Chang's kimchi — specifically his napa cabbage kimchi adapted for a restaurant context — demonstrates the essential fermentation parameters: the salt percentage for effective Lactobacillus activity, the specific Korean chilli (gochugaru) that produces kimchi's colour and heat, and the fish sauce and fermented shrimp (jeot-gal) that provide the animal-protein umami base unavailable from vegetables alone.
- **The salting:** Napa cabbage quartered, salted (2–3% by weight) and weighted for 1–2 hours. The osmotic pressure draws water from the cabbage cells — producing wilted, pliable leaves that absorb the chilli paste evenly. - **The rinsing:** The salted cabbage is rinsed and squeezed — the salt level is now distributed through the cabbage rather than sitting on the surface. - **Gochugaru:** Korean dried red chilli flakes — not cayenne, not paprika. The specific chemical profile of Capsicum annuum var. gochugaru (slightly fruity, moderately hot, with a specific dried character) is the colour and flavour foundation. [VERIFY] Chang's gochugaru specification. - **The fish sauce and jeot-gal:** The umami foundation — without them, kimchi lacks the specific funk-and-depth that distinguishes it from chilli-dressed cabbage. - **The fermentation:** Packed tightly in sealed containers, left at room temperature for 1–3 days (more at warm temperatures, less at cool), then refrigerated. The Lactobacillus from the cabbage's natural surface flora drives the fermentation. - **Fresh vs fermented:** Fresh kimchi (geotjeori — undressed immediately before eating) is sweet, bright, and crisp. 3-day-fermented kimchi is slightly sour and developed. 2-week kimchi is complex and deeply flavoured. Each has specific applications.
Momofuku