Pork Kimchi Jjim – 돼지 김치찜 – My Recipes
Key Features: Korean fusion / very healthy / adaptable
Pork Kimchi Jjim
I’ve lived for almost five years with one of Daegu’s best pork kimchi jjim restaurants less than 10 seconds walk from my front door. I very quickly developed a taste for this tasty dish and over the years have managed to gleam a few tips to help me reproduce it. This recipe is best with sour, aged kimchi, indeed the older the better. Even kimchi of a year old and which has started to grow a layer of mold on the top, can be washed clean and used for this truly satisfying and healthy meal.
The best cut of meat for this is pork leg and if you have time to cook on a low heat for an hour or more, you can cut the meat in large chunks about 1.5-2 inches square. My local restaurant cooks the pork, in large chunks, for several hours until it melts in your mouth. For quicker versions you can reduce the cooking time by cutting meat into smaller portions. If this is the case avoid more fatty cuts of meat – such as pork leg.
MY DEFINITIVE RECIPE
1 cup = 180ml. T=tablespoon (15ml), d=dessert spoon (10ml) t=teaspoon (5ml)
This recipe is ideal for one large portion – double ingredients for each additional person
SHOPPING LIST
240 grams pork tenderloin (목살) or front leg (앞다리). If you have time, leg is preferable.
2T Wine
1d Soy Sauce (간장)
1T Sesame oil
1d Sugar
1 cube or 4 cloves of crushed garlic
Half an inch of finely chopped ginger
Half a Spanish onion roughly chopped
Mooli – about same amount as onion, diced, but omit if this is a main component in your kimchi. White turnip is a good substitute.
0.5t of dashida or a stock cube
1t of sesame powder
1T Mild bean paste
1t Red pepper powder
1 cup of Kimchi, sour is preferable
Sesame powder
Sesame seeds and or pine nuts for garnish
3-4 cups of water
See also suggested accompaniments at the bottom of the page.
EQUIPMENT
Ideally as an earthenware pot or ‘ttukbeki’ (뚝배기) or a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
RECIPE
1. MARINADE
Cut the meat into cubes about an inch square. Then, make a marinade with:
2T wine, soy sauce (간장), 1T sesame oil, 1d sugar,1 cube or 4 cloves of crushed garlic, half an inch of finely chopped ginger (7 items)
Put the pork in the marinade and leave from two hours or overnight.
2. COOKING
In a heavy bottomed pot or Korean earthenware ‘ttukbeki,’ place:
Half a Spanish onion roughly chopped and the same amount of mooli (or white turnip) omitting this if it features in the kimchi. (2 items)
0.5t of dashida or a stock cube and 1t of sesame powder. (2 items)
1T Mild bean paste
1t Red pepper powder
1 cup of Kimchi
Then add the marinade and bring back to the boil, boiling for five minutes before reducing the heat to a simmer for 25 minutes. You will need to add around 1 cup of extra water during simmering. If my meat is cut larger than inch cubes, and if I’m using the more fatty leg meat, I will cook on a low heat for up to an hour – until the meat is at a stage where easily falls apart. Stir occasionally and add extra water to maintain the original level.
Before serving and an extra teaspoon of sesame oil, some sesame seeds and/or pine nuts.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve with an accompanying bowl of rice and a selection of side dishes (반찬) and laver bread (김).
ONGOING NOTES:
©努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
Cabbage Kimchi (Sun-hee version) My Recipes
‘Kimjang’ – the Korean kimchi making season between mid November and December
Without doubt, cabbage kimchi is the most important item in the Korean kitchen. Not only is it an important side dish, accompanying most meals, but essential base in a number of other recipes. Kimchi is a ‘keynote,’ a defining feature of Korean culture and mastering its production will gain you much respect in the eyes of Koreans. There are not only geographical variations on the recipe, but family and personal ones and homemade kimchi is infinitely superior to that bought in supermarkets. This recipe was taught to me by my friend Sun-hui (순희) and it has proved to be a very successful.
Key Features: very healthy / relatively easy to make/ an essential Korean food
MY DEFINITIVE RECIPE
1 cup = 180ml. T=tablespoon (15ml), d=dessert spoon (10ml) t=teaspoon (5ml)
SHOPPING LIST
1 large Chinese leaf cabbage (Napa) weighing about about 1.25 kilograms
I cup of mooli (무)
0.5 cup of red pepper powder (고추가루)
2T rice flour
0.25 cup of Fish sauce (액젓) plus more if required
24 cloves of crushed garlic
1. inch piece of fresh root ginger, grated
1cup of chives or wild leek (실파/부추)
0.75 cup of salt (sea salt, kosher, rock, 호렴)
1d Sugar
3 cups of water
Kimjang in Cheonan
SUBSTITUTES IF YOU’RE LIVING IN THE UK
Mooli can be substituted with white turnip but I would grate it rather than dice it.
Red pepper powder must be Korean (고추가루) and not chili powder.
Rice flour can be replaced with standard flour and many Koreans use this in Korea.
Fish sauce (액젓) can be either anchovy (멸치) or sand-lance (까나리) but Thai type squid sauces will suffice.
Chives are best but wild leek is better and after these small spring onions without the bulbs.
Salt – sea salt (Maldon) and rough salt such as rock salt or kosher salt are highly important. Table salt is totally ineffective at wilting the cabbage leaves!
EQUIPMENT
A large plastic basin
A plastic Tupperware type container
Possibly a muslin type bag
Rubber gloves
SALTING
- If the cabbage is a large one, cut it lengthwise into quarters and wash it. Then chop the cabbage into pieces about 1 wide and a few inches long. Wash the chopped cabbage and drain. Next dice the mooli into small pieces approx an inch square and a quarter of an inch thick and add them to the cabbage. Put the mixture in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and then and 1.5 cups of water. Fold the mixture, pat down firmly and leave for about 12 hours turning once after six hours or so. 12 hours should ensure the cabbage is fully wilted but often it is ready much earlier than this. You should notice the volume of cabbage reduces by about half as wilting occurs.
PREPARING THE PASTE
When the cabbage is ready, wash it three times in clean water and thoroughly drain. I use a muslin bag for this process so I can squeeze out excess water. This process ensures the paste doesn’t become too watery though some people prefer it such. Set the cabbage aside.
2. Chop the chives into pieces about an inch long
3. Crush the garlic and chop the ginger into small slivers.
4. In a large plastic bowl, put the:
Red pepper powder (0.5 cup)
Chives (1 cup)
Ginger
Garlic
0.25 of a cup of fish sauce
sugar (1d)
5. Mix the flour in a little cold water and then heat a pan containing 1.5 cups of water. Add the flour mixture to this and stir until it is starts to boil. The flour paste needs to be the consistency of porridge so add more flour as required. When ready add this to the ingredients in the large bowl.
6. Mix the ingredients with a spoon and then, when you are not in danger of scalding, with your hands (you might want to wear rubber gloves for this process).
7. Add the cabbage mixture to the paste and thoroughly fold them together.
8. You can now taste the kimchi and if necessary add additional fish sauce to increase the saltiness. I hold back on using 0.5 of a cup to allow me more control over saltiness.
9. Put the kimchi in a Tupperware type container and pack down firmly to remove air pockets.
Kimchi does not need to be fermented and many people prefer kimchi when it is fresh. However, fermentation will begin immediately, indeed it has already begun. It can be kept in part of the fridge where it won’t freeze though you can leave it in room temperature for a few days to speed up fermentation. The lid will pop off the tub every day as gases build up but the smell grows on you!
Kimchi keeps for a very long time and even after a year it has its uses. Personally, I have used kimchi older than a year and have read of people using kimchi that was 3 years of age. My year old kimchi had a small layer of mold on the top but this washed off. Aged kimchi, tart and sour, is a delicious basis for kimchi stew (kimchi jjim – 김치 찜) and far superior to fresh kimchi.
delicious..
ON GOING NOTES
None! The recipe is perfected!
© 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
Mission Makgeolli – Definitive Recipes
Makgeolli (막걸리) and the closely related dongdongju (동동주) are Korean rice wines which are fairly easy to make. Such rice based fermented alcohols are common across Asia and in the case of makgeolli and dongdongju are the first fruits of a process which if continued and elaborated upon, leads to drinks such as saki. Unlike saki, which looks like water, makgeolli and dongdongju are of a milky appearance often with rice floating in the drink and sediment which necessitates it being stirred or shaken before serving. Dongdongju, often called nongju because of its association with farmers (농), is basically the same recipe as makgeolli but with an additional step in the process. I shall henceforth use the term ‘makgeolli’ when referring to the brewing process of both drinks.
straining the wine through a muslin bag
Originally, makgeolli was a rural alcohol, a sort of home brew and until recently you could neither buy it in cans or cartons as the fermentation was ongoing. Commercial methods have now established the drink in cities where it has gained a somewhat ‘trendy’ image being combined with pulped fruit, yogurt and Chilsung Cider (Seven Up or Sprite). Some companies have also started producing a ‘well being’ variation which uses schisandra (五味子). There is now a wide range of available brands and although makgeolli is naturally ‘bubbly,’ some versions are carbonated – probably as they are boiled to kill the fermentation process and hence lose their natural ‘gassy’ quality.
On parade
Served while still fermenting, it is has the quality of an alcoholic ice cream soda, being both light and creamy, a little like medieval syllabub. The recipe below is still being adjusted but it produces a brew that my Korean friends are happy to drink and if undiluted, is quite potent. Sugar and water, or sprite can always be added to adjust the drink to your own specific preference.
Is it Beer or a Wine?
Perhaps the best method of classification is based on alcohol by volume (ABV). If the brew is in excess of 10% ABV, then it is a ‘wine’, if under 10% ABV it is closer to a beer. Under this classification commercial makgeolli, which is usually 5-7% ABV, would be a ‘beer.’ On the other hand, Japanese Saki, traditionally containing about 16% ABV, is a wine.
For more information on makgeolli click here: (pages: Mister Makgeolli).
©努江虎 – 노강호 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Mission Makgeolli – Brewing Batches 6-7
makgeolli, rice wine, batches 2-5
I’ve been searching for a Korean rice wine (makgeolli / dong dong-ju) recipe for over ten years and it’s only been in the last two years that information has begun to surface on the internet. You can sink this unique Korean drink with as much ease as glass of milk, especially when the weather is hot or you are thirsty and it is often an accompaniment taken on hikes up the mountain or wherever there is likely to be some physical exertion.
The popular 'well-being' schisandra makgeolli. (오미자 막걸리)
Several of my friends told me it would be difficult to brew either makgeolli (막걸리) or dong dong-ju (동동주) but after one failed attempt, the failure caused by too warm an environment for the mash, a successful batch emerged. Though it was a little weak, it was perfectly enjoyable. My next five batches significantly increased in size but ended up being rather bitter. I could have added a lot more sugar to compensate but didn’t and three weeks later, they are still fermenting. I blended these five batches together and while they are certainly stronger than a strong wine (14%), they are not as potent as soju (around 20%) so I reckon the kick is about 16-17%. I made batches of both makgeolli and dong dong-ju though to be honest there seemed to be little difference between them and I ended up mixing both types.
The nu-ruk (누룩) after being 'pounded' in the blender
The recipe below is based on my sixth batch (11th December 2011) though I suspect I might have to reduce the amount of wheat yeast to curb a tendency towards bitterness and sourness.
I am not yet fully sure what nu-rook yeast (누룩) is though I do have a Korean recipe for it. Some sources define it as wheat yeast, others as blend of wheat and barley yeast. I do have a makgeolli recipe that uses wheat and barley grains along with the rice, boiling them together and simply adding standard yeast to make the mash. This I will try in the future. If you are in Korea, you can buy nu-rook in markets – I’ve not yet found it in any super-markets.
the 'inoculate' puree comprising nu-ruk (누룩) and yeast (효모)
I’ve discovered the yeast that looks like small seeds, as opposed fine powder, is not effective. Stick to very fine yeast, preferably dried.
Sources I researched varied in the temperatures they recommended in which to sit the mash. My first batch, perched on top of a rice cooker, was too warm and the mash failed to initialise and by the third day a mold contaminant had spoiled the batch. The next five batches sat in a warm corner of my room with the ondol floor heating on for around five days. The room temperature was around 27 degrees centigrade and uncomfortable but jars were very active. I’ve subsequently found that fermentation will occur at 20 degrees (centigrade) and even at ten it continues.
batch 6, technically dong dong ju as it uses glutinous rice, about to be 'bottled'
Most of my sources suggest leaving the mash to ferment for 3 days to a week before filtering it. They also said to bottle the final alcohol but since I’ve had two bottles come close to exploding, I’ve used a large plastic screw jar, which probably hold a gallon and I’ve left the top loosely screwed in place. It is quite amazing the amount of gas that occurs during fermentation. One source said not to open bottles for two weeks! One of my bottles exploded like a champagne bottle after only 9 hours, so be cautious! I have recently started punching a small hole in the tops of the plastic bottles I store rice wine. (Ten years ago, before you could buy canned or bottled rice wine in which the fermentation process had been terminated by boiling and subsequently, often carbonated, the plastic bottles in which you bought the wine had a small hole in the cap).
straining the wine through a muslin bag
Make sure all utensils are boiled or washed in the sort of solution with which you sterilise a baby’s feeding bottle. I also swish out the jar with some soju or vodka prior to filling it with the mash.
The most tiresome part of the entire process is washing the rice. I’ve discovered using a plastic ‘muslin’ bag, or a muslin bag makes this process much easier.
the bottled dong dong-ju, ready to drink
Ingredients used for batches 6 and 7 (seven is in brackets and although seemingly of smaller proportions, I used a standard size cup rather than a rice type cup – the standard size cup probably contains twice the content))
Glutinous rice (찹쌀) 5 cups (3) Glutinous rice for dong dong-ju (동동주)
or standard rice (햅쌀) 5 cups (3) Standard rice for makgeolli (만널리)
Water 2 liters spring water (2)
Wheat Yeast (누룩) 1 cup (.5)
Yeast (효모) 1 teaspoon (.5 teaspoon)
Sugar, honey or corn syrup (물엿) as required
Equipment
rice cooker, large glass container, large rubber band, boiled cloth which can cover jar, muslin.
Wash the rice 20-30 times – until the water in which you swish it remains clear.
Let the rice stand in water for 30 mins after which give it a final rinse and drain. Be careful not to rub the rice too much between the palms as it will start to grind. Add 1.5 cups of water for every cup of rice and then cook this in the rice cooker. (other methods can be used – pot boiling, steaming, etc.)
When the rice is cooked let it stand for several hours before turning off the rice cooker to let it cool.
In a sterilised bowl and the ground nu-rook and yeast and mix it with a little warm water until it is a paste. Do not be tempted to do this in a blender as it might explode.
Put the rice into the glass jar and add about 1 liter of water. Mix the ingredients before adding the blended yeast inoculate and then mix together.
You should now put a sterilised cloth over the jar and secure it with an elastic band.
Stir the mixture once in the morning and in the evening being sure to do so with a sterilised ladle.
You will know if the mash as initialised as you will both see rice particles floating up and down in the jar and see and hear the exchange of gases. From the third day, though I might possibly wait until the fifth, you can pour the mash into a sterilised muslin bag and then proceed to squeeze liquid out of the rice into a storage vessel. Sugar, or corn syrup etc, can be added at this stage and the brew diluted to taste with spring water. In batches 6 and 7 I used about a liter of water. Both types of rice wine are commercially sold at about 5% alcohol and supposedly the undiluted brew from this recipe is around 16%. At an estimate it is probably about 7% if diluted with a liter of water.
It is often mixed with Sprite or Chilsung Cider and also drinking yogurt and this is especially useful if the brew is a little bitter or sour.
Fermentation will continue after this process but the brew is now ready to drink but give the contents a stir or shake before pouring.
NOTES ON BATCH 6 (removed from fermentation jar on December 16th after 6 days at around 22 degrees centigrade). As I mentioned earlier, I added 1 liter of spring water to the wine and about half a cup of corn syrup. There is only a touch of sourness with no bitterness. This is the best batch I’ve made so far in terms of balance.
Batch 7, prepared on December 16th, uses slightly less yeast – update to follow.
batch 7 at the start of fermentation
I have used several sources in the quest for the best recipe but I am indebted to Max from Zedomax.com. This was the first decent recipe I found and without his help I’d still be floundering. Cheers, Max!
For my perfected recipe on making makgeolli, visit: Makgeolli Mania at Kimchi Gone Fusion
©박민수 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Related articles
- Mission Makgeolli (elwood5566.net)
Kimchi Potato Croquettes – My Recipes
delicious!
A local Japanese restaurant I use makes the most excellent potato croquettes and as cabbage and potato work well together, I tried combining them. The results were excellent and I ate far more than I should have done.
INGREDIENTS
•Potato (approx 5 medium sized)
•kimchi (finely chopped) 1 cup
•1 onion (diced finely)
•minari (미나리-though parsley would make an ideal substitute) Chopped.
•1 tablespoon of sugar
•1 tablespoon of soy sauce
•1 egg (beaten in a bowl)
•plain flour (in a bowl)
•breadcrumbs (in a bowl)
•oil for deep frying
Optional Fillings
•Mozzarella, Brie, ham etc, even that pseudo Korean stretchy cheese
the assembled ‘balls’
METHOD
1. Boil the potatoes until cooked and then mash them over a low heat to remove moisture.
2. To the potato add the kimchi, onion, minari, sugar and soy sauce and mix together.
3. Arrange, in order, the mixture, and bowls of flour, egg and breadcrumbs
4. Taking the mixture, fashion it into a ball a little larger than a golf ball. At this stage you can insert a cube of cheese into its center. Place each ‘ball’ on a plate until you have as many as you need.
6. Take each ball and and coat first with flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Place on a plate and complete the process with all ‘balls.’
7. Heat the oil until it is suitable for deep frying.
8. Carefully place the ‘balls’ into the oil and fry until golden brown when you can remove them onto greaseproof paper and continue with the next batch.
with a drizzle of sauce and salad
OBSERVATIONS
Mashing the potato over a low heat is crucial as removing any excess liquid stops the potato ‘balls’ falling apart.
VARIATIONS
I have also added 1 tablespoon of mushroom wine at stage 2
SERVING
Kimchi potato croquettes make an excellent snack or side dish but can easily constitute a lunch. I’ve eaten them cold and they are delicious but you can’t beat them straight from the fryer, hot and crispy. A suitable sauce, used in Japan and Korea is “Bulldog’ which is a brown sauce made with Worcester sauce. A drizzle of Terriyaki, Worcester Sauce or other brown-type sauces would be ideal but this is a matter of taste.
©Bathhouse Ballads – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
Kimchi Bubble and Squeak – Fusion Kimchi
Bubble and Squeak was a favourite dinner when I was a boy and was one of those meals in which you could use various leftovers. It is an English food that along with most other typically English meals, toad in the hole, faggots, mince and onions, etc, you rarely find in a restaurant.
Here is a recipe for bubble and squeak using kimchi. As always the recipe is a template and I have provided some ideas for variations.
kimchi bubble and squeak (recipe link)
INGREDIENTS
•1 pound of potatoes
•salt and pepper
•1 cup of chopped kimchi
•water
•oil (lard)
•1 onion – chopped
METHOD
1. Boil the potatoes for 25 minutes, drain and mash (butter, milk, cream etc, can be added). Of course using left over potatoes is perfect. Add salt and pepper.
2. Mix the kimchi and mashed potatoes.
3. Fry the onion in a little oil in a heavy frying pan
4. Add the potato and kimchi mix to the pan and press down until it is like a cake – cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the Pan onto a plate keeping the shape as much as possible. Make sure to scrape out the frazzled and burstled bits from the bottom of the frying pan. Re-oil the pan, heat, and put contents back in the pan, this time, upside down. Cook for 15 minutes.
6. Serve with an egg and/or bacon, sausages and or or with tomato, brown or Worcestershire Sauce. How about some cheese sprinkled on top or simply a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a little sesame oil. Just use your imagination.
OBSERVATIONS
My mother and grandmother never patted it down but just cooked it in the pan turning it every five minutes or so and scraping the frazzled bits, folding them into the mixture. It is the frazzled potato and cabbage which are the most enjoyable.
VARIATIONS
Bacon is a great addition at stage 3.
For a full fat version use lard in the frying process and add milk or cream and butter to the potato at stage 1.
©Amongst Other Things – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
Usually Cabbage (but whatever) Bean Paste Soup (배추 된장국)
Chinese leaf bean paste soup – surprisingly delicious and healthy
Key Features: a healthy side dish, breakfast or lunch, adaptable, which is chilli and kimchi free. It also contains no oil.
Ten years ago there was a big fad in the UK for a miracle diet known as ‘The Cabbage Soup Diet.’ I actually lost over 17 pounds in 10 days but as far as diets go it was doomed to failure. The first week, as your body lost water, your weight correspondingly plummeted. However, after a week or so, the rapid reduction leveled out and with it the realization that while the grim regime was bearable if the pounds fell off, it was torture if they didn’t.
The diet revolved around the most disgusting concoction you could possibly make with decent ingredients: cabbage, onion, tinned tomato, green pepper, celery and a stock cube. For the first three days the soup was consumed for every meal and you could enjoy as much of it as you liked. It was so gross I would liquidize it and drink a pint of it in a few gulps. The smell and taste were nauseous and so it was taken like a medicine. By the third evening, you could eat a jacket potato and a knob of butter the size of which wasn’t stipulated – hence it tended to be large. The cabbage soup destroyed any pleasure in eating and guaranteed failure was not only terminal, but when real food could be accessed it would be consumed with a vengeance.
Bean paste soup with Chinese leaf cabbage (Napa) is a Korean classic and probably contains only slightly more calories than the infamous and ghastly diet soup. It is however, infinitely tastier. As you will see in the ‘alternatives’ section, cabbage can be substituted by with other items.
I know many people are put-off Korean food because they think everything is spicy or contains kimchi. This is one of the myths surrounding Korean cuisine, the greatest of which is the myth that Korean regularly eat dog. Here is an example of a Korean soup which uses neither kimchi nor any form of chilli. While it might not qualify for Westerners as dinner, served with rice, side dishes or even alone, it is an excellent breakfast or lunch. It often accompanies other meals as a side dish where it is shared.
There are countless variations on this soup. Using this basic recipe, I often use chopped pork or cubes of tofu. Similarly, you can also add chilli. The shepherd’s purse can also be omitted.
MY DEFINITIVE RECIPE
1 cup = 180ml. T=tablespoon (15ml), d=dessert spoon (10ml) t=teaspoon (5ml)
This recipe is ideal for one, or as a side dish – double ingredients for each additional person
SHOPPING LIST
1 cube (4 cloves) of crushed garlic.
Half a medium onion or leek
0.5t of dashida (다시다) or a stock cube
1,5 T of bean paste (됀장)
1 cup of Chinese cabbage leaves, previously blanched outer leaves are good.
Shepherd’s purse (냉이) about a third of a cup.
3-4 cups of water
1T flour or rice flour (optional)
See also suggested accompaniments at the bottom of the page.
EQUIPMENT
Ideally as an earthenware pot or ‘ttukbeki’ (뚝배기) or a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
RECIPE
In a heavy bottomed pot or Korean earthenware ‘ttukbeki,’ place:
1. 3 cups of water and all other ingredients. (7 ingredients)
2. Bring to a hard boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a simmer for a further twenty minutes.
3. Optional – mix the flour in a little cold water and add to the soup. Stir for two minutes and serve.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with an accompanying bowl of rice and side dishes. It can also be served as a side dish with other dishes.
ONGOING NOTES:Try using a small amount of pork, or diced tofu. You can also substitute cabbage spinach, crown daisy, chrysanthemum (쑥갓 ), burdock leaf (우엉) or mugwort (쑥).
© 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
Kimchi Omelette – Fusion Kimchi
Key Features: easy and quick to cook, adaptable, Korean fusion, snack or fusion side dish
I’m constantly on a diet and freeze anything I might be tempted to eat when feeling peckish. So, one evening, feeling a little hungry I looked in the fridge to see what items might possibly make a quick snack. Five different pots of kimchi and a couple of eggs were all that confronted me.
So, I whisked two eggs and then added some chopped kimchi. The result was quite delicious.
MY RECIPE
1 cup = 180ml. T=tablespoon (15ml), d=dessert spoon (10ml) t=teaspoon (5ml)
This recipe is ideal for one – double ingredients for each additional person
SHOPPING LIST
2 eggs beaten in a bowl
Half a cup of finely chopped kimchi
1t of sesame oil.
1t of sesame seeds
a little ordinary oil – just enough to stop the egg sticking to the pan
See variations and suggestions at the end of the recipe.
EQUIPMENT
Frying pan and bowl
RECIPE
1. Fry the chopped kimchi for a few minutes in a little ordinary oil.
2. Fold kimchi into the beaten egg
3. Put the mixture back in the frying pan
4. Drizzle a little sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds just before turning the omelette.
Serve with a little tomato sauce or whatever takes your fancy.
kimchi omelette
©Amongst Other Things – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
Bratwürst and Kimchi – Fusion Kimchi
My local E-Mart has started selling quite decent German bratwürst and I recently tried them with kimchi. Well, bratwürst and sauerkraut is a common combination so I was thinking a spiced up version should be quite tasty. They worked well together and were okay with mustard but personally, they worked better along with a little potato salad. My kimchi is on the spicy side and the mayonnaise in the salad offsets this.
kimchi and bratwürst
©Amongst Other Things – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.
More on Cabbage Kimchi – Some Guidelines
‘decanted’ after over two months and deliciously sour
This post was originally published in February 2011 and is now updated.
I am now quite proud of my cabbage kimchi, a skill which has taken me about ten years to get right. One reason why it takes a long time to make decent kimchi is that you have to develop a sense of what constitutes a good kimchi and an awareness of kimchi at different stages of fermentation. Unless you have a cultivated appreciation of what Kimchi is, and by that I mean an awareness of kimchi that a Korean would enjoy and not what you personally think it should taste like, your kimchi will never be authentic. The subtleties of kimchi are as intricate and extensive as wine or Indian curry and an appreciation is important if you are to use a recipe to guide you.
There exist many recipes for cabbage kimchi, regional, personal and for accompanying certain meals; bo-ssam (boiled, sliced pork, 보쌈) for example, uses a special type of kimchi. I am concerned here with the standard type of kimchi that accompanies the majority of Korean foods and which can be divided into two categories, fresh and sour. There is of course, a range of flavours in between these extremes. Many Koreans have a preference for one or the other and foods which use kimchi as a major constituent, as for example with kimchi stew (김치 찌개 or 김치찜), suit one or the other.
scary yes, but tasty
I’m told by Korean friends that big cabbages are not the best to use and that medium sized ones, which compared to Britain are enormous, are the most suitable. The outer leaves are trimmed and unless damaged these shouldn’t be thrown away as they can be used in other recipes.
One of the most persistent problems I faced was the most crucial; namely getting the salting process right. Even cook books sometimes overlook what is a seemingly simple procedure. When the prepared cabbages are ready to paste with your kimchi paste mix, they should resemble a dishcloth by which I mean they should be floppy and it should be possible to wring them without them tearing. If you get your kimchi paste wrong you can always adjust it. Even if you subsequently discover your kimchi is too salty it will mellow as it ferments but should the kimchi fail to wilt properly it will not be easily rescued.
Many recipes gloss over the salting process and only this week I read Jennifer Barclay’s book, Meeting Mr Kim (Summersdale, 1988). The book is an interesting account of life in Korea and not a cookbook, but her kimchi recipe, and she is not alone, simply directed you to soak the cabbages in salted water. If as recipe does not explain the salting process in some detail, tread with caution! I once used an entire big bag of table salt in which I soaked the cabbages for several days and they still failed to wilt effectively. The salting process is actually simple if you use a coarse type of salt (such as sea salt or if in Korea 굵은 소금)) and sprinkled between the leaves is all that is required to wilt the leaves in several hours, depending on room temperature. When I make kimchi in the UK, I am forced to use cabbages which are almost white in colour, very stemmy, and which are too small to quarter but even these wilt if treated properly. After salting the washed and wet cabbages they can be placed in a bowl or sink, sprinkled with extra salt and a few cups of extra water and left. Immersing them in water isn’t necessary. In hot weather the wilting process is much quicker. You should notice the cabbages almost half in volume and soon become limp, floppy and wringable.
Bo-ssam (보쌈) uses a different type of kimchi
Like rice, traditionally, Koreans rinse the cabbage three times. I have learnt it is much better to rinse them thoroughly, perhaps removing too much salt but this can always be remedied later. However, if you use the correct ammount of salt and don’t sprinkle excess on, three rinses are adequate. You can feel where salt residue remains as the stems are slimy and you can remove these by simply rubbing your fingers over them.
Salty kimchi will mellow with fermentation, it is probably better for it to be not salty enough than too salty, especially given the concerns over salt and blood pressure. One hint Mangchi suggests is adding some thin slices of mooli (무) if it is overly salty.
A good kimchi paste will cling to the leaves like a sauce so it is prudent to drain the segments and even wring water out and this will prevent your kimchi becoming watery as the cabbages ferment.
Pork kimchi stew (김치씸) – works just as well with mackerel
Plenty of recipes, online and in books, will guide you through making the paste but my all time favourite is Maangchi. Her website is enormous and her videos on Korean cooking are well presented. Here you will also find other ways to use kimchi as well as many other types of kimchi, cabbage and otherwise.
British friends who have since become lovers of kimchi often ask me how long it will keep. I tend to keep kimchi in the refrigerator in hot weather and somewhere cold, but not freezing, in winter. If you like kimchi fresh (newly made,) keeping it cool or cold will delay fermentation. If you like it sour then you can use a warm place to speed up the process. I tend to juggle things in order to better control fermentation. I made my last batch of kimchi in November and the tub in which it is stored has stood on my balcony almost 6 months. I have now moved it to the bottom of my fridge to mellow indefinitely. I have used kimchi that was over 6 months old and which had white mold on the top but this washed off and the underlying cabbage was excellent as the basis for a stew.
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Elwood 5566 
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