Hasta La Ideas

by
Gregory Mitnick

For this video we visited our friend Tim‘s grandma, Yu Um Chon, at her home in New York where she showed us how she makes Kim Chee. As one of dwindling numbers of Koreans who still make the spicy pickled staple themselves, she explained that everyone has their own recipe and walked us through hers (including the addition of artificial sweetener to cut down on sliminess).

Yu Um Chon’s Kim Chee*

1 Napa cabbage
1 Korean (or daikon) radish, cut into matchsticks

1/2 C ground Korean hot pepper
1/4 C Korean salted shrimp
1 bulb of garlic, finely minced)
1 (three-inch) piece of fresh ginger root (minced)
1 bunch of scallions
salt and sugar to taste

Dissolve about six tablespoons of sea salt in a large bowl of water (about a gallon), add the cabbage, and let it soak in the salt water overnight, rubbing the salt on the cabbage a few times.

Remove the cabbage from the salt bath, drain, and rinse.
Combine all ingredients with the shredded radish in a large bowl. Season with salt and sugar to taste.

Layer the radish mix in between the cabbage leaves, place into a large glass or other non-reactive container, and allow it to sit for two to three days.

*All amounts are approximate and can be varied according to your preference!