Kimchi - Pickled Korean Vegetables

How I spent my Sunday. 

Some keep the Sabbath going to church,

I keep it staying at home,

With a bobolink for a chorister

And an orchard, for a dome.

Some keep the Sabbath in surplice,

I just wear my wings

And instead of tolling the bell, for church

Our little sexton sings.

God preaches, a noted clergyman,

And the sermon is never long,

So instead of getting to heaven, at last

I'm going, all along.

Emily Dickinson 1836

                                                                              

Kimchi - Pickled Korean Vegetables

I am very lucky to live in a part of the world that is full of abundance-we can grow food all the year round, even salads.  But, I have seen a lot of people over the years throw themselves with passion into their food gardens and then, when it came time to harvesting, not knowing what to do with their 'abundance' and then losing interest in the garden.  What a pity!

Eating from your garden is good practice for the future when healthy food may be in short supply.  This, inevitably,will require us to learn knew skills and explore dishes and cuisines we may not have tried before. 

The first lesson this Sunday morning comes from 'Bushy' at the Mullumbimby Community Garden:  I was wandering around, looking at composting bins - as you do, when I came across a young man busy in the outdoor kitchen.  It was pretty early so I was curious what he was doing as I couldn't smell any toast and coffee!   He was making something I had neither cooked nor eaten before - pickled Korean vegetables 'Kimchi'.  He explained that there was a glut of radishes, collard greens and lantern chillies in the garden - so with lots of garlic and ginger from the garden he was in the process of making this fermented pickle.  He found it delicious and ate it all the time.  He then carefully explained his recipe and showed me how to make it.

KIMCHI-Korean chilli-pickled cabbage/vegetables

A Japanese or Korean table is simply not complete without some kind of pickle: every conceivable vegetable is sliced and pickled, to serve with steaming rice or as a condiment, and to add to soups, noodles and hot-pots. Imagine Japanese sashimi or sushi without a small bowl of pickled ginger/ wasabi and soy sauce - well kimchi is the equivalent in Korean cuisine?

Kimchi is terrific with grilled or barbecued meats and fish, and with steamed rice. You can also shred some to toss through a stir-fry or hearty salad. I believe you can use many kinds of vegetables, but this is roughly Bushy's Kimchi.

1 cabbage (wombok Asian cabbage is best)

2 daikon radish, sliced (optional, and you can use other kinds of radish)

1 1/2 tbs sea salt

5-6 garlic cloves crushed

2 tbs fresh ginger, grated

2-3 tbs fish sauce

2 tbs caster sugar

3-4 spring onions, finely sliced

2/3 cup chilli powder

1.  Cut the cabbage into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter into 3cm pieces crosswise so the cabbage looks like large chunks.   

2.  Pour the water into a large bowl or and stir in the salt until dissolved. Add the cabbage and cover with a heavy plate or lid to keep the cabbage weighted down and submerged in the salted water. Cover and leave for 12 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

3.  Rinse the cabbage well and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Mix the remaining ingredients with the cabbage and the extra teaspoon of salt. 

4.  Pack into sterilised glass jars (traditional to use an earthernware pot with lid). Seal the jars and leave for two days, at room temperature, until the pickle has developed its characteristic sourness - then refrigerate. My friend Rasa, who lived in Japan for a decade, tells me that this is a 'fresh pickle' and should be consumed within a few days.

Makes 2 litres - I must say that it was really delicious!

(17th September 2013 - sorry folks, I have just revisted this post and realized that there were some editing glitches in it - my apologies, and believe I have rectified them now.  Any queries - please contact me.  And, bobolinks and sextons are American birds!)