Chef Mik's Kim Chi with Bok Choi

There is a long tradition of fermenting food in Korea dating back to the third dynasties of the 6th to 7th century A.D. However as a people we have been using fermentation as a preservation technique in the kitchen as far back as the written language can recall. In fact some 7000 years ago when we first started baking leavened bread or was it brewing beer the debate rages on, it was do to the discovery of fermentation and our mastery of it

Kim chi also offers many health benefits including c13 which is said to fight cancer.

More often then not kim chi is prepared with Napa cabbage or radish, though I love it with bok choi. I also love to eat carrots, gobo and cucumber this way as well, so I will be preparing mine with a combination of some of those ingredients today. 

 

Shopping List

15 baby bok choi

1 or 2 carrots

2 Japanese cucumbers

Japanese flakes, equivalent whole dried, or powder

Cheyenne pepper

Maui sweet or other onion

1 galangal or ginger root

1 bulb garlic

2 or 3 stalks green garlic

2 or 3 stalks scallions

Sugar

My Mad Method

Quarter and rinse baby bok choi well making sure no dirt or sand remains

  Submerge the bok choy together with pealed and sliced carrots in salt brine, cover let stand 5 hours

Prepare paste; 1dl Japanese chili flakes, 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1dl fish sauce, ½ onion minced, 1/2dl garlic minced, 1 TBSP galangal or ginger grated, 1 TBSP sugar – in place of sugar you may use natural sweetener or fruit such as apple, either purée these ingredients together or chop finely, add 2 stalks each green garlic and spring onion sliced on the bias

After 4 hours add pealed Japanese cucumber sliced length wise, then again on the bias (optional)

Alternatively you can simply salt your cucumbers and allow them to simply draw out the liquid and add them later

After the 5 hour brining period has finished drain and rinse well

Transfer the vegetables to a mixing bowl add the kim chi paste and mix well… It is now ready to serve as a salad, it’s great with chilled glass noodles tossed in sesame dressing and thinly sliced Korean BBQ try tip, otherwise use a container with a tight fitting lid store the kim chi at room temperature for 3 days (72 hours) for the fermentation process to accrue, alternatively leave at room temperature for 24 hours, refrigerate for a few more

 

This is how the kim chi will look after 1 day, toss well, cover and continue to store the kim chi at room temperature

This is how the kim chi will look after 2 days

After three days the kim chi is ready to serve on its own, in a soup, with ramen, or a rice dish