What is Kimchi?
Kimchi is an organic fermented food that is fermented by adding ingredients to various vegetables and then salted. If you mix vegetables with seasoning to make kimchi and ripen it, it has a unique taste and aroma that is different from the original taste.
Lactobacillus produced in the process of kimchi fermentation inhibits the reproduction and development of harmful bacteria to prevent corruption and age kimchi, and beneficial microorganisms and enzymes change, which is called kimchi aging. So Kimchi is called fermentation science.
One of the most progressive ways to preserve vegetables for a long time is to ripen them by pickling them with salt or vinegar. Salt, which is indispensable in kimchi, depends on fat and season, personal preference, and family eating habits, but salt plays a crucial role in making kimchi taste.
Kimchi is a food and work made with dozens of ingredients. The ingredients used in kimchi can be divided into four main ingredients: main ingredients, spices, condiments, and other ingredients. In addition to cabbage and radish, which are the main ingredients, there are about 30 kinds of vegetable ingredients. Vegetables such as gat, minari, carrot, and scallions are used for the ingredients, and animal materials such as meat, fish, and salted fish are used a lot.
To pick and trim materials
If you want to make delicious kimchi and eat it for a long time, you have to pay a lot of attention to the choice of ingredients. Organic grown ingredients in a clear and clean natural environment have excellent taste and storage. Let's find out how to choose the main ingredients of kimchi such as cabbage and radish, and the seasoning ingredients that enhance the taste of kimchi, such as red pepper powder and salted fish.
Cabbage
Cabbage is the most important basic ingredient in kimchi and should be chosen with the utmost care. It is recommended to be medium in size, heavy and tight in the stomach. The leaves are thin and light green, and the stems are moist and fresh when pressed on the white part. Black spots on the outer leaves are more likely to have eaten insects to the inside, so it's better to avoid them.
Radish (mu)
Choose the one with a smooth, glossy body and fresh radish leaves. It's delicious growing up in mud. The whole radish is white and the blue part is blue, and the more the blue part, the stronger the sweetness. Especially, if you want to choose a radish that is not windy, you can tap it to make a full sound and choose a heavy one when you choose a heavy one. Slice radish slices vertically and long because fiber remains and is not good for digestion, cut it into pieces and shred it in a round shape. Cut the radish in advance about a day before, and it will give you a bitter taste, so cut it when you need it should be used.
chong-gag mu (Types of radishes produced in Korea)
It is good to have small, hard, and fresh radish. The round, wide-spread radish leaves are light and delicious, and the light radish is much better than the thick ones. If you peel the skin, the radish will easily ripen, so wash off the dirt on the outside by rubbing it with a sponge.
Yeolmu (Types of radishes produced in Korea)
Choose a fresh root that is small and thin but has thick stems and blue leaves. Do not cut off the roots, just trim the ends a little, scrape off the fine hairs, and then clean up the mess in the area where the roots and leaves are connected.
Godeulbuggi
The cuddle leaves pick the ones that are prickly, glossy, and chubby in their roots. Remove the root's fine hairs and yellow and tough leaves and wash them clean with the roots to soak them in salt water for a week to fully prepare the bitter taste. Change the water about once along the way, and press it down with a stone so that it doesn't float on the water.
leaf mustard (Korean name : Gat)
Gat has long, light stems, soft and glossy leaves. The dark, fluffy colors smell good and taste good. Remove the rough outer leaves and cut the root part and pick it up. If you shake it too much or mix it, you should be careful because it smells like green.
chili
When selecting peppers, choose one that has a good color, gloss, and a good top. It's good to have a thick shell and a small seed, but the round end is thick and light. It's important to choose the red pepper well, but you have to keep it well so that you can keep the taste for a long time. When you touch green peppers, hard things are generally spicy. The green pepper must be washed several times under running water to remove the top. Since the pesticide residue is left on the tip of the pesticide, cut off the sharp end and use it when cooking.
※ How to store peppers: When storing peppers as they are, put them in paper bags or mesh bags and place them in a well-ventilated place to avoid moisture and direct sunlight. When storing in powder, dried peppers are dried to powder and left with salt, so that no insects.
Cabbage (yangbaechu : type of cabbage)
It's better to be heavy and stuffy. Choose the one with as many green leaves as possible, since only white inner leaves are left over from the old outer leaves. To cut and sell in half, choose the one that is straight and not crooked. You have to soak it in salt water for a long time to soften the leaves.
Branch (Korean name : gaji)
The surface is firm, the top is not dry, and the spines on the top are fresh. Choose a dark purple, flawless, glossy one.
Cucumber (Korean name : oi)
Cucumbers are more nutritious and better to eat as they grow older. Choose straight ones, but the spines on the skin are sharp and shiny, fresh. It's better to have no wounds and flowers attached. When washed by rubbing with salt, the color becomes clear and clean. Cut and use the top part because it tastes bitter.
Sesame leaf
Choose a soft, worm-eaten one with a medium size and light green color. Larger leaves are less tasty because they are tough and stiff. Wash each sheet clean under running water and shake it off and put it upside down on the tray, which will naturally drain off.
leek (Korean name : bu chu)
Chives are blue and vivid, and they are not soft to the inside of the dan but fresh. It's better not to be too big or too strong, so choose the one with round, thin and small leaves. There are traditional and improved species, whose leaves are short and chubby and taste much better. Because it will soon wither, it is better to cook immediately after purchase, and if possible, use it all at once instead of leaving it behind. You have to wash it right before cooking to keep it for a longer time.
Carrot
It's good to have a clear orange color and a smooth skin, and a heavy feeling when you hold it with a hand. Avoid oversized ones because they are tough and uncomfortable to chew. The dirt on the outside is fresh and delicious. Carrots contain an ascorbinase enzyme that destroys vitamin C, so it's better not to eat with other raw vegetables.
water parsley (Korean name : minali)
It is recommended that the stem be constant, plump, leafy, and free of blemishes, not too thick or thin. Avoid small hairs on the root stem because they are tough. Since the leaves have a weak scent, use only the stem of kimchi.
Oyster
It is recommended that the egg be plump and slippery in a slightly blue milky color. When you hold it in your hand, it is chewy and heavy, and when you press it with your finger, it is refreshing to have elasticity. Shake lightly in thin salt water to pick out the skin and blemishes, then sieve them out and remove the water. If you put a lot in the sauce, the kimchi will cook quickly, so it's better not to put it in the kimchi you're going to leave for a long time When washing for raw food, put it in a radish juice and stir it once to make it clean enough to eat the circuit.
Octopus (Korean name : nag ji)
Octopus has an exact suction cup attached to its legs and has a strong sucking sensation. Cabbage kimchi is usually mixed with salted fish or seafood and used in cattle. If you put it in radish or white kimchi with a lot of soup, it doesn't smell fishy and adds flavor.