With all the clamor about kimchi being able to cure the bird flu, maybe it's about time to learn the ancient art of making this fermented cabbage dish (and all of its Lactobacillus bacteria goodness). Fortunetly, with a little patience, the steps to making this Korean delicacy are easy. However, recipes for kimchi are abundant on the internet, so which do you choose? One of the simpler and tasty recipes I tried is presented by the Pyongyang metro (oddly enough, this is hosted on the webpage for the mass transit of North Korea's capital).
Basically, there are four main ingredients in kimchi: salt, chili powder, cabbage, and time. The chili powder is not the normal kind you'll find in the usual western grocery aisles, but is a special Korean red chili pepper powder. You usually want to go to Korean or Asian mart for this spicy and slightly sweet powder. In the end, the mixture of these ingredients produces a pungent, sour, and spicy cabbage treat that is a great addition to a meal, either as a main ingredient or side dish.
I like to make a large batch and store it in a tupperware or large jar in the refrigerator. If I'm storing it for a long time, however, I'll usually split up the portions into smaller containers to reduce the exposure to air. If you freeze kimchi, it will keep for three months.
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