Welcome to a site dedicated to Korean Cuisine, culture, and many other Asian edibles.
Popular Varieties of Kimchi
- Whole Cabbage Kimchi (Tongbaechu kimchi)
- Wrapped-Up Kimchi (Possam Kimchi)
- White Cabbage Kimchi (Paekkimchi)
- Radish Kimchi (Yolmugimchi)
- Radish Water Kimchi (Tongchimi)
- Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi (Oisobagi)
- Hot Radish Kimchi (kkakttugi)
No matter what the economic or social condition of the country, virtually no Korean table setting is void of Kimchi!
A couple of Korean sayings put it best:
"A man can live without a wife but not without kimchi" or "As Korean as Kimchi"
No house or monestery is without the rows of kimchi pots housing the pungent and wonderful gift of Kimchi. All cultures have enjoyed their vegetables and all have their specialty dishes. But for my taste, none has done for me what Kimchi has. For Koreans, cultivation of vegetables was practically impossible during the harsh winter months. The need for storing and preserving vegetables gave way to pickling. A form of pickled vegetable, Kimchi was created in Korea around the 7th. century.
Early on, Kimchi was merely a combination of salted vegetables. Around the 12th. century they introduced a Kimchi with spices and seasonings. It wasn't until the 18th. century that powdered hot red pepper was introduced to the fermenting process. It is possible that the word "kimchi" originated from the word "shimchae" (salting of vegetables) before going through phoenetic changes to "dimchae" to "kimchae" to "kimchi".
In the menu above you'll find links to some of my favorite dishes. I'm still adding information and welcome your suggestions. These are authentic recipes commonly used in The Land of The Morning Calm. Drop us a line in the guestbook below and if you have any suggestions or ideas, let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
The U.S. monthly Health recently selected the Korean national side dish as one of the five leading health foods in the world. Studies have shown that kimchi, which has plenty of lactic acid bacteria, is effective in preventing cancer as well as promoting digestion. Both the BBC and the Washington Post earlier reported that kimchi is effective in preventing bird flu. Kimchi is also said to be effective in losing weight, killing germs and strengthening the immune system.
There are more than 200 varieties of kimchi, and the same kind of kimchi can be different in taste and benefits depending on how far it is fermented.
A leading diet food, Kimchi made with hot peppers. The capsaicin in hot peppers dissolves fat! But a recent study shows that white kimchi, which does not contain hot pepper, also prevents obesity. Conducted by a research team at Pusan National University, it shows that the garlic and ginger in white kimchi also produce fat-dissolving effects that are as strong as those generated by capsaicin.
Leaf mustard kimchi and green onion kimchi are rich in chlorophyll and diallyl sulfides, which have superb anti-cancer and anti-aging effects. “Pickled radish kimchi and sliced white radish kimchi promote digestion thanks to diastase, a digestive enzyme that is plentiful in radish,” says Park Chae-rin, a research director with Pulmuone’s Kimchi Field Museum.
Doosan(South Korea's giant conglomerate Doosan Corp.), whose assets include an advertising firm, breweries and power plants, had been watching in dismay in recent years as Japanese companies flooded the world market with their own brands of kimchi -- which Koreans consider too bland.
By some estimates, 70% of the kimchi sold outside of Korea comes from Japan. The thought of Japanese dominance of the kimchi trade was too much to stomach for most Koreans, who trace their kimchi consumption back 1,000 years and who suffered under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
- Taken from "Stinky Korean Dish Seeks Smell Of Success and a Global Market"
As a nutrional food, Kimchi contains high level of vitamins (ascorbic acid, carotene, B-complex), minerals (calcium, iron, potassium) and dietary fiber. Kimchi has demonstrated many health benefits besides nutritional functions, such as antioxidant, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic activities. Several biologically active components including carotene, capsaicin, chlorophylls, dietary fibers, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, allylsulfides and lactic acid are considered to be the active agents of the health benefits of kimchi.
If you want the real deal when it comes to Kimchi then a authentic Korean recipe is the only way. However a So. Korean company is trying to develop a tolerable version of Kimchi for the American palate.
Bachelor Radish Kimchi (Chong-Gac Kimchi)
Ingredients:
4 pounds young radish
3/4 cup coarse salt
Seasonings
3/4 cup coarse salt
Seasonings
1 cup red pepper powder
3 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons garlic juice
1/2 cup onion juice
2 teaspoons ginger root juice
3 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons garlic juice
1/2 cup onion juice
2 teaspoons ginger root juice
Instructions:
Clean the radish thoroughly. Quarter it, and coarsely chop the greens. Store it in a gallon jar or plastic container. Put aside. Dissolve 3/4 cup of coarse salt in 1 cup of water. Evenly distribute the salt water on the radish and toss around using your hand. Cover and let pickle for 3 hours. Toss and turn over to distribute the salt water evenly. Cover and let it pickle for 7 to 8 hours. Discard the salt water and rinse the radish and green thoroughly with water. Keep aside in a basin or a container large enough to mix in the seasonings. In a mixing bowl, combine the seasonings and use your hands to mix it evenly. Then apply the seasoning to the radish and greens. Blend in the seasoning thoroughly using your hands. Pack the radish and green tightly back into the gallon jar or container. Cover the surface of kimchi with plastic wrap, making sure all areas are covered. Press down to avoid any air pockets. Any slight exposure to air will bruise the surfacing kimchi. Cover the jar and store at 70 degrees for 48 hours to ferment. Refrigerate to keep up to 2 weeks. Use in soup when it turns sour.
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My preferred Kimchi recipe
Ingredients:
1 long white napa (Chinese) cabbage, about 1 lb 3 oz
1 cup coarse or pickling salt
5 cups (1 liter) water
1 small long white radish, about 5 oz (160 g), cut in 1 1/2 in (4-cm) julienne strips
4-5 scallion (spring onion), cut in 1 1/2 in (4-cm) julienne strips
1 small leek, white part only, cut in 1 1/2 in (4-cm) julienne strips
2 teaspoons very finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 1/2 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3oz pickled shrimp
3oz salted anchovies
1 large bowl to hold cabbage while soaking in water
1 cup coarse or pickling salt
5 cups (1 liter) water
1 small long white radish, about 5 oz (160 g), cut in 1 1/2 in (4-cm) julienne strips
4-5 scallion (spring onion), cut in 1 1/2 in (4-cm) julienne strips
1 small leek, white part only, cut in 1 1/2 in (4-cm) julienne strips
2 teaspoons very finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 1/2 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3oz pickled shrimp
3oz salted anchovies
1 large bowl to hold cabbage while soaking in water
Remove root end of cabbage without separating the leaves. Put all the salt in a large bowl and add 4 cups (1 liter) water. Stir to dissolve all the salt in bowl and wter. Fit the cabbage into bowl adding water if necessary so it is covered. Place several heavy plates as weights on top of the cabbage and let sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours. Drain the cabbage and rinse under running water, and squeeze dry.
In a seperate bowl, combine all other ingredients and mix well. The red chili paste should look like the bottom left photo so your ingredient amount can vary slightly regarding the red chili powder. Slightly separate the cabbage leaves and pack them well with the radish mixture. Pack well into glass jar and press firmly to remove air bubbles. Cover jar tightly. If you decided to cut the cabbage into bite sized pieces before adding chili paste that is fine. You can cut the cabbage into bite sized pieces before soaking in brine water as well. Just a matter of personal taste.
Once thoroughly mixed, fill the jars with the Kimchi and seal with lids. Allow the jar to sit in a dark room temperature area for 2-3 days. Follwoing this early fermentation process place jar in the refrigerator and return to the fridge after each serving.
Important: Never use a reactive metal container to store kimchi; use porcelain or stainless steel. Plastic will be permanently stained by chili. Store kimchi in a cool, dark place - a fridge is best.
More of my preferred and popular recipes coming soon!
Love That Kimchi.com
A Site dedicated to Kimchi and those who eat it.
