Kimchi

Here's something else I've never had because I'm allergic to commercial versions.  "Korean sauerkraut" has a red chili paste in it that would make me break out in hives at best, and have an asthma attack at worst.  Making it myself, I used as little chili flakes as I could to impart flavor without hitting my limit of the natural chemicals that make me break out.

This is a fermented condiment.  It takes a little time and attention.  With everyone trying not to go out, this makes a nice little hobby.  Ok, it's only five days, but we all have too much time on our hands right now.  If you ever wanted to do sourdough but feared you'd forget the starter in the back of the fridge, now is a good time for that too.  I don't like sourdough, so we're here with kimchi.

The recipe I'm following from the kitchn has a vegetarian variation that works around the shrimp paste and/or fish sauce.  I wanted this KLP, which meant I couldn't use either.  I couldn't find the kelp powder and went with the plain water version.  No umami hit, but I didn't know if it was safe to use the soaking water from dried mushrooms, which is a go-to for that kind of thing.  Also, I didn't want to end up with more leftover daikon radish.  I pulled the rest of my good-sized red radishes in the Pond and made up the rest of the weight in thinly sliced carrot.

I think I found out why my sauerkraut didn't bubble as much as it should have while fermenting.  It was a mix of the chlorine traces in tap water and anti-caking agents in kosher salt.  Iodized salt will also inhibit probiotic growth.  Using filtered, purified, or previously boiled tap water takes care of the chlorine problem.  I'm almost out of the salt with anti-caking agents, so after starting this I bought a box of kosher salt without iodine or anti-caking agents.  It also happened to be the last box of kosher salt in the store.  Guess hoarders started in on that once the table salt ran out.  This kimchi did ferment, just not as bubbly or as fast as it should have.

The hoarders wiped out the fresh garlic and ginger.  I'm not sure about garlic, but I recently found out you can freeze ginger root.  The more I've been cooking Indian and other South Asian foods, the more I've been looking for options other than peeling and grating ginger.  I found this bottle of squeezable ginger and decided to give it a try.  The last of my fresh garlic went into this kimchi, so it could bring natural probiotics to the party, and I'll save the jar for another time if a new head of garlic is still unavailable.

1 Napa cabbage (about 2 lbs)
1/4 C kosher salt: non-iodized, no anti-caking agents if you can find it
filtered or purified water
1 Tb grated garlic
1 tsp peeled, grated ginger
1 tsp sugar
2 Tb fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, or kelp powder; or 3 Tb filtered water
1-5 Tb red chili flakes, to taste (gochugaru if you can find it)
8 oz daikon radish, peeled and cut in matchsticks
4 green onions, cut in 1" pieces

1.  Wash your hands very well, especially under the fingernails.  Slice cabbage longways into quarters and remove the core.  Chop into 2" pieces.  Sprinkle with salt and knead to distribute.  The fibers will start to break down.  Add water to cover, then weigh down to submerge pieces with a plate and something to keep it from floating.  Allow to sit about 2 hours.

2.  Rinse leaves in a colander very well and let sit to drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Chop radish into matchsticks and onions into 1" pieces.  In the bowl you used to soak the cabbage, combine garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce or whatever you're using.  Stir in chili flakes.

3.  Squeeze the cabbage dry and add to the bowl with remaining vegetables.  Either wear food handling gloves or wash your hands every 30 seconds as you knead the sauce into the vegetables.  That's to avoid chemical irritation to your skin from the chili.

4.  Wash a 1-quart container (or a couple of pint jars) very well with hot water and soap, even if you think it's clean.  You need to get rid of any natural yeasts or bacteria it might have picked up in the cabinet that normally don't make a difference for just housing leftovers.  Pack the kimchi tightly into the container and pour any water from the bowl on top.  Press down so the juices cover the vegetables, leaving a 1" headspace.  Seal the jar and place on a plate or something to catch any overflow if the fermentation gets too bubbly.

5.  Place in a cool place away from light.  Check on the kimchi daily, stirring it a little and pressing down to keep the vegetables submerged.  This will also allow excess gases to escape and prevent bad things from growing.  If the top looks moldy or scummy, skim off those pieces.

6.  Starting about the third day, taste a piece to see if it's done.  Once it is strong enough for your liking (3-5 days), transfer the container to the fridge, where it can hang out for up to a couple of months.  Use as a condiment on rice, eggs, toast, potatoes, fish, or pretty much anything.

Makes about 1 quart

Difficulty rating  :)