Euija Kim, from Korea, shows how to make kimchi.
Euija Kim and her family have been living in New Zealand since 1985 and were involved in deer velvet exports.
Korean kimchi, pungent pickled or fermented cabbage or other vegetable, has an ancient lineage.
Versions have been made for perhaps 3000 years and it is still eaten at almost every Korean meal.
There are many versions of kimchi, according to Euija. They vary from region to region, season to season and family to family. Some use different types of fermented fish, some include daikon radish or other vegetables with the cabbage. Since chillies were introduced from the Americas in the 17th century, they have been included as well.
In Korea they have special fridges for storing kimchi, but in the past it was stored in earthenware jars buried in the ground. In autumn, women would get together and prepare large amounts of kimchi to last several families over winter.
Smaller amounts were made in spring and summer. Now many people buy it, she says.
This is a simple recipe for kimchi that can be eaten fresh and will ripen in the fridge for about a week.
- Charmian Smith
2 long Chinese cabbages
1 cup salt
1 1/2 Tbsp glutinous rice powder
1 cup water
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 Asian pear (nashi) or 1 apple
1 bulb garlic, cloves peeled and crushed or 1 Tbsp prepared garlic
1 cup hot chilli powder, preferably Korean
1 cup fish sauce
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp raw sugar
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Cut the cabbages lengthways into quarters. If the centre stem is thick and woody, cut it out.
Slice the cabbage quarters crossways into 3-4cm slices. Wash and drain the cabbage well.
Put layers of cabbage in a bowl, sprinkling salt between. Toss to make sure it is well distributed. Leave for 10-20 minutes to soften, tossing with your hands from time to time. It will soften and lose water.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Dissolve the glutinous rice powder in a cup of water, whisk and heat until it becomes a smooth, thick paste.
Allow to cool.
Chop an onion roughly and process until it becomes a paste. Peel and core half a large nashi pear or an apple, chop roughly and process. If using fresh garlic, process it too.
Add chilli powder, fish sauce, prepared garlic if using, raw sugar, toasted sesame seeds and spring onions. Add the cooled rice starch and mix well.
By now the cabbage should be limp and water will have gathered in the bottom of the bowl. Rinse the cabbage and taste. It should still be slightly crunchy and salty. Drain the cabbage well.
Put it in a glass or stainless steel bowl and add the sauce bit by bit, tossing it well to distribute it. You may not need all the sauce - the rest can be frozen.
This kimchi can be eaten fresh or left to ripen for about a week when it will become more flavourful. After that, if you still have some left, it's best to freeze it so it doesn't over-ripen and taste bad.
- Thanks to Afife Harris and Mama Mia Pizza.
TIPS
- In Korea there is a choice of Asian cabbages but here there is little choice. You could also make kimchi with European cabbage or other vegetables such as cucumber, garlic chives or broccoli.
- In traditional kimchi, the cabbage quarters are kept whole and the salt and later the sauce carefully layered between the leaves, along with grated daikon.
- Euija Kim chops spring onions and freezes them so they are ready to use.
- In Korea there are several different types of fish sauce, but here only South East Asian fish sauce is available.
- She wears a plastic glove to protect her hand from the chilli and salt when mixing the cabbage and sauce.
