Friday, July 3, 2009

Kimchi ME !!!!

I have a bit of am obsession with pickling things. It started off with pickling cucumbers and have now moved on to other items. Last week i salted two heads of nappa cabbage and let them sit over night. The salt pulls out the excess liquid from the vegetable and starts that first step in the preservation process. I have always heard about the long, pain staking preparation of kimchi. The large clay pots siting in some sacred field in a secluded part of Korea. These pots look like tombs filled with the little heads of stink. I got together some kimchi recipes from book i had and the internet. Most of the recipes call the same staple ingredients... chili paste, fish sauce, shrimp paste and vinegar. I did not have shrimp paste and the fish sauce was a no show. So i improvised. Vinegar, soy, anchovy paste and chili paste. I mixed the ingredients together and threw in some chopped ginger and garlic. I then rubbed my fishy concoction all over the cabbage. I placed the cabbage in a 1/6 pan and weighed it down with another 1/6 pan on top. I then wrapped it tight in plastic wrap so the cabbage was weighed down. I placed it in the back of the fridge in a dark spot. I forgot all about it. Today i found it and with a very scared nose i opened it. HMMM no stink, ok thats a good sign!!! I then took it out of the pan and sliced off a leaf. I am happy to report that i have made kimchi!!!! It taste just like the stuff i get in the jar... if not better. I am sooo proud of my kimchi skills, its killing me!!!!!! I do need to do a little work on the recipe (i forgot to write the recipe down, so i need to make it again) but i'll post it here and on my website in the next few days. Hmmmm maybe i'll start a pickling company!!! "Princess Michael's Pretty pickles" or "Pickled Pleasantries from Pickling Princesses" LOL
MVP

4 comments:

  1. Sounds absolutely delish! Would you please post the recipe & also your best pickled cucumber recipe? Need to get my fanny in the kitchen...! :)

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  2. First, I must say how enjoyable it has been to watch you on television. I hope that works out for you. Second, this recipe looks so amazingly hot. If you jar some, be sure to give me the hookup. I would tear that stuff up.

    ~JD

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  3. I've recently started enjoying kimchi more as well. That's pretty neat that you're getting into it.
    You probably won't really read this since I know you have tons of fans by now, but I loved you on the show. You were by far my favorite, and I hope to one day get the chance to try some of your food myself. Every single dish you made looked absolutely delicious, and I bet it tasted even better than that. I think you would have been a fabulous star. I like you so much I'll even join twitter just to follow you.
    You're awesome. Much love from your fan here in Hawai'i. <3
    -Ang

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  4. Well Michael, this makes me very happy :) That sounds DELICIOUS and you can make kimchi while Shamu the Korean can't. Sorry you didn't win NFNS but I bet we're going to be seeing much more of you :)

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