♪♪
KIMCHI IS KOREAN
COMFORT FOOD.
THIS ZESTY BLEND OF FERMENTED
VEGETABLES HAS BEEN PART
OF THE KOREAN DIET
FOR AT LEAST 2,000 YEARS.
IT'S SO VALUED BY KOREANS
THAT SOME EVEN HAVE
SPECIAL REFRIGERATORS
FOR IT IN THEIR HOMES.
LIKE FINE WINE, KIMCHI MUST BE
KEPT AT A SPECIFIC TEMPERATURE
TO BE AT ITS BEST.
♪♪
FULL OF STOMACH-FRIENDLY
PROBIOTICS,
KIMCHI IS BELIEVED TO BE GOOD
FOR ONE'S HEALTH,
WHICH IS WHY DEMAND IS
ON THE RISE BEYOND
KOREAN BORDERS.
MAKING KIMCHI STARTS
WITH A PREPARATION OF
ORGANICALLY GROWN
VEGETABLES.
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT
RECIPES FOR KIMCHI.
THIS ONE IS VEGAN AND LESS SPICY
THAN SOME OTHER VERSIONS.
THE KITCHEN STAFF TRIMS
UNWANTED BITS FROM CARROTS
AND SCALLIONS.
THEY THEN PEEL WILTED
LEAVES OFF OF NAPA CABBAGE,
WHICH IS THE MAIN
INGREDIENT IN KIMCHI.
ITS TASTE IS SWEETER
AND SOFTER THAN REGULAR CABBAGE.
OVER AT THE SCRUB STATION,
A WORKER CLEANS THE TRIMMED
VEGETABLES
UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER.
IF HE MISSES
EVEN A SPECK OF DIRT,
IT COULD INTERFERE
WITH CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DURING THE FERMENTATION PROCESS.
THIS COULD SOUR
THE FLAVOR OF THE KIMCHI
AND SPOIL THE BATCH.
EACH VEGETABLE
MUST BE PRISTINE.
THE NEXT MEMBER OF THE TEAM
SHREDS THE CARROTS
USING AN INDUSTRIAL
FOOD PROCESSOR.
SHREDDED BITS OF CARROT
WILL FERMENT QUICKER
THAN BIG CHUNKS.
SCALLIONS CAN'T EASILY
BE SHREDDED,
SO HE DICES THEM BY HAND.
THE KITCHEN STAFF CARVES
THE CABBAGE INTO
FAIRLY LARGE STRIPS.
BECAUSE CABBAGE IS THIN,
BIGGER STRIPS WILL FERMENT
AT THE SAME PACE
AS THE SHREDDED CARROTS
AND DICED SCALLIONS.
THE NEXT INGREDIENT IS GINGER,
A SPICE
THAT WILL ADD FLAVOR
AND SOOTHE
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.
ANOTHER WORKER TRANSFERS
THE SHREDDED GINGER
TO A POROUS COTTON BAG.
SHE FOLDS THE BAG
A FEW TIMES
TO CREATE A PACKET
AND THEN PLACES
THE PACKET UNDER A PRESS.
THE PRESS SQUEEZES JUICE
FROM THE GINGER
AND EXTRACTS THE GINGER ESSENCE
WHILE LEAVING THE
STRINGY PULP BEHIND.
♪♪
THE WORKER WEIGHS
THE INGREDIENTS,
BEGINNING WITH
THE SHREDDED CARROT.
THIS IS THE LARGEST INGREDIENT
AFTER NAPA CABBAGE.
SHE THEN MEASURES
THE PORTION OF SCALLIONS
THAT THE RECIPE CALLS FOR.
SHE ADDS A SCOOP
OF CELTIC SEA SALT
AND CHECKS THE SCALE.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
INCLUDE CRUSHED GARLIC,
CHILI FLAKES,
AND THE GINGER JUICE.
SHE STIRS THE SEASONINGS
INTO THE VEGETABLES,
AND THE GINGER JUICE
BEGINS TO SATURATE
THE SCALLION
AND CARROT PIECES.
ALL THE INGREDIENTS NOW
COME TOGETHER IN THIS MIXER
WITH A BIG DOUGH HOOK.
THE WORKER ADDS THE CARROT
AND SCALLION BLEND
TO THE NAPA CABBAGE IN THE BASE
OF THE MIXING BOWL.
SHE ACTIVATES THE MIXER,
AND THE DOUGH HOOK FOLDS
ALL THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER.
FERMENTATION BEGINS,
TRIGGERED BY
THE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED SALT.
WORKERS THEN TRANSFER
THE MIXTURE
TO SPECIAL FERMENTATION CROCKS
AND PACK IT DOWN.
TWO HALF-CIRCLE CERAMIC
WEIGHTS ADD PRESSURE
TO THE SALTED INGREDIENTS.
JUICES FLOW AND IMMERSE
THE KIMCHI VEGETABLES,
CREATING AN OXYGEN-FREE
ENVIRONMENT.
THE SALT SUPPRESSES
THE GROWTH OF BAD BACTERIA,
ALLOWING THE GOOD
BACTERIA TO FLOURISH.
ANOTHER WORKER POURS WATER
INTO A MOAT AROUND THE LID,
CREATING A RING OF WATER
THAT ACTS AS A KIND OF SEAL,
ONE THAT WILL KEEP AIR
OUT OF THE CROCK
BUT WILL ALLOW FERMENTATION
GASES TO ESCAPE.
ONE WEEK LATER, THE KIMCHI
IS SUFFICIENTLY FERMENTED.
IT IS NOW A LIVING FOOD
FULL OF GOOD BACTERIA.
A WORKER PACKS THE KIMCHI
INTO JARS
AND WEIGHS EACH CONTAINER
TO CONFIRM
THAT THE AMOUNT IS CORRECT.
THE JARS MUST BE
COMPLETELY FULL
WITH NO AIR SPACE
BETWEEN THE KIMCHI
AND THE LIDS THAT COULD
COMPROMISE ITS SHELF LIFE.
SHE LABELS THE JARS
AND SHRINKWRAPS
A PLASTIC COLLAR
AROUND THE LIDS.
ONCE REFRIGERATED, KIMCHI CAN
LAST FOR UP TO 14 MONTHS.
WELL-PRESERVED, IT'S PRACTICALLY
ALWAYS READY TO BE SERVED.
