Passport & Plate - Mat Kimchi

setfire — Fri, 6 Mar 2015 11:11:16 GMT

Ingredients
Main Ingredients:

• 1 head of Korean Napa cabbage, sliced
• 8 cups water
• 1¼ cup Korean coarse sea salt
• 1 bunch spring onion, roughly chopped

For the seafood stock:
• 5-6 dried anchovies
• 3-4 dried shrimps
• 3-4 dried scallops
• 1 tsp of bonito stock powder
• 2 cups water

For the Kimchi Marinate:
• ½ onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 small knob of ginger, diced
• 1 Asian pear, peeled and diced
• ? cup cooked white rice
• ? cup Korean chili flakes
• 3 tablespoon Korean anchovy sauce/ Asian fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon salted shrimp
• 2 tablespoon sugar

How to prepare this recipe
1. Dissolve sea salt with the water in a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced cabbage and mix.

2. Soak the cabbage for 1 hour in the salt solution, ensuring that the cabbage is fully submerged. Mix again and let it soak for another hour until the cabbage are limp.

3. Seafood stock: Combine anchovies, dried shrimp and scallops in the water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then add in the bonito powder. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Let it cool and strain the stock. Reserve 1 cup.

4. Rinse the cabbage thrice and drain well.

5. Kimchi marinade: Add onion, garlic, ginger, Asian pear, and rice in a blender. Add the seafood stock and puree until smooth. Transfer the puree into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the marinade ingredients, then mix well. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so the chili flakes will absorb the moisture.

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage and spring onion. Add the kimchi marinade first and mix well.

7. Taste your kimchi and adjust the seasoning by adding more anchovy sauce, fish sauce or salt. It should taste a bit saltier than to your liking. Transfer your kimchi into a glass container.

8. For kimchi eaten alone, let it sit in room temperature for about 8 hours. For kimchi used in stews, let it sit in room temperature for at about a day. Store the kimchi in the refrigerator and consume within the next 2-3 months.

The story behind this recipe
0
To be frank, I’m embarrassed to reveal how this started. It was a period of adolescence, and I was easy prey to the K-pop culture. Yes - boyband idols, fantasizing and the like. And what better way to feel closer to your idols than to have their cuisine. If oppa loves kimchi, count me in.

I had to admit though; it wasn’t pleasant the first few times I tried.

1
You graduate from high school, and suddenly the future seems brimming with possibilities. South Korea was my first overseas trip, sans chaperone. My parents thought I wasn’t serious about the graduation trip, but no - I had been waiting for this. It was also the first time I had kimchi in its birthplace nation.

Back then, I don’t recall much about the Kimchi, except it tasting a lot like freedom.

2
My second trip to Korea happened after my sophomore year of college. Having ended the school year with chock-full of fun and a dash of heartbreak (a little is good for you), my acceptance into all-expense paid conference in Seoul was the cherry on top.

It was then that I was exposed to an endless variety of kimchi. Was it the start of my kimchi curiosity then?

3
Third time lucky, they say. Right before college graduation, I found myself back in Korea. While high school graduation saw optimism, college graduation had its own brand of sobriety. Amidst the apprehension of beginning adult life, I had gained clarity about what I wanted to do in life – and that it involves food.

By then, I was no stranger to the taste of kimchi. Serendipitously, I had found a life changing kimchi, sitting unpretentiously in an earthen pot in a samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) shop. It was a beautiful harmony of flavours – the sour and spicy tones hit your senses at first, and then pave the way for the subtle sweetness of Napa cabbage. Interestingly, there was a tinge of umami that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Even after returning home, my cravings for kimchi never ceased. I knew I had to start making my own.

S(e)oul Searching: Third time lucky

Passport & Plate - Mat Kimchi