Making Kimchi

Kimchi plays a vital role in modern Korean diet. Whenever people think "Korean food" it's highly likely that if that person does not have any exposure to Korean cuisine, the first thing that will pop into their head is kimchi, well that or Korean BBQ, but Kimchi and rice in Korean modern day is essentially the equivalent of American bread and butter as there literally is not a meal that is served without kimchi as a side dish.

So what exactly is Kimchi? Kimchi is is a traditional side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables that usually include nappa cabbage, Korean radish, onions, green onions, and Korean chives. The flavor and ingredients that are incorporated into each Kimchi vary from region to region and even from household to household, not to mention the many varieties of kimchi that exist. This is because of Kimchi's long history in Korea which has allowed it to flourish and develop on it's own in each location within Korea. Kimchi dates back to as far as a couple thousand years and with the differences in access to certain ingredients and seasonal effects, kimchi in different regions took their own shape and branched out, containing their own special flavors. Kimchi looked quite different back then as it lacked it's eye-catching, vibrant colors back then. Kimchi didn't get its signature red color until the late 17th century where chili peppers were introduced into Korea from Japan and became widespread in Korea.

All history aside, let's get down to actually learning how to make kimchi. Our group had the opportunity of learning how to make kimchi at Museum Kimchikan where we were also provided with a self-guided tour that allowed us to learn much about kimchi.

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of nappa cabbage
• 1/5 pack of chives
• 1/5 pack of water parsley
• 1/4 of a white radish
• 1 and 1/2 cup of salt
• 5 cups of water

Seasonings

• 3 tbsp of red pepper
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 1 tbsp of shrimp aekjeot
• 1 tbsp of plum extract
• 1 tsp of anchovy powder
• 1 tbsp of sticky rice starch

Brine the Cabbage

Before starting on making kimchi, you must brine the nappa cabbage in salt water first. To do this, combine the 5 cups of water and the 1 and 1/2 cup of salt to make a brining solution. After you must soak the nappa cabbage in this solution for 6-8 hours before you have cabbage suitable for making kimchi.

Making the Kimchi

After your cabbage has been soaked in the salt water for the proper amount of time, it is time to prepare the vegetables that'll be used in the kimchi. Cut the radish into matchsticks and the chives along with the  into bite-sized pieces around 3 cm per piece. 

Mix the cut vegetables together and add all of the seasonings onto the cut vegetables, before mixing everything together to get this mixture that is ready to be stuffed into the cabbage.

After your mixture has been finished, it is time to stuff the mixture between each of the layers of the nappa cabbage. Continue until you've either used all of your mixture or if you've completely finished stuffing your cabbage.

Finally, the final step of making kimchi is the easiest, but at the same time the hardest. The last step of this process is to store the kimchi in the refrigerator for 2 days before eating the kimchi and the kimchi will last up to a month in the refrigerator.

Hope you enjoy your own homemade kimchi!

~Yours truly,

CIEE Global Navigators Alice, Salla, and Christina