Recipe: Pogi Kimchi

First off, please excuse the long absence. This recipe is something @Preeh; has been requesting for bit while I was focused on classes, etc. Since meeting my mother-in-law I’ve found an appreciation of increasingly spicy foods. She often brings dried, ground Thai pepper with her when she visits from out of state, and I try to ration it as best I can. In the meantime I have begun preparing small batches of kimchi every several weeks, just to have something spicy on hand. This recipe is taken from Maangchi, and I definitely recommend checking out her website. She cooks a variety of Korean dishes on her YouTube channel, and has a cookbook that came out some time ago. What I like most about this recipe is that it uses saeujeot, a salted shrimp with a shelf life of up to a year. Also it scales up or down quite well to suit your needs.
A few words of CAUTION before getting into the recipe – kimchi is a fermented food. As with any live cultured foods you should ensure your workspace is quite clean before preparing it. Be aware that the smell is very strong and grows the longer you age it. If you have a traditional onggi or earthenware pot to age your kimchi, great. You can use a plastic container instead, but make sure it is one that you will use only for kimchi. The color and smell will not wash out – believe me, I’ve tried. You may want to use gloves or a spatula when mixing your kimchi, as it will burn your hands quite badly if you are unused to working with spice. If you are working with bare hands be careful not to touch sensitive areas of skin, eyes, or nose for several hours after mixing! Saeujeot comes in plastic containers, and may be located among fresh seafood at an Asian grocery. It will keep in your refrigerator up to a year, but should not be refrozen. Gochugaru is dried hot pepper flakes that may be found with spices or in the international section of some grocery stores. Coarse and fine ground are available, so be sure to use a coarse grind. You will be able to see the size through most packages. Finally, be mindful of your tolerance for spicy food. It tastes just as good with less pepper, so don’t overdo it.
Begin by cutting a slit into the base of two heads Napa cabbage (you may substitute other cabbage, but Napa folds into a nice package and is easy to work with). Pull the halves apart then cut a slit into the base of each half. Submerge the cabbage in water to moisten, then begin salting with ¼ c. (72g.) salt. You will want to pull back and salt each leaf, using more toward the thick base. These will rest in a basin for 2 hours. Turn your cabbage every 30 min or so, splashing some of the salty water back onto the cabbage.
You will have time to prepare a broth while the cabbage rests. Combine 1 c. (240 ml.) of water with 1 Tbsp. (9 g.) glutinous rice flour and bring just to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp. (13 g.) sugar (brown or white) and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Pour cooled mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add ~12 cloves minced garlic; 1 tsp. (2 g.) fresh minced ginger; half an onion, diced; ¼ c. (60 ml.) fish sauce; 1/8 c. (16 g.) minced saeujeot with brine; and ½ c. to 1 c. (20 g. – 40 g.) gochugaru, to your taste. Mix into a paste.
Add 1 c. (150 g.) daikon, cut into matchsticks; ½ c. (75 g.) carrot, cut into matchsticks; ½ c. (75 g.) chopped green onions (I substitute Asian chives); and ½ c. (75 g.) minari (water dropwort/ Asian celery) if you have it. Mix well.
By now the cabbage should be ready. Rinse several times in water, removing salt and any debris. Pulling along the slit, split each half into quarters. Cut away the cores and strain well.

-Before continuing, read CAUTION above-

Carefully coat each cabbage leaf with pepper paste. Remember, do not touch sensitive areas of skin, especially eyes or nose, for several hours after working with bare hands!! Napa cabbage may be folded into an attractive package and stacked in your container. Spread any remaining paste over the top before sealing your container.

Kimchi may be left out to ferment up to 48 hours before refrigerating, and you may begin eating it immediately. Keep in mind that your kimchi will have a stronger smell and more sour taste the longer it is allowed to ferment. I prefer mine to have a fresh taste and keep it out only a day or so before refrigerating. Your kimchi will stay good for several months in the refrigerator, and some people say it can be used almost indefinitely for stews and such. After serving your kimchi, press the rest firmly down in the container to submerge it in juice.
Kimchi may be eaten as a side for meals, or over hot rice topped with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.

i finally got around to try this, left out the minari and daikon since I wasn't able to get it. it's a nice recipe and tastes delicious. make sure to mince/chop the garlic and ginger finely or use a mixer/food processor to turn it into a paste so the flavours mix more quickly into the paste than when using bigger chunks even if it's cut thinly.