Kimchi Diary

Kimchi Diary

Hello and Welcome.

 If you’re here, it means you are in the early stages of planning a vacation that must be really important to you, and we are so glad you’ve reached out. For us, traveling isn’t just about taking pictures and checking places off of a bucket list. It is about choosing to invest in your most important relationships, deliberately slowing life down, and letting the magic of a place inspire you and breathe fresh life into your spirit, as well as your closest relationships. Helping our clients to create bright and meaningful memories that they will reflect on often and carry with them for the rest of their lives is what gives us the drive to work harder, and do, why we do what we do. It’s never just about the logistics of travel (although we handle that, too). It’s about getting to know you and making sure you get to enjoy your journey. Did we say we are glad you’re here? Because we are. Welcome to the Gypsea Knots Experience.

 We are Minae Kim and Shama Chitkara and Minae fondly calls our Partnership ( the first 3 letters of our surnames Kim+Chi) KIMCHI..

 
Kimchi is synonymous with Korea and is the most versatile Korean delicacy. It is a Korean traditional salted fermented dish. After adding salt to the cabbage and radish, it is mixed with rice flour garlic, ginger, chilly powder and fish sauce. It is then left to  ferment which preserves it for a long time. Winter Kimchi making is called Kimjang. Once a year, the whole family gets together to make Kimchi which would last another year. Kimchi is also used in a variety of soups, stews and kimchijeon (Kimchi pancake). Koreans cannot fathom a meal without Kimchi and today we are giving away Minae's vegetarian Kimchi recipe exclusively for vegetarians who would like to taste authentic Korean Kimchi without  the addition of fish sauce or other non-veg ingredients. An authentic and traditional non vegetarian Kimchi Making Class is available on request on our Seoul Tour. 
 
To make Kimchi we need:
3 pounds of Nepa cabbage cut into half and then into bite size 
1 cup water
3 tbsp vegan Soy Sauce
3 tablespoon salt 
2 tablespoons rice flour
1 cup veg stock
1 inch ginger
9 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
6 ounces Radish 1 cup thin round slices 
6 Green Onions diagonally cut
3 ounces garlic chives 
1/2 cup carrot julienne
1 cup Gochugaru or Red Chilli powder (you could use just Kashmiri mirchi for color if you do not eat chilli)
Salt/Sugar
 
Add the salt to the water and toss the cabbage in it. Let it rest for two hours. This is called Brine the cabbage. After every half an hour toss the cabbage. Salt dehydrates the cabbage and simultaneously seasons it. To make Kimchi paste take rice flour, veg stock and heat for two minutes on medium flame till it thickens and bubbles. Then add 1 tablespoon sugar and keep stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes thin and remove from heat. Leave it to rest and cool.
Grind the onion, garlic and ginger in a mixer grinder. After it becomes a smooth paste add 1/3 cup the flour paste we made above after cooling it, soy sauce, 3 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of sugar and the chilli powder or the Korean red chilli powder Gochugaru. Pour this mixture into a flat dish.
Now remove excess water and salt from the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage thoroughly  a minimum of 3 times. Pat dry the cabbage. Take a large bowl or pan and mix all the vegetables including the cabbage in it. Carefully take the paste and fold it into the vegetables. All the vegetables should be thoroughly covered in the paste. Place the kimchi in a container with an air tight lid. Any left over in the bowl?? Don’t waste it. Simply add rice and relish the taste.
Keep it in the fridge for a minimum of 2 weeks or at room temperature in a ceramic jar with an air tight lid. Taste it after 2 weeks. If its sour and delicious it is fermented and ready to eat. Kimchi will turn more red over the fermentation process. 
 
Kimchi is the Korean Superfood that we all love. Spicy, tangy and juicy, Kimchi is a cultural staple in many Korean families and communities. Kimchi recipes are passed down in families from one generation to the next. So come and try making it and assimilate with the Korean Culture.
 
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