Korean Side Dish (Radish Water Kimchi)

Dongchimi 동치미

Dongchimi is a variety of kimchi consisting of daikon, baechu (hangul: 배추, Chinese cabbage), scallions, fermented green chili, ginger, bae(hangul 배: Korean pear) and watery brine in Korean cuisine. As the name dong (hangul: 동; hanja: 冬; literally "winter") and chimi (hangul: 치미, an ancient term for kimchi), suggests, this kimchi is traditionally consumed during the winter season.

Dongchimi is fermented like other varieties of kimchi, but its maturing period is relatively short (2-3 days). Although it can be made at any time of the year, it is usually made during the gimjang season. The northern regions consisting of Hamgyeong-do and Pyeongan-do in North Korea are particularly famous for their dongchimi.

The clear and clean taste of the watery dongchimi is used as a soup for making dongchimi guksu (동치미국수 cold noodle soup made withdongchimi) and naengmyeon, or served with tteok or steamed sweet potatoes to balance out the rich flavors.

Radish is the most important ingredient in dongchimi. Red peppers are also used, but dongchimi has a less spicy taste than other types of kimchi. Leaf mustard, garlics, gingers and leeks, as well as other salted ingredients may be included.

Ingredients:

7-8 small palm-sized Korean radishes, about 5 pounds’ worth (2 ½ kg)
⅓ cup salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 ts worth of ginger, minced
2-3 green chili peppers, stemmed
2-3 red chili peppers, washed and stemmed
1 cup worth of Korean pear, cut into chunks (can be replaced with 2 sweet bosc pears)
3 green onions (including the roots), washed and drained
½ cup worth onion, sliced into pieces ¼ inch thick
2 liters (9 cups) of water

Directions:

Salting

1. Wash the radishes in cold water with a sponge to remove any dirt.
2. Put ⅓ cup sea salt or kosher salt in a large and shallow bowl. Roll each radish in salt with your hands to coat evenly.
3. Put the salted radish into the glass jar.
4. Put some green radish leaves on top and add the leftover salt.
5. Close the lid and keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Adding water and spices

1. Wrap ginger and garlic in cheese cloth and tie the ends. Place it inside the jar.
2. Make a few tiny holes in red and green chili peppers with a fork, and add them to the jar.
3. Add the onion, green onions, and pear.
4. Pour in about 2 liters of water (9 cups) and stir the brine mixture with a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the salt.
5. Close the lid and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 days until it ferments. When it ferments, the brine will get a little milky and it will taste a little sour. It will also smell sour and some bubbles will float to the surface. At that point, always store it in the refrigerator and take some out whenever you serve it.

Serve

1. Serve with rice, noodles, steamed sweet potato, steamed potato, or rice cake.
2. Cut one radish into half lengthwise. Slice one of the halves into ⅛ inch thick half-moon shape pieces, or slice it into 1 ½ inch x ½ inch and ½ inch thick strips.
3. Place it in a serving bowl and add the fermented brine
4. Garnish with chopped green leaves, red and green chili pepper.
5. Serve cold, with some ice cubes if you like.

I will eat well!~~ (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Korean Side Dish (White Kimchi)

Baek Kimchi 백김치

Baek kimchi (literally "white kimchi") is a variety of kimchi made without the chili pepper powder commonly used for fermenting kimchi in Korean cuisine. Baek kimchi has a mild and clean flavor, which appeals to children and the elderly, to whom the regular kimchi might be too spicy. Baek kimchi consists of salted baechu (cabbage), mu (radish), minari, spring onions, Korean pear, chestnuts, jujube, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, and a little bit of shredded chili pepper as garnish.

Baek kimchi's mild flavor and crunchy texture makes it a good appetizer when people order main dishes based on beef such as galbi or bulgogi at Korean restaurants. It is also used as a wrap for baek kimchi bossam.

Ingredients:

1 large napa cabbage (3 pounds’ worth)
⅓ cup, 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt
½ pound Korean radish (or daikon) cut into matchsticks
¼ cup carrot, cut into matchsticks
¾ cup buchu (Asian chives), cut into 1 inch pieces
3 jujubes, seeded, cut into thin strips
2 fresh chestnuts, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons pine nuts
½ of red bell pepper (1/3 cup’s worth), cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 medium Korean pear (2 cups’s worth), peeled and cored
4 garlic cloves
½ cup onion
1 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Salt the cabbage:

1. Cut the cabbage in half, then cut a slit through the core 2 inches above the stem, so the leaves are loosened but still attached.
2. Rinse the halves under running water, or soak them in a basin for a few seconds until all the leaves are wet.
3. Put the halves in a large basin and sprinkle 1/3 cup of salt evenly between the leaves. Let them sit for  1½ to 2 hours, turning them over every 20 minutes.
4. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water a couple of times to get rid of any dirt or salt. Split each half under the running water, to divide the cabbage into quarters. Cut out the remainder of the core. Drain and set aside.

Make the vegetable fillings:

1. Combine radish, carrot, jujubes, chives, chestnuts, and red bell pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Make seasoning mix for brine:

1. Blend pear, garlic, onion, and ginger in a food processor until creamy. Set aside.

Make brine:

1. Mix 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir it well until the salt is thoroughly dissolved.
2. Put the blended seasoning mix into a cotton pouch, or wrap it a couple times in cheesecloth, and put it into the bowl of brine. Press it down with a spoon so the delicious blended flavors seep through. Squeeze it a bit and stir the brine for a while. Remove the pouch.

Make kimchi:

1. Spread the vegetable fillings between each leaf of the cabbage. Fold the stuffed cabbage quarters over and put them into a container, glass jar, or Korean earthenware pot.
2. Pour the brine over the kimchi so it’s submerged.
3. Cover and let sit at room temperature until it starts fermenting, which should be between 1½ to 3 days depending on how warm your room is. A warmer room will ferment faster. Just keep an eye on the kimchi and taste it now and then: when the brine turns sour, it’s fermenting.
4. Move it to the fridge, which will slow down the fermentation process. It will keep for about 1 month. Serve cold.

So easy to do!!~ Try it~ (✿◠‿◠)

Korean Side Dish (Radish Kimchi)

Kkakdugi 깍두기

Kkakdugi is a variety of kimchi in Korean cuisine. Usually, it has all the ingredients of kimchi, but the baechu (hangul: 배추; Napa cabbage) used for kimchi is replaced with Korean white radish (called mu, 무 in Korean). Kkakdugi is a popular banchan (side dish) enjoyed by Koreans and others.

The origin of kkakdugi is mentioned in a cookbook named Joseon yorihak (조선요리학 朝鮮料理學, literally "Korean Gastronomy") written by Hong Seon-pyo (홍선표) in 1940. According to the book, kkakdugi was created by Princess Sukseon (숙선옹주 淑善翁主), a daughter of King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) and the wife of Hong Hyeon-ju (홍현주 洪 顯周), a high-ranking government officer titled as Yeongmyeongwi (영명위 永明慰). When a matter for congratulation happened to the royal court, members of the royal family gathered to have a feast, and the princess presented a new dish made with diced radish to the king. He highly praised it and asked her about the dish's name. She replied that the dish did not have a name because she had accidentally made it, but found that it tasted good, so she brought in the new dish to the court. The king replied that the dish would be named kkakdugi because cutting food into cubes is called ggakduk sseolgi (깍둑썰기) in Korean. At that time, kkakdugi was called gakdokgi (각독기 刻毒氣) and then became spread over commoners.

Kkakdugi consists of radish cut into small cubes. The radish is flavored with salt, red chili powder, spring onions, and ginger.

The radish and the other ingredients are mixed together and then traditionally stored in a jangdok (hangul: 장독) or onggi (hangul: 옹기, hanja: 甕器), both names which refer to a large earthenware pot. Fermentation takes about two weeks in a cool, and dry place.

Kkakdugi is served cold and is usually consumed when the radish is crisp. This is before the radish becomes soft. Kkakdugi, along with other types of kimchi, is a popular dish in Korea and is believed to share many of the health benefits of kimchi, due to the fermentation process.

Ingredients:

Korean radish (or daikon)

salt

sugar

fish sauce

hot pepper flakes

green onions

garlic

ginger

Directions:

1. Peel 4 pounds of Korean radish (or daikon).
2. Rinse in cold water and pat dry.
3. Cut it into ¾ to 1 inch cubes. Put into a large bowl.
4. Add 2 tbs salt, 2 tbs sugar, and mix well.
   *tip: If you like your kkakdugi sweeter, add 1 or more extra tbs of sugar.
5. Set aside for 30 minutes.
6. Drain the juice from the radish into a small bowl.
7. Add 2 tbs minced garlic (about 5-6 cloves garlic), 1 ts minced ginger, 4 stalks of chopped green onions, ¼ cup fish sauce, 2/3 cup hot pepper flakes, and ⅓ cup of the juice from the radish.
   *tip: The amount of hot pepper flakes you use depends on your taste; use ¼ cup hot pepper flakes for a mild version. For a vegetarian version, replace fish sauce with soy sauce.
8. Mix it up well until the seasonings coat the radish cubes evenly, and the radish looks juicy.
9. Put the kkakdugi into a glass jar and press down on the top of it to remove any air from between the radish cubes.
10. You can eat it right away, and then store it in the refrigerator. Or you can let it ferment by keeping it outside of the refrigerator for a few days. When it starts fermenting, little bubbles may appear on top of the kkakdugi and it’ll smell strong & sour. Then put it in the refrigerator.

I'm hungryyy ≧☉_☉≦

Korean Pancake (Kimchi)

Kimchijeon 김치전

Kimchijeon or kimchi jeon is a variety of jeon, or Korean pancake-like dish, primarily made with sliced kimchi, flour batter and sometimes other vegetables. However, meat (ground pork) is also often added. Kimchi, spicy pickled vegetables seasoned with chili pepper and jeotgal, is a staple in Korean cuisine. The dish is good for using up ripened kimchi. Kimchijeon is often recognized in Korean culture as a folk dish of low profile that anyone could make easily at home with no extra budget.

It is usually served as an appetizer, snack or banchan (side dish).

When preparing kimchijeon, brine from kimchi is often added, especially that of baechu kimchi, made from Napa cabbage. The brine lends its red color to the batter but is not spicy itself. Along with kimchi, it is served as anju with alcoholic beverages such as makgeolli or dongdongju.

Ingredients:

Kimchijeon with chopped kimchi:

Kimchi

onion

salt

sugar

flour

vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl, place 1 cup of chopped kimchi, 3 tbs of kimchi juice, 2 tbs chopped onion, ½ ts salt, ½ ts sugar, ½ cup flour (all purpose flour), and ¼ cup of water and mix it well with a spoon.
2. Heat up a 12 inch non-stick pan over medium high heat and drizzle about 2 tbs grape seed oil.
3. Place the mixture of kimchi pancake batter on the pan and spread it thinly and evenly with a spoon.
4. Cook it for 1-1 ½ minutes until the bottom gets golden brown and crispy.
5. Turn it over with a spatula or flip it.
6. Lower the heat to medium and cook for another 1½ minutes.
7. Turn it over one more time and cook for 30 seconds before transfering it to a serving plate.
   *tip: Serve it right out of the pan or cool it down and cut it into bite size to serve.

Ingredients:

Kimchijeon with whole kimchi leaves:

Kimchi

ground pork

tofu

onion chives (or green onions)

onion

salt

black ground pepper

sesame oil

egg

flour

grape seed oil

Directions:

Prepare kimchi

1. Prepare 6-7 kimchi leaves (6-7 inches long – 16 cm) and ½ cup flour in a plate.
2. Coat both sides of each kimchi leaf  in the flour by hand.

Make meat mixture

1. In a small bowl, add 2 tbs ground pork (or beef),  2 tbs tofu (after gently squeezing out excess water with a paper towel), 1 ts chopped onion chives (or green onion), 1 tbs chopped onion, a pinch of salt and black ground pepper, 1 ts of sesame oil, and mix the mixture well with a spoon.
2. Set aside.

Make the pancakes

1. Place 1 egg in a small bowl and add a pinch of salt. Beat it with a fork.
2. Add some of the meat-tofu mix on one side of a kimchi stem. Add some flour on top of the mixture.
3. Put some of the meat-tofu mix on the rest of kimchi leaves.
4. Heat up a non-stick pan and add some grape seed oil (or vegetable oil).
5. Coat each kimchi leaf with beaten egg mix and place on the heated pan.
   *tip: the meat mixture should be bottom of the pan
6. When the bottom of the kimchi pancake turns golden brown (1 or 1½ minutes), turn it over and cook another minute.
7. Turn it over one more time and cook another 30 seconds before transfering it to a serving plate.
   *tip: you can serve it as it is or cut it into bite size before serving

Yummm!~ ≥Ö‿Ö≤

Korean Stew (Kimchi)

Kimchi Stew (Kimchi jjigae) 김치찌개

Kimchi jjigae is a variety of jjigae, or stew-like Korean dish, made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as scallions, onions, diced tofu, pork, and seafood, although pork and seafood are generally not used in the same recipe. It is one of the most common jjigae in Korea.

Kimchi is known to have been eaten as pickled vegetables, and only became the kimchi known today in the mid-Joseon era, when chili peppers were first introduced to the country. Kimchi jjigae is assumed to have been developed around this time, as well.

Kimchi jjigae is often cooked in Korean homes using older, more fermented and “ripe” kimchi, creating a much stronger taste and containing higher amounts of "“good” bacteria also found in yogurt. However, it should be noted that the living bacteria present in fresh, uncooked kimchi will not survive the cooking process. The stew is said to be more flavorful if prepared with older kimchi, while fresh kimchi may not bring out a full and rich flavor. Kimchi is the most important ingredient in kimchi jjigae, and other ingredients tend to depend on personal preferences.

Sliced kimchi is put into a pot with beef, pork or seafood, tofu, sliced spring onions and garlic, and are all boiled with water or myeolchi (anchovy) stock. The stew is seasoned with either doenjang (bean paste) or gochujang (red pepper paste).

Like many other Korean dishes kimchi jjigae is usually eaten communally from the center of the table if more than two people are served. It is accompanied by various banchan (side dishes) and rice. It is usually cooked and served boiling hot in a stone pot.

Ingredients:

200 grams of pork belly (about 1/2 pound)
4 or 5 cups of chopped kimchi
1 tbs sugar, 1 tsp of hot pepper flakes, 1 tbs hot pepper paste
onion, green onions
half a package of tofu
sesame oil and water

Directions:

1. In a shallow pot, put some chopped kimchi and juice.
2. Add sliced onion, hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, sugar, and green onions, and pork belly (or tuna).
3. Pour water over top until all the ingredients are submerged.
4. Close the lid of the pot and boil it 25 or 30 minutes. (first 10 minutes will be high heat and then turn down the heat over medium heat)
5. Add some tofu and boil it 5 minutes more and put some sesame oil right before serving.

KimchiiiiiiiI! ♥ 김치 ♥

Korean Fried Rice (Kimchi)

Kimchi Bokkeumbap 김치볶음밥

Kimchi bokkeumbap is a variety of bokkeumbap (Hangul: 볶음밥, fried rice dishes), a popular dish in Korea. Its name literally translates as "kimchi fried rice". Kimchi bokkeumbap is made primarily with kimchi and rice, along with other available ingredients, such as diced vegetables or meats.

Leftover rice and/or over-ripened kimchi as ingredients are usually preferred in preparing kimchi bokkeumbap. Over-ripened kimchi can also be used for cooking kimchi jjigae. Indeed, well-fermented kimchi and chilled rice can produce a flavor of greater richness as opposed to freshly made kimchi and rice. In preliminary preparation, as surplus "kimchiso" (hangul: 김치소, kimchi filling, mostly shredded daikon, green onions and jeotgal, fermented and salted seafood) taken out from kimchi, squeezed to discard its brine. Without completing the process, the resultant dish can be mushy in texture.

Along with kimchi and rice, kimchi bokkeumbap can contain many kinds of ingredients. Pork or spam are the most common, however, beef, chicken, bacon, or ham can be used. Instead of meat, canned tuna, shrimp, or mushrooms can be used as a replacement, in which case the ingredient's name may be prefixed to the dish's name such as "beoseot kimchi bokkeumbap" (hangul: 버섯김치볶음밥, literally "mushroom kimchi bokkeumbap"). Meat ingredients are chopped into the dish together with vegetables such as onion, carrot or zucchini. However, ingredients depend on personal preference and occasion. A small amount of minced garlic and sliced green pepper can be used as seasoning. These ingredients are fried in a pan with a little vegetable or sesame oil. After the cooked dish is put on a plate or in a bowl, a fried egg is sometimes served on top. Thinly shredded gim, chopped scallions or sesame are spread over it to enhance the flavor and to garnish.

Since kimchi bokkeumbap is cheap and easy to make in a short period of time, it is favored by students living alone who can not afford expensive meals. Kimchi bokkeumbap is also a popular item for lunch at a bunsikjeom (hangul: 분식점, a diner or bistro-like restaurant in South Korea). As the dish is hot and spicy, it is typically served with danmuji and a small bowl of any kind of mild and warm soup such as miyeok guk (soup made with wakame), or kongnamul guk (hangul: 콩나물국, "kongnamul soup, or bean sprout soup"). During summer, cool dongchimi (water kimchi) can also be accompanied with the dish.

The popularity of kimchi bokkeumbap is also reflected in South Korean pop culture. Byeon Jin-sub (hangul: 변진섭), a popular male singer in the late 1980s, sang a song titled "Wishes" (hangul: 희망사항) in which he stated that the singer's ideal girlfriend would be one who cooks good kimchi bokkeumbap. In the song "I Need A Girl" by Taeyang, he also says that his ideal girlfriend will eat the kimchi bokkeumbap that he cooks.

Ingredients:

3 bowls steamed rice (3 cups)
1 cup chopped kimchi
¼ cup kimchi juice
¼ cup water
2-3 tablespoons gochujang
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
1 sheet of kim, roasted and shredded

Directions:

1. Heat up a pan. Add the vegetable oil.
2. Add the kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute.
3. Add rice, kimchi juice, water, and gochujang. Stir all the ingredients together for about 7 minutes with a wooden spoon.
4. Add sesame oil and remove from the heat.
5. Sprinkle with chopped green onion, roasted gim, and sesame seeds. Serve right away.

Geugeos-Eun Choegoibnida! 그것은 최고입니다!

Korea's National Dish

Kimchi 김치

Kimchi also spelled kimchee or gimchi, is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is often described as "spicy" or "sour". In traditional preparation kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months at a time.

It is Korea's national dish, with hundreds of varieties made from napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient.  Kimchi is also the basis for many derivative dishes such as kimchi stew (김치찌개; kimchi jjigae), kimchi pancake (김치부침개; kimchijeon), kimchi soup (김칫국;kimchiguk), and kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥; kimchi bokkeumbap).

The earliest references to pickled vegetables in East Asia are found in the Xin Nan Shan 信南山 poem of the Shi Jing (詩經), which uses the character 菹 or 葅 (Korean "jeo", modern Mandarin Chinese "ju1"). The term ji was used until the pre-modern terms chimchae (hanja: 沉菜, lit. soaked vegetables),dimchae, and timchae were adopted in the period of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The word then was modified into jimchi, and is currently kimchi.

Early kimchi was made of cabbage and beef stock only. Red chili, a New World vegetable not found in Korea before European contact with the Americas, was introduced to Korea from Japan after the Japanese invasions (1592–1598) and became a staple ingredient in kimchi, although its use was not documented until the 18th century. Red chili pepper flakes are now used as the main ingredient for spice and source of heat for many varieties of kimchi. In the twelfth century other spices, creating flavors such as sweet and sour, and colors, such as white and orange, were added.

Kimchi is Korea's national dish. During South Korea's involvement in the Vietnam War its government requested American help to ensure that Korean troops, reportedly "desperate" for the food, could obtain it in the field; President of South Korea Park Chung-hee told United States President Lyndon B. Johnson that kimchi was "vitally important to the morale of Korean troops". It was also sent to space on board Soyuz TMA-12 with Yi So-Yeon after a multi-million dollar research effort to kill the bacteria and lessen the odor without affecting taste.

Ingredients:

Baechu (napa cabbage 10 pounds)

salt

sweet rice flour

sugar

water

garlic

ginger

onion

fish sauce

squid

hot pepper flakes

leek

green onions

carrot

radish

Directions:

1. Trim the discolored outer leaves of 10 pounds of napa cabbage.
2. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Chop it up into bite size pieces.
3. Soak the pieces of cabbage in cold water and put the soaked cabbage into a large basin. Sprinkle salt.
   Tip: 1 cup of salt will be used for 10 pounds of napa cabbage
4. Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage over to salt evenly (total salting time will be 1½ hours).
5. 1½ hours later, rinse the cabbage in cold water 3 times to clean it thoroughly.
6. Drain the cabbage and set aside.

Make porridge:

• Put 3 cups of water and ½ cup sweet rice flour (chapssal garu) in a pot and mix it well and bring to a boil. Keep stirring until the porridge makes bubbles (about 5 minutes).
• Add ¼ cup sugar. Stir and cook for a few more mintues until it’s translucent.
• Cool it down.

Make kimchi paste:

• Place the cold porridge into a large bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
• Add 1 cup of fish sauce, 2.5 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1-2 tbs of minced ginger, 1 cup amount of minced onion.
  Tip: much easier to use a food processor.
• Wash and drain the salty squid. Chop it up and add it to the kimchi paste.
• Add 10 diagonally-sliced green onions, 2 cups amount of chopped leek, 2 cups of julienned Korean radish, and ¼ cup of julienned carrot.
• Mix all ingredients well and your kimchi paste is done.

Mix the cabbage with kimchi paste:

• Put the kimchi paste in a large basin and add all the cabbage. Mix it by hand.
  Tip: If your basin is not large enough to mix all the ingredients at once, do it bit by bit.
• Put the kimchi into an air-tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.

You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented.

How do you know it’s fermented or not?
One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.

Kimchi ma sit sso yo 김치 맛있어요 :)