Hyun Chong Kim, chef/owner of O’Kims restaurant, got her first hands-on lesson in making kim chee at age 11, joining in the production that entailed gathering the best vegetables each season to make 100 pounds of kim chee to feed her city-dwelling family of four for three months.

The kim chee would be eaten plain, and made into soups and stews. In rural areas of Korea, families far from markets made much more to keep through winter.

Kim said most of her local customers prefer the taste and texture of fresh kim chee that is less than 3 days old. To get the sour flavor of fermentation, she said, she — like many native Koreans — prefers kim chee that is at least 7 days old.

She continues to make kim chee, served as a side dish on her plate lunches, and recently began selling 1-pound jars (market rate currently $5) at the Kakaako Farmers Market (see Page 3 for details on the market).

O’Kims Kim Chee

Hyun Chong Kim

• 2 heads won bok (about 5 inches across; also called Napa or Chinese cabbage)
• 2 Korean daikon, peeled
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup sea salt with no chemical additives (do not use table salt), divided
• 3/4 cup carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cup green onion, cut to 4-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup garlic chives, cut to 4-inch lengths
• >> Seasoning:
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup ginger
• 1 cup apple (diced, Fuji or Envy preferred)
• 1 tablespoon Korean salted and fermented baby shrimp
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup Korean chili power (coarse)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Cut cabbage lengthwise into quarters, remove core and cut into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut daikon into 1-by-1-by-1/4-inch slices.

Combine water and 1/2 cup salt; dissolve well. Add cabbage and sprinkle with 1/4 cup more salt. Brine 4-6 hours until cabbage is soft, thoroughly mixing with hands every 2 hours.

Rinse out salt with running water and strain. Let cabbage rest at room temperature 2 hours.

Put daikon in another bowl, sprinkling with remaining 1/4 cup salt. Toss a couple times and set aside 2 hours. Rinse with running water and strain. Let rest 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make seasoning: In a blender combine garlic, ginger, apple, salted shrimp, onion, rice and water. Blend into a paste. Put into large bowl, then add chili powder and fish sauce. Wearing gloves, mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature at least 2 hours.

In a large bowl combine carrots, green onion, chives and seasoning. Mix well. Add cabbage and daikon. Mix well. Put into 5-quart glass jars with airtight lids. Store in refrigerator at least 3 days before eating.

Nutritional information unavailable.