallions by halving it lengthwise, then cutting them at an angle. This will prevent them from getting too watery. Set aside.

10. Using a pairing knife, trim the brownish tops of the cabbage. Be sure to only cut a small portion, as you want the cabbage to remain in tact.

11. In a large bowl, mix radish, gochugaru, shrimp paste (or fish sauce), pear juice, sugar, garlic and ginger. Once you’ve mixed everything, then add scallions as the final step.

12. Now, you’re ready for the stuffing portion. Wearing gloves, take a handful of the mixture and rub it all over the cabbage, as that will color the cabbage. Using the same method as before, stuff each layer with the mixture, layer by layer by layer. Repeat with the rest.

13. Wrap the outermost layer of the cabbage around itself, so that each piece is tightly packed. Carefully place into the jar, with the cabbage alternating, for most efficient use of space and even fermentation. Each bottle takes about 1 -2 whole cabbage, depending on size.

14. Add 2 or 3 loose pieces of cabbage from before on top. Cover with plastic wrap, and close the lid tightly.

15. Let the bottle sit in room temperature for 2-3 days (1-2 if it’s warm). Move kimchi to refrigerator and slice up each quarter before serving. Kimchi will continue to ferment and get sour.

You can make kimchi stew, kimchi pasta, galbi tacos w/kimchi, bulgogi burgers, and of course, kimchi fried rice.