Kimjang, Making and Sharing Kimchi - EP.03
[Special Online Korean Cuisine Cooking Series]
“Kimjang, Making and Sharing Kimchi with Chef Hooni Kim”
- Episode #3: “Baek Kimchi” -
The Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) is excited to present an online Korean Cuisine Cooking Series “Kimjang, Making and Sharing Kimchi” introducing various Korean kimchi currently popular around the world. Chef Hooni Kim, Owner and Chef of Danji, Meju restaurants, and Little Banchan Shop in New York, will demonstrate how everyone can make kimchi at home with various ingredients with techniques!
As part of the Korean food culture education program, KCCNY is launching 4 episodes that feature easy-to-follow kimchi recipes.
For Episode 3, Chef Hooni Kim shares recipes and tips for the white kimchi. This kimchi is called “white kimchi” because it does not use gochugaru which gives kimchi its red color. Baek Kimchi’s flavor is refreshing and distinct from all the other kimchi in this book due to the absence of the spice. It is an ideal style of kimchi to start with, especially if you are unaccustomed to eating spicy or fermented foods but still want to experience the flavor and health benefits of Korean fermented vegetables.
* Kimjang is an annual preparation and preservation of kimchi in the winter season. Kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish, is a traditional Korean dish that is now enjoyed worldwide. Accompanying almost every meal, kimchi has many variations and forms and is known for its high nutritional value and many scientifically proven health benefits. Regions, temperatures, and other environmental conditions have led to the creation of more than 100 different types of kimchi. The most common types of kimchi served are baechu (napa cabbage) kimchi and kkakdugi (radish) kimchi.
This special cooking series is the third online cooking lecture program following KCCNY's “New Korean Cuisine Made Simple” and “Soul Food: Exploring Korean Street Food.”
Baek Kimchi
(Non-Spicy Napa Cabbage Kimchi)
[RECIPE]
INGREDIENTS
* Makes 2 to 3 quarts
3 pounds Napa cabbage, 1 large head or 2 smaller heads
2 cups coarse salt (*Preferably from the Andes or Himalayan Mountains)
8 cups spring water
MARINADE
1 quart dashima stock or water
½ cup coarse salt
½ cup sugar
1 Korean pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored and quartered
1 small Korean mu radish or daikon
½ medium onion, peeled
FILLING
1 Korean pear or Asian pear, peeled, and cut batons
2 bunch scallion, cut batons
¼ cup anchovy sauce or ½ cup fish sauce
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3-inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons pureed salted shrimp
CLEAN & BRINE
1. Remove any wilted or brown outer leaves on the cabbage and discard.
2. Cut the heads lengthwise in half, leaving the cores attached to hold the leaves together.
3. Use 2 tablespoons of salt to rub on the ⅓ of the cabbage near the core.
4. Take another tablespoon of salt and sprinkle it on the ⅔ leafy side of the cabbage.
5. Repeat with the remaining half of the cabbage(s).
6. Put them in a large container and add just enough water (if spring water is too expensive you can use filtered water) to cover half of the cabbage.
7. Add the rest of the brining mixture so the solution is slightly salty.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
9. Within 2-3 hours, the cabbage should be completely immersed in the liquid brine. If not then remove the cabbage from the container and place it back in so the top layer is now the bottom layer.
10. Leave at room temperature for a total of 10-12 hours.
11. By the end of the brining period, the cabbage leaves should be pliable enough to fold in half on the fat white part of the leaves closer to the root.
12. When they reach this texture, drain the cabbage, rinse all the salt off in cold spring or filtered water, and squeeze out by wringing the leaves in your hands.
13. Put the brined cabbage in a large non-reactive bowl.
PREPARING MARINADE & FILLING
1. Put dashima stock, salt, sugar, Korean pear, radish into a blender and puree until smooth and then filter using a fine strainer.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Prepare the filling by peeling and cutting the Korean pear into matchstick sized pieces and put them in a large bowl.
4. Add the scallions, onion, garlic, ginger, and salted shrimp, and anchovy sauce, and mix well.
MAKING KIMCHI
1. Wearing gloves, grab a handful of the fillings generously onto every leaf of the brined cabbage.
2. Pack it into a lidded container or several, preferably glass mason jars, that you can leave in the fridge for weeks.
3. Once all of the cabbage is in the container(s), pour marinade juice into the container, and close the lid tight and wrap with aluminum foil or place in black plastic bag to block out light and help maintain a constant temperature.
4. Put the kimchi on the bottom shelf in the back corner of the fridge.
**Tips from Chef Hooni Kim**
Taste the kimchi after 10 days. It should have a balanced flavor of sweet, salty, and sour. It will be slightly fizzy. This refreshing kimchi complements rich dishes and should always be served cold. It can be kept in the refrigerator for many months as it ages and the flavors continue to evolve.
BIOS
Chef Hooni Kim
Chef Hooni Kim trained at Daniel and Masa before opening Danji, the first Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in the world. This year he opened Meju, a Korean fermentation restaurant and Little Banchan Shop, a retail Korean ingredient and prepared foods boutique in LIC, NY. Chef Hooni is the author of My Korea: Traditional Flavors Modern Recipes published in 2020 by W.W. Norton. Born in Seoul, he divides his time between New York City and Korea, where he is the founder of Yori Chunsa, a nonprofit that feeds and trains orphans to become cooks.