Kimchi Preparation
Over the last few years I got into fermentation and I’ve always been on the lookout to try different kimchi (김치) recipes that do not contain any fish due to my allergies with seafood. This has been challenging, and then you end up with a ton of kimchi that isn’t quite to your taste.
After trying a few recipes, I’ve come to find what works for me.
What ended up working the best for me has been buying the finest ground gochugaru (고추가루), which is ground hot pepper powder. The gochugaru gives kimchi its red colour. Once I open a bag of gochugaru, I keep it in the freezer to keep it fresher for longer, and so I can easily use it for other Korean recipes.
When I make kimchi, I wilt my Napa cabbage with salt and keep massaging it. Closer to when it’s the right texture, I then begin making a paste. I tend to prefer to make a paste with the gochugaru, along with some garlic, ginger, sugar, a splash of soy sauce, along with some miso paste for some added salt, since I am not adding any fish sauce/shrimp paste.
Next time I might experiment and try to add doenjang (된장) in lieu of the miso since like miso, it’s a fermented soy bean paste. Both are pre-fermented, so it’ll help ferment the kimchi along with adding a nice level of salt.
Definitely check out Maangchi for her Korean recipes and even her kimchi!