Kimchi & Kaktugi

Here's the update of the Kimchi i made a few weeks ago. Making it was easier than i've imagined but the entire process was sooo time consuming. I took me hours to prepare and i had to wait 3 days just to have a taste of it. Not to mention the kimchi stench i had in my room while fermenting and the perpetual smell that has overtaken my fridge (baking soda and lemon wedges were of no help at all). But all in all, it was quite worth it. They last forever and the the longer you keep it, the better it tastes. I used up half of the pepper flakes that i brought back from taiwan, but thankfully I stocked up a years' worth of it from our trip to Berlin. There's still a bit of kimchi left in my fridge but once that's gone, i'm definately making it again. Can't wait to try out all the other stuff you can make from kimchi. Dont you just love Korean food? I can totally live on it :D

Kimchi & Kaktugi

from maangchi.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 chinese cabbage
• 1 medium-sized radish
• salt
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1.5 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fish sauce (or less, depending on your taste)
  
• 1 - 1.5 cups hot pepper flakes (according to your taste)
• a bunch of spring onions (chopped and sliced)
  
  NOTE #1: if you're only making kimchi, this porridge recipe is enough for 2 Chinese cabbages.
  NOTE #2: add the fish sauce and hot pepper flakes according to taste! Everyone has different preferences ;)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core. [picture 1, 2]
2. Soak each piece of cabbage in cold water. Drain and generously sprinkle with salt (the stem should get more salt than leaf part), set it aside for 2 hours. [picture 3]
3. Skin the radish and cut them into 1 inch cube shapes, generously sprinkle with salt and also set aside for 2 hours. [picture 4]
4. 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage and radish over so they get salted evenly.
5. Another 2 hours later, the cabbage and radish should look softer than before, and it should have shrunk. (The total salting process will take 4 hours)
6. Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.
   
   Porridge Paste:
7. Using a food processor, blend the garlic, ginger, and onion into a paste. [picture 5]
8. Combine the glutinous rice powder and water and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
9. When you see some bubbles, pour in the sugar and stir for another minute. Let cool. [picture 6]
10. When the porridge has cooled down, add in the fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, garlic/ginger/onion paste, and spring onions. Mix well and your Kimchi paste is done. [picture 7]
    
11. Spread the Kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage. [picture 8]
12. Mix the leftover paste with your radish cubes (kaktugi).
13. Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.
14. You can eat it fresh right after making it or wait until it’s fermented.
    [To Ferment: leave the sealed Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days. Refriderate after it has reached desired sour taste]

Kaktugi

Kimchi