Pa-Kimchi

Name: Pa-Kimchi
Prep time: 1 h 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 2L
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 4 bunches spring onions (approximately 30 onions); 200ml fish sauce; 600ml water; 40g glutinous rice flour; 4 cloves garlic; 1 thumb-size piece fresh ginger; 25g caster sugar; 150g Gochugaru

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Pa-Kimchi

Ingredients

4 bunches spring onions (approximately 30 onions)
200ml fish sauce
600ml water
40g glutinous rice flour
4 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size piece fresh ginger
25g caster sugar
150g Gochugaru

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Large saucepan (for the rice paste)
Whisk
Grater or microplane (for the garlic and ginger)
Airtight jars or containers (for storing and fermenting)
Measuring jug/cup/spoons
Chef’s knife, chopping board, wooden spoon or spatula

Directions

PREP THE ONIONS

Wash and trim the ends of the spring onions. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Pour over the fish sauce and start to massage through the onions. Mix every 10 minutes like this for 1 hour.

MAKE THE CHILLI PASTE

Heat the water in a large saucepan over medium heat to just a simmer.
Whisk in the rice flour until smooth, then turn off the heat set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
Finely grate the garlic and ginger. Whisk into the rice mixture, along with the sugar and Gochugaru.

MIX AND STORE

Mix the chilli paste with the spring onions until well combined. Pack this tightly into containers or jars and seal.
Now, at this point, you can leave the kimchi out at room temperature to ferment for one week, making sure you burp the jars every day to let the gases out, then refrigerate. Or you can just refrigerate it as it is if you prefer to keep it fresh.

Notes

Cook support

Take your time to massage the spring onions to help them soften and wearing disposable gloves during the final mix will make the cleanup much easier.

Sourcing

Gochugaru and glutinous rice flour is available from Asian grocers and some major supermarkets.

Storage

This stores well in a tall glass container or jar, or a thick plastic container.

You can leave the kimchi out at room temperature to ferment for one week, making sure you burp the jars every day to let the gases out, then refrigerate. Or you can just refrigerate it as it is if you prefer to keep it fresh.

Chef Tips

Take your time massaging the spring onions with the fish sauce. This softens them and helps them absorb flavour properly instead of sitting raw and harsh.
Let the rice paste cool before mixing it in. If it’s too warm, it can dull the freshness of the onions and throw off the texture.
Wear gloves when mixing in the gochugaru. It stains and lingers on your hands longer than you think.
Pack the kimchi tightly into your jars. Less air means better fermentation and cleaner flavour.
Leave a little headroom in the jar. It will expand as it ferments.
Burp the jars daily if fermenting at room temperature. It prevents pressure build-up and keeps everything safe.
Taste it after a few days. Fresh gives you heat and bite, longer fermentation gives you depth and funk. You get to choose where you want it to land.
Use the leftover paste in the jar. It’s packed with flavour and great stirred into fried rice, marinades or sauces.