Homemade Kimchi + Salmon Kimchi Tacos
I’m still confused why I made homemade kimchi. Out of all of the recipes in Andrea Chesman’s latest book, The Pickled Pantry, I chose kimchi.
I’ve never eaten kimchi.
My husband has, though. And he really likes it. He used to eat at the Korean mess hall when he was deployed in Afghanistan. I suppose I made it for him, but I didn’t anticipate the reaction he would get by taking it to work in his lunch.
More about that later.
Remember when we made Homemade Sauerkraut? Same idea, only this recipe calls for a whole head of napa cabbage.
I love napa cabbage. It’s so light and feathery, and it doesn’t have that weird “cabbage-y” taste. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Chopped napa cabbage gets a hefty sprinkling of salt and an ice water bath for a few hours.
Then you stuff it into a jar with some julienned carrots, green onions, and a Korean saucy-type thing. (See photo at the top of the post.) Don’t you love my technical instructions?
(Did I mention my baby wakes up every other hour again? Not. A. Fan. Aside from forgetting things like GOING TO A BABY SHOWER, I’m finding it hard to make coherent sentences. Bear with me.)
After it sits for a day or so…. voila. Kimchi.
So, what do you do with kimchi exactly?
Well, we discovered it’s a pretty wicked taco topping.
bok choi covered in the dressing from this salad +
kimchi (recipe below!) +
corn tortilla =
Another really, really good Asian-type taco.
Lastly, I feel I must warn you about the… um… pungent smell of kimchi. A story for you:
Once upon a time I made kimchi.
My husband took some to work in his lunch.
Kimchi was forever banned from the office.
The end.
Napa Cabbage and Carrot Kimchi
Yield: 2 quarts
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: A few days
Ingredients:
1 large head Chinese or napa cabbage, outer leaves discarded
1/2 cup pickling or fine sea salt
1 heat garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1 or 2 Tablespoons Korean chili paste or half that amount of sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste) or Chinese chili paste with garlic
6 green onions, trimmed and julienned
2 carrots, julienned
Directions:
Slice an inch or so off the bottom of the head of cabbage. Separate the leaves and stack them into a few piles. Cut each pile in half lengthwise, then cut them crosswise. (So, quarter them, if you will.) Transfer leaves to a very large bowl.
Add salt to the cabbage and toss to coat evenly as best you can. Add ice water to cover the lettuce. (Some will float. That’s OK.) Let it stand for at least 2 hours, and up to 6 hours.
Meanwhile, combine garlic and ginger on a cutting board or food processor and mince. Transfer to a large bowl (big enough for the cabbage to join it later) and mix in the honey, fish sauce, and chili paste.
Lift cabbage out of the brine. Reserve brine and add the cabbage to the bowl with the seasoning mixture. Add scallions and carrots and mix well, using your hands, if necessary.
Pack the mixture into 2 clean quart canning jars. Add enough of the reserved brine to fill the jar to the very top. Cover with a lid and jar ring. Screw the jar ring on just until you feel resistance — not tightly. (You’ll want the juices to be able to escape once fermentation begins.) Place jars on a plate or a sheet pan to catch any overflow and set in a cool, dark place.
Taste after one day, and refrigerate after 3-5 days. The kimchi will continue to age and develop flavor. It will keep for several months in the fridge.
adapted very lightly from The Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman
I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your blog, and not just for the great recipes. This post, especially, makes me feel so much better. We had our third baby boy 4 months ago and since then I feel like I have LOST MY MIND!! My biggest blunder (to date) was forgetting my son’s preschool pot-luck party. My poor baby was the only one there without a parent. Talk about heart breaking… and no one to blame but myself! Needless to say, I’m now addicted to google calendar. I don’t how in the world you are able to keep up with blogging, but thank you so much for the recipes, the sharing, and for making me feel normal! :-)
P.S. – Those cookie dough bites with almond flour – AMAZING!!
I’m SO not a fan of cabbage but napa and kimchi…I love. It’s that super pungent flavor. Worth the risk of the smell in my opinion. :)
This has been (another) thing on my ‘to do’ list that I am now thanks to you bumping up to Priority numero uno.
YUM! This looks amazing!
Looks easy & delicous!
Seriously laughing at this post because I taught kindergarten for a year in Korea and the whole country smells like kimchi ;)! I have a storebought version in my fridge so I am grateful for your idea on the tacos!
You know, it never occurred to me until I read your comment that kimchi may have been what our old college apartment smelled like. I had a Korean roommate in college. (Putting pieces together…)
Kimchi is seriously one of my favourite foods EVER!! I eat a giant bowl in one sitting, just as a snack :-) Korean food is the best!
I missed out on canning season this year – but kimchi might just have to be made!! Its one of my dad’s favorites, and I know he’d love to come home to a full stash when he gets home from Australia in a few months. :)
Wouldn’t that be a cool surprise??
I love kimchi and this is a wonderful recipe, definitely going to make this. That photo up top of the kimchi packed in the jars is a beaut. Thanks!
Thank you Suzi! (Good old Instagram :))