Kim Chi Tang

The kim chi from my Korea trip has been hanging around my fridge for close to a month now. Altho I'm told it can last ages (ie months or even years), I'm not inclined to do so because I want to be able to buy new kim chi! Yes, the taste has kinda grown on me. From someone who detests kim chi, I actually found my own batch of kim chi surprisingly refreshing when eaten. Since kim chi is naturally sour (due to the naturally occuring lactobacilli as a result of the fermentation process), there is a salty-sweet tang at the end. Maybe it's just psychological since I made it myself.

Anyhow, my tour guide did mention that you can do lots with kim chi including kim chi fried rice or kim chi soup (which I also tried during the tour). Came across this simple recipe yesterday from a health magazine and thought I'd try it as well as slightly adapt it. This soup brings out the best in the kim chi - it's like Sichuan hot and sour soup, but the chicken stock dilutes the inherent tartness of the kim chi, so this works for people who don't like very sour things - give it a try!

Ingredients
400g kim chi
1l chicken stock (you can use stock cube, I used Maggi Chicken Stock)
8 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 box of silken toufu
1 thumb sized ginger, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Soya sauce to taste (usually canned or ready chicken stock is already quite salty, so watch it!)
1 tbsp fish sauce

Method
1) Bring the chicken stock to a boil.
2) Add the kim chi, ginger, garlic and shitake mushrooms and let simmer for about 10-15 mins.
3) Add the soya sauce and fish sauce.
4) Add the toufu.
5) Serve with steamed rice.

Korean-style steamed salmon

Inspired by Korean cooking and Nigella, here's my take on Korean teriyaki-style fish. The same marinade can also be used for beef or chicken and bbq-ed.

Ingredients

2 fillets of salmon

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp sherry/chinese rice wine/vodka

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsbp chilli powder

1 thumb-sized ginger, grated or slivered

Method

1) Mix up the marinade and marinate the fish for at least half an hour.

2) Steam fish for 10 mins until cooked, OR

3) Bake in tin foil for 15 mins at 180 deg C.

Kim Chi

Fresh from my Korea trip which includes a kim chi making session, here's how to make kim chi (to the best of my memory!)

Ingredients

1/2 Carrot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (normal chilli flakes will produce a bitter taste after fermentation, but Korean chilli flakes produces a sweetish flavour)
1/4 head of Cabbage
1 thumb sized ginger, grated
2 stalks green spring onion, finely chopped
ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic
1 big bowl of water (big enough to soak cabbage)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
Plenty of Salt

Method

1) Leaving the stem of the cabbage intact, separate out each leaf of the cabbage by carefully peeling it off. As you do so, sprinkle each layer liberally with salt and rub it in.
2) Leave cabbage to soak in fresh water for at least 3 to 4 hours, the longer the better.
3) Hang upside down to air dry and set aside.
4) Prepare the 'sauce' by combining the carrot, green onion, garlic and ginger with the fish sauce, chilli flakes, sugar and 1 tsp of salt (not too much as the fish sauce is salty enough)
5) Spread out all the leaves and hold them in your left hand, largest leaf-side down. Peel off the largest leaf and spread it on the chopping board. Smear some of the sauce onto the leave, making sure to cover the entire leaf. Proceed on with the next largest leaf until you have finished all the leaves.
6) Fold in half and use the largest leaf to encircle the bundle. Set aside to ferment, putting in the fridge only overnight. It will be read to eat the next morning.