Baechu kimchi

When most people think of Korean food, they think of kimchi, Korea's staple side dish which, along with rice, accompanies almost every meal. Although it is an acquired taste, many long-term foreigners also find themselves missing the flavor of kimchi if they have too many meals without it. While many Korean dishes are unfamiliar at first, they are not really that different from some Western foods

Kimchi is one of most distinctive parts of Korean cuisine, and the pickled and fermented vegetables are eaten at almost every meal. There are hundreds of different kinds of kimchi that are both spicy and mild and different regions in Korean have their own popular kimchi specialties.
A variety of pickled vegetable dishes can be found in both Asian restaurants and grocery stores. Kimchi, Korea's national dish, comes in many varieties, but the most popular kimchi is spicy pickled cabbage, or baechu kimchi (in Korean). This is a versatile dish, and it can be enjoyed as an appetizer, salad, side dish, filling, stew/soup, stir-fry ingredient and many other ways. It's also vegan/vegetarian, low-cal, low-carb and gluten-free

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 72 hours

Total Time: 72 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 cups of water
• 2 Napa cabbages, washed and cut into 2-inch squares
• 1 cup coarse salt (or kosher or sea salt)
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped ginger
• ½ cup red pepper flakes (kochukaru)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 5 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• fish sauce, optional*

Preparation:

1. Wash the cabbage, then quarter it lengthwise. Discard the stems and any wilted leaves. Put the quartered cabbage in a colander, and rinse it thoroughly to further wash away pesticides, debris and potential insect eggs. Press the leaves in your palms to squeeze as much water out of them as possible. Cut the quarters into 1-inch square pieces, and put the cut cabbage in a food plastic bag or a large dish. Sprinkle 4 oz. coarse sea salt or non-iodized salt over them, toss to coat pieces evenly with salt. Marinate 12 to 14 hours in the fridge. The salt will create a brine solution with the juice of cabbage.

2. Combine the onions, garlic, ginger and carrots in a large bowl and toss well

3.  Remove the marinated cabbage from the fridge and discard the brine. The vegetable should be softer than it was before. Add the cabbage to the bowl of vegetables.

4 Add the sesame seeds, sugar, chili powder, MSG (optional), and the Korean kimchi sauce (optional). Taste and add more chili powder if desired. Chili powder hotness guide for cabbage kimchi: 4 tbsp. - mild; 6 tbsp. - hot; 8 tbsp. - extra spicy.
5 With a covered container, keep the cabbage in the fridge or in a cool-dry room. Let it hibernate, or ferment, for two to three days before serving. Store the unused portion for up to six weeks in the refrigerator.