Tips for making kimchi

Tips for making kimchi

You can make kimchi without the optional fish sauce but please know that it is REALLY good with it. You can’t exactly taste the fish sauce in the kimchi but it really adds to the depth of the flavors. I’m sure it also helps with fermentation.

It is also worth it to find the proper Korean chili pepper powder, Kochukaru which is sold in most asian markets. It is not as hot and spicy as it looks, although it does have a kick. Use half as much if you like less hotness. If you can’t find it, don’t despair just grind up the pepper flakes (which are hotter than the korean pepper so you use less).

Eat kimchi with eggs, meat or even just rice… it’s a tasty way to get some beneficial bacteria!

thai fish sauce would make the kimchi taste bad

This recipe came out great! It was my first attempt at making kimchi at home and I am very pleased. I used thai fish sauce since I had it in my fridge, as well as thai red curry paste, and although other recipes I found warned that thai fish sauce would make the kimchi taste bad, I think its great and it doesn’t taste particularly different from any other kimchi I’ve ever tried. The curry paste was in fact a bit too spicy, so I will use less next time or make my own, the kimchi makes me sweat which is not a bad thing I suppose. Finally I added a shredded carrot, as my daikon was not that big, and I squeezed a lime over everything when I mixed it all up.

I put it all in an airtight plastic container and put it in my cupboard for a little less than three days total. Checked it once after 24 hours to mix it up. When I opened it this afternoon it looked and smelled great, no rancid rotten odors or anything. So now its in my fridge but I’ve already eaten a bunch of it at room temperature and its excellent. I have a ton of it now, too

kimchi freaks out

I am soooo happy there are kimchi freaks out there who make this sh** from scratch. I ve been very unsuccessful myself when making a batch at home. I would always end up with bubbly rotten cabbage :-( bleh… But! amazingly enough i followed this super old-butt recipe from grandma’s grandma and man was that delish. Spicy as hell and red as baboon’s ass. I’ve finished it just by nibblng on it with every meal (consisting pretty much of kimchi and kimchi), so didn’t have much time to experiment, but my absolute favorite is kimchi fried rice.

I just posted my ultimate kimchi recipe and cannot wait to try it again. What else should work apart from cabbage and radishes? spinach leaves? kohlrabi bulb? hm….

kimchi-making are the cabbage and the chili powder/flakes

The two most important factors in kimchi-making are the cabbage and the chili powder/flakes. Make sure you pick out a firm heavy head of cabbage…the best chili mixture will not save a bad/bitter cabbage. Maybe even taste it while you’re buying it; it should have a certain sweetness. This rule is also crucial when picking out radishes for radish kimchi (I still have a hard time picking “good” ones).

You have the get the right chili powder/flakes. Firstly, it must be a Korean brand. Secondly, it should not be too flaky nor too finely ground. Thirdly, it should be a really bright, vibrant red (avoid the darker variety). The best chili powder comes directly from Korea, my mom keeps hers in the freezer.

Now, onto easy and delicious recipes that kimchi lovers must try:

The best kimchi jjigae is made with pork ribs. period. Just throw the ribs, kimchi, and kimchi juice (the more the better) into the pot, cover with water, and just let it simmer and simmer and simmer until the ribs are meltingly cooked through (maybe the fermented kimchi helps tenderize the meat?) and the kimchi is soft but still has some bite to it.

Adding sliced tofu is also a must, but you want to add it about 10 min before you’re done cooking the jjigae, otherwise the tofu will break apart and make the jjigae too messy.

Of course, for a faster, lighter version, you can omit the pork. But the ribs bring an amazing richness and depth of flavor to the jjigae. Plus, that lip-smacking oily goodness.

If you have an ample amount of liquid / if you make the jjigae without the pork (=less thick soup), you can also add dried udon noodles directly into the jjigae, or almost fully-cooked glass noodles (potato starch noodles, I think). But make sure you have a lot of soup to spare. The noodles help thicken runny soup, plus, who doesn’t love noodles? My aunt also adds spam to her jjigae, which is actually pretty good too once the spam chunks have soaked up the kimchi goodness.

I love to have my jjigae and rice with gim (salted/roasted nori). I don’t know why, but the addition of the gim just makes it so…oh my. I am salivating.

Another fast and light recipe to try (especially during the warmer months) is kimchi bibim gooksu (noodles). Chop the kimchi (older and stinkier is better) and toss with a little sugar, a few drops of sesame oil, a couple sprinkles of vinegar, a smattering of sesame seeds. Add some kimchi juice if the mix is too dry. T

he concoction should be sweet and somewhat tangy, definitely pungent, with a slight toastiness. Now toss this with some rice noodles or buckwheat noodles and top with sesame seeds and some sliced scallions. It’s refreshingly delicious and I’m sure you’d love it.

Or, pair the kimchi mixture with sliced mook (it’s like a savory jelly made from starch…I think?). The white kind is the plain version that has no taste and is slightly softer, and goes better with a soy sauce mixture (you might’ve had this as a banchan at Korean restaurants). If you can find it, try getting the brown (acorn) mook, which is slightly firmer and has a richer, earthier taste, which better compliments the kimchi mixture. (with the mook, you might have to cut around the edges because sometimes a rubbery skin forms…edible and tolerable, but not too pleasant.)

You can probably also find packaged powder to make the mook at home, but just be prepared to do a lot of stirring.

If you are familiar with and like fermented soybean paste, try sauteing old kimchi with a little sesame oil and said soybean paste. It’s rich and almost meaty…kind of like super-reduced kimchi jjigae. Mound onto hot rice, thick juices and all, stir, and proceed to shovel into mouth with the largest spoon you can find. Also great with thick, cold slabs of firm tofu.

Or, instead of the soybean paste, saute the kimchi and sesame oil with marinated bbq pork (the spicy, red kind). And perhaps throw in some sliced rice cakes (those soft, long, white logs that usually come in a mound on a styrofoam plate covered in plastic wrap. They also come pre-sliced and frozen, but you need to soak those first). Anyway, serve this with those thick, cold slabs of firm tofu, and you’ve got kimchi jeyook bokkeum.

As others have said, there are so many possibilities when it comes to kimchi, and so many delicious varieties of kimchi as well. I love kimchi lots and love to hear when non-Koreans love kimchi too, and I must commend you for making it yourself (hooray!). Enjoy your kimchi escapades…and make sure you’ve got plenty of toothpicks, floss, and gum on hand…

Kimchee Jigae (Kimchee Stew)

I’m so glad you’ve written about your love for Korean food. I so love reading your blog and finally I can give something back to you as a “thank you” for all the joy I’ve experienced from your writings. Here are some, dare I say, recipes from my childhood (and adulthood). I hope my directions make sense. Enjoy!

Kimchee Jigae (Kimchee Stew): Lightly rinse kimchee. Sauté in approximately 1 Tbsp sesame oil (I like to sauté with some pancetta or regular thickly sliced bacon). Add water (about 1 part water to 1 kimchee–add more water to taste). Bring to boil and let boil (covered) for approximately 10 minutes (never actually timed it so you may need to monitor it the first time you make so it’s done to your preference). This stew is best when made with over ripe kimchee. It’s like tomato sauce, it gets better each time you heat it.

There are many variations of this stew. I’ve been known to add Korean ribs (California style) and also to top with stew with cheese (Raclette) – I know it sounds really weird but IMO kimchee goes with almost anything and this is a good combination. I also have kimchee as a condiment when serving steak. A favorite snack of mine is kimchee sandwich: bread (I like baguette best, doesn’t taste as good with wheat bread though), butter and ripe kimchee).

Sautéed Kimchee: Dice kimchee. Sauté in sesame oil. Add sesame seeds if desired. I make a batch and keep it in my fridge. There are many quick dishes you can make with this.

- Bin Dae Dduk (see below)

- Noodle soup. This version is one of my childhood comfort foods. This is buckwheat noodles in stock made with dashi (Japanese soup stock), topped with sauteed kimchee, sometimes I add ground beef sauteed with black pepper and finely minced garlic–which is how my mom makes the soup.

- Noodles with sesame oil and kimchee: I prefer using buckwheat noodles but somen noodles work just as well (or any thin noodles like angel hair). Boil noodles, drain. Mix in sesame oil (to taste), sauteed kimchee, and sesame seeds (optional but highly recommended).

Bin Dae Dduk (Bean Pancake): Soak dried mung beans until soft (2-3 hours). Using your blender grind the beans with some water (approximately 2 parts bean to one third part water). The batter should not be runny (should look like oatmeal that’s been sitting out a bit). You can always thin it out with water if batter is too thick. Oil pan (be generous with the oil–you want the outer layer to be as golden and crisp as possible) and cook it the way you would a pancake (but on medium high heat) and add the sautéed kimchee as you would add fruit to the pancake (or you can just mix it all in, which is what I usually do). When done, you can eat it as is or dip it in a dipping sauce of soy sauce and vinegar (yuzu vinegar is best if it’s available).

You mentioned banchan which is the general word for little side dishes that are served along side 1 to 3 main dishes, which in my house was typically stew, meat dish and or broiled or grilled fish). Anyway, from your description, the banchan you are referring to sounds like it’s Moo Chae which is julienned daikon seasoned with chili pepper and vinegar.

Moo Chae: Julienne daikon. Sprinkle it with chili pepper (add the chili pepper first otherwise you won’t get the pinkish tinge). Then add a little sugar, vinegar, finely minced garlic (optional), pinch salt. The amount of the spices is all to taste (I couldn’t get specific measurements from my mom–she kept saying “Taste it.” This should be freshly made each time but it will keep few days. I also like to grill it along side Korean BBQ ribs or beef (I do the same with kimchee).

Bon Appetit!