Kimchi!!

Fermenting/Kimchi:

After I got pickling down I felt I needed to attempt something a little more ambitious.  Because kimchi requires cabbage to rot (or, more appropriately, ferment) it produces an interesting odor.  It was described a little differently by my wife:>.  I wanted to pair it with my famous fried rice that I make by cooking down shrimp shells to make a broth...super good!

• Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. I used: Napa
• Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Massage.
• Rinse and drain the cabbage 3 times
• Make the paste. I used: Garlic, ginger, gochugaru, sugar and shrimp paste. 
• Combine the vegetables and paste. I used: carrots, daikon and green onion.
• Mix thoroughly. 
• Pack the kimchi into the jar with a breathable lid (I used a Mason reCap lid, but you could also use cheesecloth).
• Let it ferment in a cool out of sunlight spot.

Next time I make it I will use a mild fish sauce and I will cut the cabbage into larger pieces; think bite-size.  I would also try using Korean radish.  I used a wide-mouth quart mason jar, a reCap lid fitted with an airlock and a #6 stopper.  I purchased all but the mason jar from Amazon.  This cut down on the smell, kept dust/debris out and kept my kimchi from exploding.  Because the cabbage is breaking down and fermenting, if your using cheesecloth you will want to put it on a plate or a cookie sheet with a lip!  So after 5 days it was ready but I tasted it several days before that; it's done when you like the taste.  Good luck next up for me...Sauerkraut!

I followed this recipe: http://bit.ly/1qMiNwy