New Thing 118, New Thing Every Day: Make Kimchee

Okay, so I am cheating on this one a little bit because it turns out that making Kimchee is a process that takes a little over a week and, since I had already planned for this to be my New Thing, I am just sticking with it. So, today I have done the grocery shopping -- starting with Schnucks and ending with Lee's, for the Korean salted shrimp -- and the first step of the preparation.

Step one is chopping up the Napa cabbage, coating it with kosher salt, covering it in a bowl with water, and letting it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

The second step is basically mixing in the remaining ingredients:

• 8 ounces daikon radish, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks
• 4 medium scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (use all parts)
• 1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger (from about a 2-ounce piece)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves (from 6 to 8 medium cloves)
• 2 teaspoons Korean salted shrimp, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

I am going to substitute kochujang (Korean chili paste) for the red pepper powder and granulated sugar (since, as you may remember from my first visit to the Asian market, we already have that in the refrigerator).

The third step is to put everything in a mason jar and let it ferment for a week.

I'll let you know how it turns out.