Maximum authenticity

  The last batch of kimchi that got fermented under my watchful eye got me motivated to search out gochu garu, the particular type of chilli that I have noticed on the proper Korean recipes. The different types of chillis I've been using up until now have produced a variety of results but as they are so powerful, I've been very cautious.

  As a result of investigating the proper method of kimchi production, I noticed that the amount of gochu garu that gets added is enormous which means that though it's hot, a lot more is needed to create the kick. This also explains why my kimchi isn't the deep red colour I associate with the real deal.

Just noticed that all this stuff is Japanese. Oopsie!

  There is however another hurdle between me and authentic kimchi. Part of the recipe involves creating a paste that all the chopped vegetables get vigorously rubbed in. This includes the aforementioned chilli as well as garlic, ginger and onion, which I use, but, in the authentic version there's also a goopy soup made from boiled rice flour that gets added. Because I'm a difficult bugger, I skip that bit and end up with a waterier version but I'm still happy because I don't lose any of the flavour.

  The management's family live in New Malden in south London. This is exceptionally relevant because this is the home to the possibly twenty thousand Koreans (according a rudimentary bit of research) who have chosen to live there. Korea town therefore offers access to loads of restaurants and supermarkets, which is super convenient if I'm down visiting the family like I was recently, as you can see from the above snap.

It could be massive or tiny

  It's worth mentioning at this point that you're going to have to wait a fair old while for the punchline to this post. Not only does kimchi take about ten days to ferment and develop it's particular flavour but I still have many weeks supply sitting my fridge so by the time I've eaten my way through that lot and got a new batch brewing you'll have totally forgotten about this post anyway.

Kirk out

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