How to Make Korean Kimchi
the Canadian Way

Kimchi is a popular food in Korea. Most people eat it often & when students come to Canada, they usually do without because not many people here know how to make it. I developed this recipe with some help from my first Korean homestay student.

Ingredients

3 large chinese cabbage
3 large Chinese cabbage, cut in half

coarse sea salt, you need about 3 cups
3 cups coarse sea salt

Korean red pepper
2 ½ to 3 cups red pepper
you need about 3 cups of red pepper

daikon radish
1 large or 2 medium daikon radish, peeled & shredded with medium shredder
shredded daikon radish

3 whole garlic bulbs
3 whole garlic bulbs, peeled & mashed (1 for each cabbage)
using a mortar & pestle, mash the garlic

ginger root
1 ginger root, peeled & mashed (you need 1 part ginger to 5 parts garlic)
ginger root peeled & mashed

1 bunch of green onions
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
cut green onions

pickled baby shrimp
1 jar pickled baby shrimp, you need up to 4 tablespoons
4 tablespoons pickled baby shrimp

Instructions

soft cabbageGently spread leaves of cabbage to put a small amount of salt in between all of the leaves. Place in a large container and cover with water (I use a small rubbermaid storage bin). Sprinkle remainder of the salt over the cabbages. This water should taste like sea water, it's quite salty. Let sit at room temperature 4-5 hours until cabbage is soft. Rinse thoroughly under running water until a small taste of the cabbage is not too salty. Drain well.

Stuffing:

While the cabbage is draining, mix the red pepper with shredded radish and add the mashed garlic, ginger and chopped green onions. Stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons pickled baby shrimp with liquid, depending upon how salty the cabbage & the shrimp is. You don't want the kimchi too salty.
mix the red pepper & shredded daikonadd green onions, garlic & gingerstir in pickled shrimp

this is how the cabbage should look when stuffedTaking a cabbage half, pack a little stuffing in between each leaf until the cabbage is well coated with stuffing. Place in a large container. Repeat with each cabbage half, stacking the halves on top of each other. Cover the container and let sit at room temperature for a full day until it's fermented. When lots of liquid develops in container, place a heavy dish on top of the cabbages to hold them down in the liquid.

When kimchi is ready to eat it should be refrigerated.

The liquid can be used in soups and sauces and in cooking rice. Kimchi is also delicious on a cheese omelette!

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