Friday, April 12, 2013

K = Kaiser and Kimchi

a-to-z-letters-k
Many people are familiar with the title Kaiser which was used in Kaiser_Wilhelm_IiGermany and Prussia to denote their Emperors. Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor. He was the grandson of England’s Queen Victoria and reading about him sounds like a real idiot. I could use a stronger word. He abdicated at the beginning of World War I which was prosecuted by his generals but basically caused by his aggressive foreign policy. He, himself, ran to the Netherlands to live. However, many people do not realise that Caesar, the title of the Emperors of Rome was also pronounced the same way, not with a soft C but a hard one like a K. In fact the way we say a lot of Latin words is not how the Romans themselves pronounced them.


When I lived in North Carolina I used to buy Kimchi a lot. It is a  Korean pickle which was readily available there because we were surrounded by Marine bases. Many of the Marines had acquired a taste for it when in Korea, also a number of them had married Korean wives who, of course, made Kimchi. It is pretty hot and spicy. I have never tried making my own, but maybe now I have this basic recipe, I will have a go. I have never found it for sale here. I found this recipe by Kevin at Closet Cooking. Thanks Kevin. This is a very simple version, there are many different versions however, if you want to be adventurous.


Kimchi

Ingredients:
1 medium napa cabbage (about 2-3 pounds)Kimchi
1/2 cup salt
1 bunch green onions (sliced into 1 inch pieces)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch ginger (grated)
1 cup gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegetarian version)

Directions:
1. Cut the napa cabbage in half, remove the core and slice the cabbage into 1 inch wide strips.
2. Place a layer of cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle some salt onto the cabbage. Repeat until all of the cabbage is in the bowl and salted.
3. Let the cabbage sit in the salt for a few hours.
4. Rinse the salt from the cabbage.
5. Mix the cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, gochugaru and fish sauce in the large bowl.
6. Place the cabbage mixture into a sealable container leaves a couple of inches at the top.
7. Seal the container and let ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days.
8. Place the container in the fridge and let ferment for a couple more days.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

28 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to try Kimchi, but I don't trust myself to make it on my own. I might have to see if there is a restaurant somewhere that makes it.

    I had heard somewhere that the smell can be a little intimidating, but that the taste is pretty awesome??

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    1. I love Kimchi as I said, but yes, the smell is not pleasant. One could buy it in the stores where we lived in NC. It is very, very spicy.

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  2. I am slogging through 'To End all Wars' about WW I. I've learned a lot about how Germany goaded Austria into a war and about how inept every country seemed to be at fighting it. As for kimchi, we made this in one of my culinary classes. Haven't made it since.

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    1. War is terrible, but that was a terrible war. The trenches were enough to kill you, without the enemy.

      Did you not like the kimchi once you had made it?

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    2. I could take it or leave it. I think it is an acquired taste. I had a friend whose brother married a Korean girl who made it by burying it in the backyard. That memory still sticks with me.

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    3. Never heard of burying it before. Seems a little extreme doesn't it?

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  3. So we've been pronouncing it wrong all these years?

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    1. Yup. Mind you I learnt this years ago and I still pronounce it wrong.

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  4. Kaiser W...one of the great morons of all time! But Kimchi...now you're talkin'!

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    1. Wasn't he just?

      Yummy, delicious and hot.

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  5. Kimchi has potential. Maybe served with a Kaiser roll.

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  6. I knew the word Kaiser came from Caesar. I thought it was fascinating. Your recipe today sounds delicious, Jo, but I have a problem with cabbages.

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    1. Hm, its fermented cabbage too, wouldn't want you burping more fire all over the place. Pity though, its so good to eat.

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  7. I am quite the adventurous eater but I must say Kimchi I only tried once... Maybe I should try your recipe - homemade might be tastier.
    A month of Blog...

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    1. One thing I had forgotten, til somebody mentioned it, it does have a somewhat unappealing smell. But once you get past that, its delicious, so long as you like hot and spicy.

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  8. I've been mispronouncing my salad of choice my whole life? Oh the humiliation.

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    1. Took me a few moments for the penny to drop there, its my salad of choice too, but can you imagine asking for a Kaiser salad in a restaurant???

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  9. I like kimchi, although there have been a few versions of it I wasn't as fond of. You can get it here, too, because of the Army installation at Fort Leonard Wood. We have a few Korean restaurants in St Robert, too.

    I might give this recipe a try.

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    1. Yeah, I've found that too Sia, does depend how its made. We have quite a few Korean restaurants round here as well.

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  10. Sorry, I've tried kimchi. Once was enough. Definitely an acquired taste.

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    1. I guess I acquired it then 'cos I can eat it by the ton.

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  11. What a delight entry. I learned so much from you! Thank you!
    jean

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  12. I had no idea about the hard K sound in Caesar and I took two years of Latin in high school!

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    1. Of course it could have changed in modern pronounciation of the Latin language, but I read a book a few years ago which explained it all and gave the correct way to pronounce lots of names and titles. Like Lucullus which is also a hard k sound and other words which haven't stuck in my memory I'm afraid.

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  13. Stopping by with "A to Z." I love kimchi! I make kimchi soup and it is the perfect soup for when I have a cold.

    Good luck with the rest of the alphabet! Katie @www.itfoodie.com

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    1. Never heard of Kimchi soup, do you have a recipe?

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