Korean kimchi is famous worldwide and is one of the main ingredients for Koreans. Korean kimchi is a fermented food primarily made from vegetables, with fruits, seafood, and meat used as additional ingredients. Korean kimchi is delicious and refreshing, with a rich content of lactic acid bacteria and high nutritional value.
How to Make Korean Kimchi
Ingredients Preparation
1 Chinese cabbage, 2 oz glutinous rice flour, 4 oz chili powder, water as needed, salt for pickling as needed, 150 ml fish sauce, minced garlic from 7 cloves, minced ginger as needed, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 apple.
Method Steps
1. Split the cabbage in half and evenly sprinkle pickling salt on the cabbage and its crevices.
2. Add warm water around 40 degrees Celsius, enough to cover the cabbage, and press it down with a weight. Let it pickle overnight.
3. After pickling, rinse off the salt. Taste it, and if it's too salty, rinse again.
4. Mix glutinous rice flour and water at a ratio of 1:2 in a pot and cook while stirring continuously. As the rice paste thickens, add more water and continue cooking over low heat.
5. After about three to four minutes, turn off the heat and let it cool.
6. Add the chili powder to the cooled glutinous rice paste, then mix in the fish sauce, minced ginger, minced garlic, and onion strips.
7. Grate the apple into thin strips, add an appropriate amount of sugar, and mix it into the seasoning mixture. Let it sit for five minutes.
8. Place the drained cabbage on a plate and use disposable gloves to evenly apply the seasoning to each leaf.
9. Store in a sealed jar for about a day before eating.
The Most Authentic Method of Making Korean Kimchi
Ingredients Preparation
750g round cabbage, 25g carrot, 50g green pepper, 100g apple, 20g onion, 30g leek, 40g garlic, 30g fine chili powder, 30g sugar, 5g coarse chili powder, 5g MSG, 35g flour, 25g minced ginger, 5g salt, 30g white vinegar, 20g fish sauce.
Method Steps
1. Clean the round cabbage and tear it into large pieces. Cut the carrot and green pepper into strips, then sprinkle with salt and let it pickle for about two hours.
2. Wash the leek and cut it into segments about one and a half inches long.
3. In a pot, mix the flour with an appropriate amount of water and stir well. Heat until a thick paste forms.
4. Stir both the coarse and fine chili powders into the paste.
5. While hot, add MSG and sugar and mix well.
6. Add rice vinegar and fish sauce, stirring evenly.
7. Add a small amount of salt and mix well.
8. Put the garlic and onion in a food processor and blend until smooth. Remove and set aside. Blend the ginger with a little mineral water until smooth.
9. Pour the blended garlic, onion, and ginger into the chili paste and mix well.
10. Chop the apple into small pieces, blend it in the food processor, and mix it into the chili paste.
11. Mix the prepared leek segments into the paste.
12. After pickling the round cabbage for two hours, drain off the brine and rinse it clean. Mix the prepared chili paste mixture with the cabbage.
13. Transfer the mixed cabbage into a sealable bag, squeeze out the air, and leave at room temperature for two hours before refrigerating. It can be eaten after 24 hours.
Nutritional Benefits of Korean Kimchi
Nutritional Value
Matured kimchi contains around one hundred million lactic acid bacteria per gram, reaching up to four times that of the same weight of lactic acid. Lactic acid bacteria are not only beneficial for the gut but also give kimchi antibacterial properties. Kimchi is also rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other inorganic substances. The fiber in kimchi helps food and digestive enzymes blend well, promoting digestion and absorption. It is effective in preventing constipation and colorectal cancer.