Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (2024)

FAQs

What is the ingredients of Korean kimchi? ›

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with fermented vegetables. Its ingredients can vary, but napa cabbage and Korean radish are common bases. Kimchi also often includes green onions, ginger, and garlic.

Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable food, is fermented by lactic acid bacteria derived from raw ingredients, such as kimchi cabbage, garlic, ginger, and red pepper.

Kimchi ferments at room temperature in only 1-2 days or more slowly in the refrigerator. For safety, kimchi should be stored refrigerated and is best eaten within 1 week, as the quality of kimchi deteriorates with longer fermentation.

Kimchi is a fermented vegetable dish that can add a spicy, tangy kick to your meals. Although it can be high in sodium, it also serves up the good-for-you probiotics, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help your body ward off illness and stay healthy.

If you have store-bought kimchi that's been opened, it will be good for 3-4 days at room temperature and up to 6 months when refrigerated. Signs of your kimchi going bad include mold growth, an alcoholic smell, and an extremely sour taste.

Wash and quarter the cabbage, discard the core and slice across into 2.5 cm strips. Place in a bowl with 2 tbsp sea salt and massage the salt into the leaves. Cover and set aside for 1 hour. Whisk together the chilli paste, vinegar, sugar, crushed garlic, grated ginger and fish sauce.

So long as the surface of the kimchi isn't allowed to dry out and grow mold, kimchi does not go bad. In fact, I've aged my own homemade kimchi for two years and it only got better and better.

As the kimchi matures, it will take on earthy, tangy notes while the heat of the chiles mellows out. Your kimchi will continue to age if kept cool in the refrigerator and away from oxygen, remaining delicious for up to 12 months or even longer.

How long does it take to make Kimchi? Allow 1 hour to prepare the kimchi and get it in the fermentation jar. Plus 4 hours waiting while the vegetables salt. It takes 5-10 days to ferment depending on room temperature.

The pickling of vegetables was an ideal method, prior to refrigerators, that helped to preserve the lifespan of foods. In Korea, kimchi was made during the winter by fermenting vegetables, and burying it in the ground in traditional brown ceramic pots called onggi.

Can regular cabbage be used for kimchi? ›

Kimchi is traditionally made with napa cabbage, but there's nothing to stop you from using another cabbage! Napa cabbage, Chinese cabbage, green cabbage, savoy cabbage, white cabbage, red cabbage, and bok choy (we could go on and on) are all part of the very large cruciferous family (Brassicaceae).

Kimchi will continue to naturally ferment even when properly stored, but the flavor can grow dull or even sour.

If you aren't sleeping well, be kinder to your gut. Eating prebiotics such as yogurt, sauerkraut or kimchi before bedtime could help overcome your insomnia, a new study has discovered. Compounds in prebiotics help restore deep sleep known as non-REM (rapid eye movement) and REM sleep, which reduces stress.

Because it's a fermented food, it boasts numerous probiotics. These healthy microorganisms may give kimchi several health benefits. It may help regulate your immune system, promote weight loss, fight inflammation, and even slow the aging process. If you enjoy cooking, you can even make kimchi at home.

Korean kimchi, in the food world, is also known as "dry fermented pickles". Chinese paocai, in food circles, is also known as "wet fermented pickles". The two processes are completely different, and the core of the controversy is actually the English word. In English, Chinese paocai is translated as kimchi.

Is kimchi vegetarian? Not always. According to the 2022 iteration of the Codex Alimentarius international food standards, kimchi is vegetarian in that it's simply “prepared with Chinese cabbage as a predominant ingredient and other vegetables which have been trimmed, cut, salted and seasoned before fermentation”.