Kim Chee

Ingredients:

     2         Heads chinese cabbage,              
     6         Green onions - chopped
     4         Cloves garlic
     1/2 c     Salt
     1 1/2     Inch of ginger
     1 1/2 lb  Diakon
     4 tb      Red pepper
     1         Stalk celery
     1 tb      Sugar
     1         Hard semiripe pear

Procedure
Cut celery into matchsticks. Peel pear and cut into thin strips. Cut green onions into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Chop garlic. Mince ginger. Sprinkle cabbage with salt. Stand 3 hours, turning occasionally. Mix in another bowl the radish and onion. Mix all else in a third bowl. Add to radish mix and stir. Rinse cabbaage and pack into a jar with the other stuff, alternating layers. Press down ( My mother used a clean rock on top of a small plate to give constant pressure). Keep in a cool place 3 days to a month.

Remember, this is a concoction of a similar vein to sauerkraut. Bacteria develop that acidify the mixture, and they will continue to grow in the KimChee even in the refrigerator, making it more acidic and also pressurizing the jar. Be careful when opening it.

My mother never was one for the celery or pear, but she did sometimes add thinly sliced squid. You could probably get away with a crushed paste of Anchovies for a similar effect. This is a highly personal dish, play around with it.

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