Kimchi – Korean delight

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 Chinese cabbage
• ½ radish(s)
• 3 spring onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 pieces ginger root, walnut-sized
• n. B. Salt, approx. 300 – 400 g
• 15 g sugar
• 2 tbsp glutinous rice flour
• 2 tbsp chili powder, Korean
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (alternatively no fish sauce if it should be vegan)
• 200 ml water
• sesame

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest period approx. 28 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 28 days 50 minutes

fermented cabbage vegetables

Cut the Chinese cabbage at the stalk and carefully tear it apart with your hands to create two halves. Fan out the individual cabbage layers, sprinkle each layer generously with salt, and set the salted cabbage aside in a bowl for about 3 hours. Note from the Chefkoch.de recipe editor: You probably won’t need the entire amount of salt. Similar recipes use between 50g and 150g. For the kimchi paste, roughly dice the ginger and garlic. Cut the peeled radish and spring onions into thin, approximately 4cm-long strips. In a saucepan, combine the glutinous rice flour with 200ml of cold water. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously, for at least 5 minutes until the liquid becomes translucent. Then simmer for a moment longer and remove the pan from the heat. Once the paste has cooled, stir in the chili powder, fish sauce, and a pinch of sugar. Add the ginger and garlic and puree using a hand blender until smooth. Taste everything carefully and season with more fish sauce if necessary. Next, stir in the finely chopped spring onions and radish. Thoroughly rinse the salt out of the softened Chinese cabbage and carefully spread the kimchi paste between the individual layers of cabbage. Because of its spiciness, it is recommended to wear gloves when doing this. Wrap the cabbage, place it in an airtight container and press down firmly to allow the oxygen to escape. Fill the container to the brim with the paste and seal it. Let the container stand for 1 to 2 days at room temperature to start the fermentation and then refrigerate it for at least 1 week. However, it is best to let the kimchi rest for four weeks. Cut the finished kimchi into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve in small bowls.