Have you ever enjoyed eating something so much you think it is hardwired in your DNA? That is how I feel about kimchi, and it might be true seeing as my Haelmoni and Halabojee were from Korea. Kimchi is a delicious explosion of umami, spice, crunch, and sour. It is now a trendy food item, but most of the kimchi you can find at regular grocery stores is not good IMO. I knew I would not be able to find good kimchi while I was in Oberlin, Ohio, so I decided to make my own and bring it with me in my checked bags.
Making the kimchi was easy enough, you just need gochugaru (Korean coarse chili powder), napa cabbage, salt, fish sauce (which is optional), and water. Such simple ingredients for such a powerful food. I opted to add regular green cabbage in addition to the napa because my favorite kimchi from Peking Gourmet in Garden Grove, CA uses green cabbage. It adds a different type of crunch with a similar flavor to the napa. I mixed the ingredients with the cabbage with my hands, which is so not wise to do if you have any cuts on your hands (oh it burns), and packed that cabbage into jars. It ferments at room-temperature for a couple days, then sits in the fridge until you want to eat it. This plan worked well for me because the cabbage would be at variable temperatures while I travelled then could be thrown in my dorm fridge. I made too many jars to take with me, so I gave some to my sister and my parents to enjoy later. I packed two sizeable jars into my suitcase, wrapping them in paper towels, two plastic bags, socks, and other cushioned material, and set off back to school.
