K-pop or K-drama, anyone? I’m sure we can relate to this in one way or the other. I remember the first K-drama – “Winter Sonata”, still one of the Top10 K-drama till todate. Of late, “Crash Landing On You” was the talk of the town but I’m sure “Winter Sonata” is unbeatable and still top the list!
Do you recall those “meal time” scene in those dramas? Gosh, how that made me drool everytime they eat! Be it kimchi ramen, or kimchi as sides, it just “taste” soooo good! Many a-time, I ended up pausing, and made instant ramen and “slurpppppp” along! Hahahaha! Do you?
What about K-pop? OMG! I must tell you about this! Baby A was obsessed with one of the K-pop group when she was 12/13 years old. I remembered queuing up for hours to get their concert tickets and indeed I’m the odd one there as most of them are youngsters. That’s not the end of the queuing odyssey. As the tickets we bought was in “Rock Zone”, we had to queue to get a good “standing” spot! YES! STANDING! NO RESERVED SEAT! Who would have paid for the MOST expensive tickets to STAND, right? I know! I must have been jinxed by some sort of spell to get me to adhere to that request! Anyway, YES, we went 6 hours before concert starts and mind you, there were already people crowding the area. It’s like a camping site. It seems that some actually spent overnight to get the few front spots! I couldn’t believe what I saw but I went ahead with it! I was so relieved when the line began to move – meaning they are opening the entrance to admit those in “ROCK ZONE”. Then……., the “angry” storm decided to pay us a visit! We were all drenched wet and the crowd start to cheer and sing with some shouting “raincoat for sale!” We grab 2! As they were disposables, it didn’t really help! What the hack! I pinched myself hoping it was a dream! Huhuhu! Don’t think so! Finally, we got to the “Rock Zone” and I got another “SHOCK OF MY LIFE”. It’s so crowded at the “ROCK ZONE”! Some people were pushing to get closer to the stage and they basically scream on top of the lungs, all excited! I’m sure I was the only “auntie” visible in that area holding a fan and water bottles to ensure my baby kept hydrated! As much as I wished for me to disappear from the scene, I think Baby A wish for the same! But, then again, I don’t think I would let her be at the “ROCK ZONE” all alone at that age. Can you picture the scene? Well, that was few years back and luckily the idol craze diminished as Baby A ventured into young adulthood. Boy! what an experience! I can only laugh at myself reminiscing those moments!
Somehow, korean cuisines start to creep into our life and we frequent some korean bbq restaurant and start to love the side dishes and of course one of them is KIMCHI!
I recalled having the best KIMCHI in Seoul, Korea. We went for a family trip as part of incentive trip that we had promised Baby A for achieving the great results. A simple mouthful of fragrant rice, wrapped with seaweed sheet and some kimchi was just awesome! I had so much of those during the 10-days trip! It was a great family trip for the 5 of us! Our maiden overseas family trip! Don’t mind doing that again – hint!hint! darling hubby! hope you read this one! 😊
Introducing my homemade kimchi! A challenge posted against myself to try out the recipe. I think it was a sharing in one of the FB group on the simple ingredients required that get me started on this idea to make homemade kimchi. It sound so simple but I resist the temptation for quite some time. I pushed the thoughts away but the urge grew stronger when everytime I prepared the shopping list, Baby A will request for KIMCHI to be included. A small packet which is overpriced in my opinion, finally got me to ACT! I started to ask “Uncle Google” for the recipe and read up multiple articles and watched multiple videos. Finally, I did it! It wasn’t as difficult as I imagined! This is another breakthrough for me – to prepare homemade dish that I’ve never thought I can!
A few trial and errors along the way with each batch kept at small portions. Then, I distributed to close family members for their feedback. After multiple trials, I finally found the consistency in the taste and thus, this blog sharing “Violet Drizzle Kimchi Recipe”!
Recipes as attached below :
Ingredients
- 500g napa cabbage
- 2 tbsp salt for soaking cabbage
- 300ml water for soaking cabbage
- 1 tbsp glutinuous rice flour
- 3 tbsp water for sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 inch of sliced ginger, optional
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
- 1 tbsp amino liquid
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 cup korean chilli flakes/powder
Some image of the ingredients I used in the recipe :
Chilli Flakes for Kimchi. Click on the image for the online purchase.
Liquid Aminos All Purpose Seasoning. Click on the image for online purchase.
Methods
- Cut the cabbage into half vertically. Split further into half again making 4 long strips. Remove the roots area and then divide to 4-5 sections of approx 1.5 inch each sections. [Note: do not cut too small as the cabbage will shrink after soadking].
- Rinse the cabbage to remove debris, if any.
- Spread a layer of sliced cabbage into another bowl and alternate by sprinkle salt in between the layer.
- Add water and set aside.
- Turn or mix the cabbage after half hour. Be sure to be gentle during first turning as you may break the cabbage.
- Turn and mix again every hour until the cabbage is soft and shrink almost half. This will take approximately 3-4 hours.
- While waiting for the cabbage to be ready, prepare the sauce.
- Mix the glutinuous rice flour, sugar and water. Pour them into a sauce pan to thicken them over a low heat. Keep stiring to avoid the bottom to be burnt. Continue to stir until a translucent batter/mixture achieved.
- Let it cool and add garlic, ginger, seasonings and chilli flakes.
- When the cabbage is soft, drain and rinse the cabbage 2-3 times to remove all excess salt to prevent further shrinkage.
- Squeeze the cabbage as dry as possible and ready to be mixed with sauce.
- Mix the cabbage and sauce by adding a portion of each to ensure they are evenly mixed.
- Transfer to glass jar or air-tight container. Press the kimchi down to remove any air pockets, if any.
- Leave in room temperature for 24 hours before transfer to fridge to stop the fermentation.
- It can be consumed as soon as they are mixed or some may prefer to be served cold.
Do give it a try as it is not as complicated as it seems.
Happy Trying!
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