This is a photo of 'Water Apple Kimchi' or 'Mul Kimchi with Apple' or 'Summer Mul Kimchi' that I made.
'Mul' means Water in Korean.
This is a typical Korean Kimchi~~~less spicy ~~~immersed in water. This is a cold soup Kimchi that we can eat with noodle or rice when in summer or anytime. My mom made the best 'Water Kimchi' that I ...saw her making it all the time, and my grandma's favorite dish. I added Apple to give a lovely Sweet crunch to the dish as well as a HaPPy flash of great colour!
Kimchi is all about the process of maturation, which determines the taste and smell of Kimchi.
I made this food with Apple and Radish and Hot peppers and green onion and garlic.
For the maturation process, I left it at room temperature for one day and then kept in the refrigerator between uses.
I made it with my wish for us to work all together in the pursuit of preserving our family and humanity
I also made it with my hope to bring the maturation of humanity.
We all work together to come to understand what it means to humanity.
We all need to come together in the form of maturation
For me, this is one of the memory foods for my life. Mul Kimchi was the first Korean food I made when I came to America.
When in Korea, I rarely had a chance to cook because I was the only baby ~~~the younest and last baby at my house~~~nobody expected me to cook.
When in America, I had to cook in order not to starve because I came to America all by myself!
**************
Seventeen years ago today in 1994, I took an airplane for the first time departing from Korea to come to Albany, New York to study. It was my first time being in an airplane, I remember feeling a mixture of emotions between fear and excitement about a place that was unknown and new to me. I did not know anyone and just dreamt of getting my Ph.D.
I came to America with TWO pieces of luggage in my hand, like most American ancestors who beckoned to the call of Lady Liberty. The statue says it all: "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..." America absorbs all the world.
TWO pieces of luggage in my hand ~~~ filled with all the past~~~ all the history ~~~all the tears from innocent victims~~~all the wisdoms from our grandmothers’ survival ~~~ all the sufferings from starvation and manipulation~~~ all the choices and changes for embracing earth and worshiping the Mother Nature~~~ all the fears from witnessing horrible bloody killings of crying innocent people ~~~ all the endurance from witnessing horrible bloody killings ~~~ all the agonies for people who never had a chance, but died innocently~~ all the helping tears and healing wishes from Crying Land~~~from bloody murders by perpetrators~~~all the pure and endless LOVE that I have received through mothers and grandmothers, but covered with their extreme sacrifice.
And ~~~ filled with all the resilience of the dandelion ~~~the beauty of Dandelion Flowers ~~~Dandelion Spirits through mothers and grandmothers who have lived in hope through much violence and wars!
Like all others, I arrived with unrealized~~~unnoticed during the seeming storms, turmoil, cloudiness, distress, and pain of our lives. Because America is an amazing place, I saw fairly beautiful sides of America~~~ American dreams.
After I had a near-death, I started realizing different perceptions on America.
During my Seventeen years' living in America since 1994, I see both good side and ugly side of America.
I have witnessed good and bad, justice and injustice, fairness and unfairness, corruption and willing to fix corruption of America.
**************
Among American settlers, some came to escape persecution with immigrant baggage from a fascist, religion or others issues, others came for the pursuit of dreams and desires in the land of opportunity. Some came ~~~for the freedoms ~~~for the privileges while others came with the inheritance of slavery system bringing slaves. Some of early American ancestors were fighting for freedom and liberty while others killed and turned women into sex slaves for the settlers and slave-owners.
One popular saying was:
“Just go out there and simply grab nice Indian girls” ~~~
Under the theme of Equality and Freedom and LIBERTY, America was formed while there were still divisions across the genders and racial discrimination, entitled royalty breeding bullies, the other into slaves & breeders~~~This discrimination still continues, and it is even TODAY!
This is the TIME to work together go beyond discrimination!
This is the TIME to learn to Live Well & Live Simple with mutual respect and coexistence, NOT just live better at the expense of others!
**********
Making Summer Mul Kimchi
*Step ONE: Soaking the radish and cabbage
Ingredients
About two bunches of red radishes (and/or regular radishes and/or cabbage).
3 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt
Directions:
1. Peel the radishes with a knife and remove any brown or wilted outer leaves or the dead leaves.
2. Cut it into pieces about one inch long or preferable/bite sizes
3. Wash them gently and drain water and put them into a big bowl
4. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt evenly on radishes (and/or cabbage).
5. Soak about two hours. Since this is a summer version of Mul Kimchi, the Soaking time is shorter than regular Kimchi
6. Rinse thoroughly in cold water at least three times
7. Drain radishes (and/or cabbage) from soaking in the brine on a rack for 2 hours. To save time, you can squeeze out all the water.
*Step TWO: Making Summer Mul Kimchi Glue:
3 tablespoons of flour or cooked rice
2 cups of water
Directions:
1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of flour into 2 cups of water
2. In a sauce pan, heat it over medium heat.
3. Keep stirring until the liquid thickens.
4. Turn it off when you see some bubbles and let it cool (this should look like a porridge)
*Step THREE: Making Kimchi sauce:
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoons of hot pepper flakes
1/2 medium size onion –roughly chopped
2-3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of fish sauce ( I used anchovy fish sauce-if you are vegetarian, substitute it for salt).
1/4 cup of ground dried red hot pepper or Cayenne Pepper (I used paprika here)
Summer Kimchi Glue
Directions: Put all ingredients into blender or a food processor and blend well until creamy
Now, finally we are ready for *Making Summer Kimchi:
*Step FOUR: Making Summer Mul Kimchi:
Ingredients
3-5 scallions- cut into 1 inch lengths
1/2 apple-sliced
2-3 red chili peppers (or 2-3 green chili peppers)
Five cups of purified water.
Kimchi sauce
Directions:
1. Pour the cool porridge into the bowl and mix with scallions and apple and chili peppers
2. Add drained soaked the radish and cabbage.
3. Transfer the Mul kimchi into a container or glass jar.
4. Add five cups of purified water and cover the lid.
*Step SIX: Kimchi maturation
For the maturation process, I left it at room temperature for one day and then keep in the refrigerator between uses.
Enjoy!See More
