Kim Chi
Ingredients
1 large wong nga bak, about 1.5 kg/3 lb
coarse sea salt (not iodised)
2 tablespoons hot chilli powder
6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
3 fresh red chillies, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fine shreds of fresh ginger
4 tablespoons fine shreds of white radish
500 ml/1 pint/2 cups dashi stock 2 tablespoons Korean light soy sauce
Directions
Trim root end off cabbage. Halve lengthways, then cut each half into three equal strips. Sprinkle with handfuls of salt, put into an earthenware pot, cover with a wooden lid small enough to fit inside the pot and weight it down. Leave for 2 days and rinse with cold water. Press out as much liquid as possible and cut into shorter lengths. Combine with the chilli powder, garlic, spring onions, chillies, ginger and radish mixed together. Pour dashi and soy sauce over, cover with wax paper and replace lid. Refrigerate for at least 4 days before eating. Serve with steamed rice and other dishes. If liked, a good spoonful of gochujang (Korean chilli bean paste) may be mixed with the kim chi before serving.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)