For Koreans, kimchi cabbage is almost the main dish of the entire national gastronomic line. The delicacy is very specific and is pickled Beijing cabbage with the addition of hot spices, ginger, garlic and pepper.
In addition to Peking, radish, radish, and other varieties of cabbage, as well as cucumbers, eggplant, etc., are made in the same way.
It is believed that such a dish promotes the absorption of fats in the body, helps to fight excess weight and has antiviral and cold-fighting properties.
Kimchi is a national dish of Koreans.
How to cook a dish
Cooking such a cabbage is not difficult, but the fermentation process itself takes several days. So it’s worth stocking up with patience, a certain set of spices and seasonings, as well as aging and relative disdain, because in the process of pickling, cabbage emits more than specific flavors.
Fortunately, the taste of kimchi itself pleases all lovers of the sharp and unusual. Therefore, we assemble a set of components and start cooking, if you want this unusual dish to appear on your table!
To make kimchi cabbage you will need:
- 2 heads of Beijing cabbage;
- 1 medium-sized carrot;
- 1 not very large onion;
- a bunch of green onions;
- 1 cup peeled garlic cloves;
- ginger root (fresh);
- fish sauce (sold in large supermarkets);
- 0.5 cups rice flour;
- 0.5 cups of hot red pepper flakes (chili, piri-piri, cayenne);
- salt;
- sugar.
Heads of Beijing cabbage are cut lengthwise without cutting a few centimeters to the base. Gently wash the leaves under running water.
We shift the cabbage into a large container and pour each leaf with salt, spreading the layers with our hands. Put more salt at the base of the cabbage, as the stalks thicken there.
The secret of kimchi cabbage lies in an unusual spicy sauce with spicy seasonings and spices.
Remember that salt does not need to be rubbed, but rather just sprinkle layers of cabbage with it.
We leave the heads in the container where you salted for two hours. Then we turn on the other side and leave it to salted for another two hours.
While the cabbage is salting, prepare a sharp dressing. Grind onions, garlic and ginger in a blender or using a grater or press. And at the same time we cook jelly from rice flour. To do this, dissolve 3 tablespoons of flour in 2-3 cups of water, beat with a whisk until smooth and simmer until simmering. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, add 3-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar, stir and leave to cool on the window. You should get a thick white jelly.
Video: Korean Cuisine: Kimchi Bechu or Beijing Cabbage Kimchi
Cut the carrots into thin strips, green onions into thin feathers. By the way, carrots can be replaced with radish or radish.
We mix carrots, onions, fish sauce and hot ginger-garlic mixture, as well as rice jelly and red pepper in a large capacity. Remember that you need to work with gloves, because the mixture is very "vigorous" for the delicate skin of the hands.
Kimchi cabbage is often served as part of spicy soups.
We wash the cabbage, which is well salted, under a stream of water, carefully treating each leaf with water. Grains of salt between the layers should not remain!
Slightly squeeze the cabbage, twisting it like linen after washing.
We act carefully!
We coat each leaf of cabbage well with a sharp dressing. We act methodically and accurately, distributing the sauce evenly. When the operation is completed, give the cabbage a head shape, pressing lightly on all sides. And now you can put the Beijing in a container where it will be fermented. A large glass or enameled container, or a plastic vessel of a suitable size, is suitable.
This spicy snack contains useful ingredients such as phosphorus, calcium, nicotinic acid and vitamins B1, B2.
For two days we stand the cabbage at room temperature and a day in the refrigerator. Let the smell not bother you - everything is as it should be. But the taste of the product will be beyond praise!
Store kimchi cabbage in the refrigerator. It will be the perfect match for baked pork, spicy soups, Asian noodles and fried sliced beef. Bon Appetit!
