kimchi morning

Because it just doesn't make sense to spend my day off sleeping in and resting this nasty cold away. Oh no, I was up at 7AM this morning, squeezing the salty water out of some napa cabbage which had been sweating overnight. It seems that when I'm sick these days, I often find myself in the kitchen engaged in some sort of salted, chopped vegetable ferment. Forget instant gratification - it's not like I'm hungry anyway. The process of fermentation is almost curative for me. I can feel mucous loosening as I breathe in the sharp smell of salty garlic and green onions. Now if only I can keep the snot out of the bowl.

This is my first time making kimchi, and I have loosely followed various recipes. Some call for rice starch and sugar, but I didn't have any of that. 

1 head napa cabbage 

1 bunch green onions
1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

red pepper flakes
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t sweet paprika

1 T fish sauce

Sweat the cabbage overnight with a goodly amount of salt (in a non-reactive vessel) and squeeze out the water in the morning.  Combine remaining ingredients, pound together until juicy. Pack vegetables into a jar as tightly as possible. Keep in a warm place and allow to ferment 3-4 weeks. 

I will let you know how it turns out.