So my first day at the farmers market starts on May 3, 2017. I decided today was the day I started to craft my kimchi in anticipation for the upcoming markets. First and foremost, and the most critical aspect of crafting John's Kimchi is its paste, and it is somewhat labor-intensive, but I would like to invite you all to follow me on the journey:
Peeled garlic all day long
Chunks and chunks of ginger :)
Seemingly, a mountain of onions
A million pounds of fish sauce
Unfortunately, I had to recruit the assistance of little, baby fermented shrimps :(. You can still see their little eyes staring at you, but its too late to say I'm sorry
John's Kimchi base, comprising of water, sugar and flour. Many of my customers enquire as to why I use flour and sugar in my paste, and I make something up such as: well, the flour and the sugar, with the assistance of the bacterias inherent in the vegetables, helps to break everything down in order to produce lactic and acidic acid that contributes to the tangy and tart nature of John's Kimchi
The union of parts - this is the most crucial step, because I always want to puree and blend everything down to its individual molecule, so that you don't accidentally bite into a whole garlic glove and such
A towering amount of Korean pepper flakes. Many of my customers ask me what differentiates my product from the kimchi that is readily available on Asian market shelves, and I just simple answer: Korean pepper flakes. There is a process of cultivating, curing and processing of Korean peppers in order to bring it to its processed form. The whole process imparts upon the peppers a rounder, earthier tone, with a hint of sweetness on the tonsils at the very end of consumption. This is not something that you can purchase in bulk for cheap at your local wholesales markets
The finished product