How to Make Homemade Kimchi the Easy Way

Why buy it when you can make it at home?

     I love Kimchi but find that it can be on the pricey side and it's not always at the spice or flavor level I want.  I also find that sometimes it's more sour than I want because I generally like to eat it as a side dish and don't really need sour unless it's for kimchi pancakes or fried rice.  I took a trip to this amazing market, Great Wall Supermarket, after driving by it a gazillion times.  I usually go to Hmart for my Asian food needs and so I just never bothered.  Boy, was that a mistake!  Let's just say that I spent almost two hours in there walking up and down every aisle and taking a mental snapshot of all the things I wanted to go back for one day.  They have absolutely everything, including live turtles and eels in dozens of tanks filled with everything you can imagine.  Anyhow, I decided it was time to make kimchi and so I bought the ingredients and decided to make it on a slow and boring day in December, today! 
    I looked up recipes on line and watched videos on google and made my own modifications based on Maangchi's technique and Danny Mac's Kitchen.  Danny Mac's Kitchen was the most basic and easy to follow with great directions and so this is my version.  I will post a link to his video for those of you, who like me, like to see things demonstrated.  And it smells sooooo good!  Can't wait for it to be ready. 

Ingredients you will need...

3lbs of Napa Cabbage

1/2 cup Kosher Salt

1 Cup Water

1 3/4 ozs garlic

1 3/4 ozs ginger(or cut down to 1 oz if you're not a big fan)

1 1/2 tsps of Sugar

1 1/4 cups of Korean Pepper Powder(I had coarse flakes)

1 tsp of Fish Sauce (use soy if you want vegetarian version)

2 cups of cubed daikon radish (shredded/ matchstick sized if you prefer)

7 stalks of green onions

2 carrots

One large head of cabbage was just over 3lbs. I quartered it and then chopped it into bite size chunks.  The bottom two pictures show the size of my cabbage pieces.  I placed it into a large bowl poured 1 cup of water over the cabbage and 1/2 cup of kosher salt all over the cabbage and tossed it thoroughly with my hands. You want to make sure you get salt on all your pieces.  At this point I would let the cabbage sit for 25 minutes and then thoroughly mix it again.  Repeat this 3 times for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

While you are waiting for you cabbage to get nicely salted and you can make your paste mixture.  I put the garlic and ginger in a food processor and it came out looking like the top right photo.  Then, add your 1 1/4 cups of Red Pepper Powder into the bowl with the ginger and garlic and stir to combine.  Next, pour your cup of water into the mixture but use just enough to create a paste like consistency.  Pour a little at a time until you get it.  Finally add 1tsp of your fish sauce to the paste mixture and set aside.
 

Now, chop your veggies!  I used Daikon Radish, Green onions and carrots.  Typically they are shredded but I like the cubed radish and to tell you the truth, I hate julienning and took a short cut.  I know this because I watched a documentary on Kimchi. 
Check it out!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAki8xXPtmg

Top left...after an hour and 15 minutes this is what it looked like and you can see all the water that comes out of the cabbage.  Now it's time to rinse!  Strain the mixture and then wash with cold water 3 times. I filled the bowl with water and swooshed it around real good, strain and repeat. Bottom left sitting in cold water waiting for cleaning.  Bottom right:  All done and that is what it looked like.  Squeaky clean and ready for a paste bath.

Throw your veggies in the bowl with the drained and nicely salted cabbage.

Now toss until it looks nicely combined.

Massage that red pepper paste deliciousness into the veggies like a massage therapist looking for a hot date!  Yeah, baby!! (In my Austin Powers voice)  "Me likey when you rub me like that", says your veggies!

Now stuff everything into your jar and pack it as tightly as you can.  I used this glass jar and there was just enough head space in it that it didn't bubble over from the fermenting that was taking place.  Put it on a plate or in something so if it does, you won't have such a mess on your hands.  This is my kimchi after one day of sitting on the table.  I checked it this morning(day two) and I will most likely put it into the fridge tonight and that will make it 48 hours.  You can put it in the fridge right away if you're skittish about leaving food out but it will take longer to ferment.  I tasted it twice yesterday and it was sooooo good.  I will taste again today because I don't want it too sour.

I look forward to eating it with some rice and my Korean Steamed Egg.  And don't forget to scroll to the bottom for the video on "How to make Kimchi" from Danny Mac's Kitchen.  Great for those of you who prefer some visual assistance. Would love to hear from you if you try it.  That is all!

How to make Kimchi.....  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qisHfpI5QE

Thanksgiving Day Waffles...Getting Creative with Leftovers

Who says waffles need to made with waffle batter?

     I know I've been away from my blog for a long time and I decided to get back to it without over thinking everything.  So, here is my first back to blogging post. Me getting creative with Thanksgiving day leftovers.  First up, the Thanksgiving Waffle!  It was my daughters idea.  It was delicious. I'm hooked. Here it is....

This is the finished product.  See how to make it on the pictures below.

Top Left...Take about two cups of leftover dressing/stuffing and add one raw egg to it and combine.  The mixture does not have to be super smooth, just incorporated nicely with the egg.  Add dressing mixture into waffle well, filling all corners and gently press to form with your fingers. Close heated waffle iron and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until golden like the picture on the top right.  Bottom left...add cranberry sauce (yes, mine is canned Ocean Spray) and then add your turkey on top of that.  Keep scrolling for the rest.

Drizzle lovingly and generously with gravy and try not to drool on it in the process.

Add green onions.

Sprinkle with dried cranberries or Craisins, like I did. And add a side of deviled eggs sprinkle with smoked paprika.

A close up for your viewing pleasure!  Trust me, this is yummy!  Add your own variations to it to make it your own and I promise you will be pleasantly surprised and if you're not, get your taste buds checks.  That is all!

Forget Wonder Bread, Make Your Own Sandwich Bread

 

     What do you when you've been snowed in for days, your driveway needs a fleet of at least 8 to shovel and you run out of sandwich bread in a house full of kids?  You go online, find a recipe and make it yourself!  I found this wonderful recipe after a Google search and after reading the instructions and comments.  This seemed to be the recipe I was looking for (link on bottom of page).  It was easy, it was pretty fool proof and with a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, it was even easier.  The instructions for hand kneading are also included.  This recipe has a total of six ingredients; water, sugar, yeast, AP flour, salt and butter. If you take a look at your grocery store bought bread you will see 4 times that amount of ingredients.  This recipe makes two 1 pound loafs, is easy to slice after it is completely cooled, and tastes great!  The pictures below show what a beauty this bread is and it's really worth a try!

Top Left, after an hour in the bread pans they were ready to go in the oven.  Top Right, the loaves fresh out of the oven. Bottom left, the loaves must sit for 5 minutes and then you turn them out on the cooling rack.  Do not slice while still warm unless you are really desperate but you will smoosh the bread.  Bottom right, a close up of the bread beauty.



I know, not the best picture, but this is what the first loaf looked like after slicing. I used a serrated knife but I really need a real deal bread knife. Saw back and forth when cutting, do not press down.  Looks good, right?!



Ingredients in Wonder Bread...

Woke up this morning and made two more loaves. My family of six almost finished both loaves.  If you have bread loaf bags from the grocery store, save them and use them to store this bread in after you slice it. Not my brilliant idea. Got it from the original recipe post.   http://dailydishrecipes.com/our-favorite-homemade-sandwich-bread/  Go ahead and click on it and free yourself from store bought bread. You know you want to.

 Sliced with a steady hand!  And the 2nd loaf was easier after being in the refrigerator overnight.  And the picture below is a ham sandwich I split with my hubby.  Note to self...buy more ham!

Just in case you missed it!    http://dailydishrecipes.com/our-favorite-homemade-sandwich-bread/








 

Delicious Almond Milk & Meal

Howdy Folks!  Long time no see.  I've been away for a long time but I'm back.  It's amazing how the blue screen of death on your laptop can completely throw off your mojo!  It would take far too long to go back and post some of the new recipes I have tried and some of my new adventures but I'll start with the current stuff and throw in the old when I can.

Today, it was all about Almond Milk.  It's what I decided to do when I told my husband not to buy more from Costco because I could save money and know exactly what's in it.  Why not?  I'd been reading about how easy it was to make and after watching a bunch of youtube videos, I came up with my recipe.  I also knew that I had to come up with something to do with the leftover pulp because I hate wasting food.  Good food is a blessing that we shouldn't take for granted and throwing away good food is like throwing money in the trash can and I don't have, nor want, that "luxury."

Angela's Almond Milk
1 cup of raw almonds soaked overnight
3 cups of water
1 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract (more or less to your personal taste)*
1 dash of cinnamon*
1 Tbsp of Agave Nectar*

Once the raw almonds have soaked overnight you should be able to easily "squeeze" the skin off the almonds and be left with a beautiful white almonds.  Take 3 cups of filtered water and add to blender along with drained almonds.  Now pulverize those baby! I used my Nutribullet and did it batches because the Nutribullet is a beast when it comes to pulverizing nuts and seeds.  Now pour your mixture into a nut milk bag (available at Whole Foods or online), or into a cheesecloth and strain the liquid out.  I put a mesh strainer over a bowl, added cheesecloth inside and once the liquid dripped through, I squeezed the rest of the goodness out of the bag and into the bowl. Now add your vanilla, cinnamon and Agave Nectar or sweetener of your choice, pour into your container of choice, refrigerate and enjoy!
*Optional Ingredients

Now that the milk was done I needed to find something to do with the almond pulp and after a quick search online, I decided on Almond Meal.  I dusted off my dehydrator and spread the pulp on a tray with the fruit leather insert and about 5 hours later it was almost done.  I put the almond 'pebbles' in my Nutribullet with the milling blade and turned it into a powder/flour/meal and then returned it to the dehydrator for one more hour.  The picture above in the mason jar shows the finished product that I will use to make some cookies, pancakes or something yummy. I will post the results. 

The almond milk turned out great and has a very clean and pure taste. It has the consistency of skim milk and that's a change from what I'm used to.  If you want a thicker, creamier consistency you can use 2 cups of water instead of three and modify the optional ingredients to your liking.  I will try that with my next batch and decide which I like better.  My daughter is already looking forward to eating it in her morning cereal so I'm guessing that it's not going to last very long.

Added benefit:  I've pulled out the dehydrator and I am going to be making fruit leather and beef jerky tomorrow.  I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time with my Nesco Dehydrator over the next few weeks or even months.  I'll be ready with tons of dehydrated food while everyone else is fighting in line at Giant Foods.  Now stop wasting time and go make some milk.