8.205

29 (Sat) July 2017

Mom’s Kimchi

4.0

by Mom

at their home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul-

with the family, Mom and Dad

Spent the past few days in Tokyo and beyond to oversee various preparations in advance of the upcoming Third Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health in August (see lastly 8.202 Clam and Spicy Soft Tofu).  Stopping by Korea for a few days on the way back.

1. Add salt to lukewarm water.

2. Stir to dissolve.

3. Immerse half-head of napa cabbage in salt water.

4. Toss salt in between cabbages leaves.

5. Let sit to allow cabbage leaves to wilt.

6. Prepare pickling paste (primarily ground red chili, garlic, fish sauce, shrimp paste, sugar)

7. Add kimchi sauce to stuffing mix (primarily shredded onion, scallion, buchu, carrot, radish)

8. Mix.

9. Add sauce-stuffing mixture between cabbage leaves.

10. Fold into bundle.

11. Let sit overnight to ferment.

I had experimented a bit last year with making kimchi (see most recently 7.166 White Cabbage Kimchi), but that was more of a quick-fix mak kimchi, which involves chopping everything up and mixing it all together, not the more traditional poggi form, which involves layering the ingredients within the layered leaves of a whole head of cabbage.

At last, Mom showed me the technique for her kimchi.  Unfortunately, as with all Korean women, she eyeballs amounts – “Just add about this much…” – so I’ll have to adapt my mak kimchi recipe from before.

I’ll say it again: my mother’s kimch is the best kimchi in history, objectively (see 5.070 Mom’s Kimchi…).