Winter has finally arrived on the Korean peninsula. Winter in Korea also means it’s time to make kimchi. Kimjang is the traditional Korean period in which Kimchi is prepared for Um-dong, the coldest 3 or 4 months of winter.
A couple of days ago, Kelly Kwon informed us about the kimchi making event. Being a vegetarian I had my doubts about the dish and preferred to stay away from the famed pickle. But a stronger appeal by Mr. Karl Shim of FLIK made me budge and before long I was also in the list of ladies trying their hand at making kimchi. A handful of people headed over to the Seobu Soccer Field to make this spicy cabbage concoction and were pleasantly surprised by the huge crowd gathered at the ground and by the mountains of cabbage and washtubs full of red pepper paste. I was told by my fellow companions that the Kimchi would be a Christmas gift to an orphanage. Even more reasons to soil your hands. We were covered from head to toe with raincoat, rubber gloves and scarves before we embarked on our mission, Mission Kimchi.
Kimchi, despite its reputation as rotten cabbage, actually refers to the process whereby vegetables are pickled using a paste made up of red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, radish and green onion. Basically, to make kimchi, you grab the head of a cabbage (which has been washed and quartered) in one hand and a handful of the pepper paste in the other. Using a kind of washing motion, you rub the red pepper into the individual leaves until the head is covered in the paste. It’s then placed into a separate tub and sprinkled with salt to speed up the pickling process.We spent the better part of that afternoon rubbing pepper paste in the cabbage and posing to eager photographer trying to capture a weagookin’s interest in kimchi. Being organized by HHI, the event witnessed many famous personalities whose names my mind failed to register. After all the backbreaking process, we were treated to a delicious Korean meal, which unfortunately I had to skip due to my lack of appetite. Overall the kimchi making event gave me an idea of the beloved Korean side dish.
