The mission of the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago (KCCoC) is to promote and organize Korean cultural, arts, educational, and social activities. KCCoC aims to establish a venue where all Korean Americans and other groups can participate in programs and events that celebrate Korean culture and heritage. KCCoC strongly encourages cross-cultural understanding that can embrace and empower all people to coexist peacefully.

Kimchi has been a staple in the diet of Koreans for thousands of years. It is a great method of preserving vegetables throughout the season when the refrigerator was not available and also a great source of vitamins and other necessary dietary elements. Now it has become a well known and loved recipe internationally, because it has a special character of making someone becoming adhered and addicted once they have experienced its taste.

My wife and I, not being good at cooking, tried to make a Kimchi when we first got married in 1974. At that time, not many ingredients were available. But we had cabbage and hot peppers. Just remembering the scene when my mother and sister had made Kimchi years ago, we salted cabbage and put hot peppers and green onions in the bottle and left it there for a day. We did not know how it would turn out. In fact, we did not expect it to be good at all! But to our big surprise, when we tasted it, it truly was delicious. I still remember that triumphant moment.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head green cabbage (2.5 pounds)
• 4 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 3 tablespoons salted shrimp, finely chopped (saeujeot)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

Instructions:

1. Remove tough outer leaves of the cabbage if any. Cut the cabbage head into quarters and remove the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter into bite-sized pieces (about 2-inch squares). Rinse the cabbage and drain.

2. Place the cabbage in a large bowl. Dissolve the salt in 2 cups of water, and toss well to coat evenly. Leave it for an hour or 2 until the cabbages have softened, flipping over once or twice halfway through or every 30 minutes. Rinse the salted cabbage once, and drain to remove excess water.

3. Mix the chili pepper flakes (gochugaru), salted shrimp (saeujeot), sugar, garlic, and ginger with 1/2 cup of water.

4. Using a kitchen glove, mix everything well by hand until the cabbage pieces are well coated with the gochugaru mix.

5. Place in an airtight container or a jar, pressing down hard to remove air pockets. Leave it out in room temperature for half a day or overnight. Then, refrigerate.

Taste From Home is brought to you by the Chicago Cultural Alliance. Our mission is to connect, promote, and support centers of cultural heritage for a more inclusive Chicago. 

Taste from Home is collection of recipes and stories inspired by the food that defines who we are and where we come from. As we are all home exploring new recipes and cuisines, we encourage you to share a recipe and story with us that connects you to your family and cultural heritage. 

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