Homemade Kimchi

Baechu kimchi (pickled Napa cabbage) is probably one of the most well known Korean dish along with bulgogi (marinated beef). My mother has been making kimchi for our family ever since I could remember. Although, there were only five in our family, she would use at least eight large Napa cabbage and this would last a few months. There are basic ingredients used in baechu kimchi such as chilli powder, garlic, and ginger, however many families use some variations of ingredients. For example, my mum never used salted shrimp in her kimchi and other families would use different salted seafood products to make their kimchi. 

I never thought that I would be making kimchi at home, I assumed that I would be buying it from Korean groceries shop. I have been told by several Koreans that not many Koreans make their own kimchi either. However, I am discovering that bought kimchi never taste that great and if you make kimchi jiggae with it, it doesn't taste as good as those made from homemade kimchi.

Most Koreans have to have baechu kimchi with their meals and according to health experts, kimchi has many health benefits as it has  beneficial probiotic lactic acid bacteria. Consuming Kimchi has been linked to anti-cancer, anti-obesity, cholesterol reduction, colorectol health promotion, anti-ageing properties and other diverse range of health benefits. Kimchi is becoming popular all over the world and with such great health benefits, I urge you to give it a go making it at home. 


  

Ingredients

sliced radish

cut chives

process garlic,ginger and fresh chilli

Kimchi

Baechu kimchi

Ingredients

3 Napa or Chinese cabbage 

Salt

1 Korean radish *

3 bunch of Chinese chives

3 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoon salted shrimp*

half cup ground dried chilli peppers*

2 tablespoon sugar

10 cloves of garlic

2 thumb sized pieces of ginger

3 fresh red chilli

1 nashi pear 

Directions

1. Clean and quarter the cabbage. In a large basin, sprinkle salt on the cabbages and leave 6 hours or overnight. By this time they will wilt and expel a lot of water.

Next day, wash the cabbages in cold water and try to squeeze some of the water or dry with tea towels so they are damp but not wet.

2. Peel the radish and cut into thin strips. Peel the nashi pear and cut into thin strips. wash the chives and cut into approx.... 5cm pieces. Set aside. Peel ginger and garlic. Put into a food processor with the fish sauce, salted shrimp, sugar and fresh chilli. Blitz until all ingredients are pulverised.

3. In a medium bowl add sliced radish, pear and chives and mix in the ingredients from the food processor. Add dried chilli peppers and mix all ingredients. Taste for seasoning. It should taste, Hot and slightly salty.

4. Cut Cabbage into bit sized pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the seasoning mix and mix until all ingredients are combined. ( We suggest you use disposable gloves to mix by hand ) Taste and leave in a very airtight container in the fridge for at least 5 days to ferment. Enjoy!

* Available from Korean or Asian grocers

The Mandoo Strathfield

Each Chinese New Year, our mothers would make Madu dumpling soup ( mandu guk ) with rice cake noodles.  Its a Korean tradition. There would be trays and trays of these dumplings lovingly handmade from scratch. Its a complete labour of love and as we devour each manu as kids, we would literally feel ourselves growing bigger and stronger. 

Korean dumplings are little different to Chinese dumplings and Japanese Gyoza. We use pork and cabbage too but we also include potato starch noodles and liberal use of garlic and ginger. They have this alluring smell when they are steaming that is quite comforting and reassuring.

There's this little corner eatery in Strathfield who make handmade Korean dumplings (Mandu ) and hand made noodles. Its really good. Just like our mothers used to make but it doesn't have to be New Years to enjoy them. 

dumpling soup $10

There's different array of dumplings you can choose from, such as pork, vegetables, prawn and pork and Kimchi Dumplings. There are also handmade noodle soups and different array of cold noodles called nang-mien. 

Combination mandu 2 pork, 2 Kimchi and 2 prawn mandu $15

We ordered The combination mandu, seafood Noodle soup non-spicy and dumpling soup. The mandu combinations came in the steamer and they were large, plump and delicious. The seafood noodle soup was refreshing, clean and noodles tender. The dumpling soup was our favourite as it had the taste of our mum's New Years manu guk with the beefy but white broth. The servings are very generous and you can also take away some of your favourite mandu. 

Handmade Seafood noodle soup $15

Dumplings steaming 

The Mandoo Strathfield: 12 A The Boulevard, Strathfield ph:02 9701 0949

Jonga Jip Korean BBQ at Eastwood

Welcome to Sydney Seoul Sister's first post. Hooray!

Helen and I decided to celebrate with Korean BBQ. We LOVE LOVE Korean BBQ. Watching meat grilling on a hot plate can be spellbinding, the combination of enticing aroma and the sizzling sound of meat cooking is impossible to resist. 

Both Helen and I have been to Jonga Jip Eastwood frequently with our family and friends but this was our first time together. Jonga Jip is located on the 'Korean' side of Eastwood. There are two Jonga Jip restaurants in Eastwood. The original restaurant is on Rowe St and the other one is just around the corner on East Parade opposite Eastwood train station. Like all Korean BBQ restaurants, every table has a built in gas fuelled charcoal burner which gives that authentic charcoal flavour to the meat. As we walked in, we were quickly greeted by a young waiter dressed in a colourful uniform. We were presented with menus with photos and brief description of the dishes. When we were ready to order, we used the handy table buzzer and the waiter appeared and took our order in no time. The service at Jonga Jip is always excellent, the restaurant is like a well oiled machine, it's fast and efficient. 

Minimum of two BBQ dishes are required to be ordered. We decided to order the pork belly (samgyeopsal), and the marinated beef (bulgogi) for BBQ. Since it was a cold winters day, we ordered cod stew (daegu jjigae) as well. A typical Korean meal consists of many side dished called 'banchan'. Both Helen and I agree that Jonga Jip offers the best banchan in terms of variety and taste. We counted at least ten banchan and they were all very delicious. My favourite banchan was the mung bean jelly (cheongpomuk muchim) and according to Helen, Jonga Jip serves up the best pickled cabbage (kimchi) in Sydney.

Side dishes (banchan)

                                                    Steaming hot cod stew (daegu jjigae)

 Marinated beef (bulgogi) 

The great thing about cooking your own meat is that the meal does not feel rushed. We cooked the meat at a pace that we wanted eat and whenever the hot plate got a little bit too smokey, a waiter appeared and swapped it for a clean one. Jonga Jip is our favourite Korean BBQ restaurant, neither Helen nor I have yet to find a better one in Sydney. They seemed to use superior quality of meat, the pork belly (samgyeopsal) has the right balance of meat and fat. And pork belly dipped in salted sesame oil and wrapped in a lettuce leaf was just to die for...YUM. The marinated beef (bulgogi) is always tender and is often the best introduction dish to Korean cuisine.

As usual, we walked out of Jonga Jip very satisfied and feeling slightly guilty that we didn't share it with our family. But that's okay, because there would certainly be next time, probably very soon.