Authentic Homemade Korean Kimchi Recipe | The Dimple Life (2024)

FAQs

How did Koreans make kimchi? ›

The process of making kimchi involves brining (salting) the vegetables to draw out the water, which helps in preservation and allows the seasonings to penetrate the food over time; the final salt concentration ranges from 2-5%. Kimchi is typically fermented by 'wild cultures' naturally present on the vegetables.

Basic ingredients for kimchi: napa cabbage, radish, carrot, salt, garlic, fish sauce, chili powder and scallions. A sticky, glutinous paste of rice flour is also needed to make the seasoning of the kimchi. Salted napa cabbage before making kimchi.

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.

Why make your own sauerkraut/kimchi? There are so many reasons! COST: making your own fermented veggies is WAY cheaper than buying them at the store! FLEXIBLE FLAVORS AND SALT LEVEL: making your own fermented veggies allows you to put whatever ingredients, flavors, level of salt or hot pepper that you want.

Traditional Korean meals comprise a large variety of side dishes known as banchan, and kimchi is the most ubiquitous side dish consumed in two meals on a daily basis by a large proportion of Koreans [18].

Korean kimchi is made with Chinese cabbage, red pepper, garlic, salted fish and ginger, and then stored in clay containers to ferment for at least four weeks. (Korea Food Research Institute) However, Japanese kimchi is made with Chinese cabbage and artificial flavor, skipping the fermentation process.

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).

Along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, kimchi contains natural probiotic bacteria. If you eat them regularly, the probiotics in fermented foods can be beneficial to your gut microbiome. Studies suggest that eating kimchi on a daily basis could help to improve some digestive problems.

Kimchi spoilage and over-fermentation

It will continue to ferment at a cool temperature. If kimchi over-ferments, it will have a very vinegary odor and taste. It is not pleasant to eat raw, so it is often used for soups and stews. If any fermentation gets soft and slimy, then it is a sign of spoilage.

A mason jar is ideal, though any airtight container should do. Sanitize the container prior to loading it with the kimchi.

Is it OK to open kimchi during fermentation? ›

Opening the Jar During Fermentation

In lacto-fermentation, air is the enemy! Although it is tempting, you should not open the jar during the fermentation of your vegetables.

Kimchi should be stored in the fridge as chilling is the only thing that keeps its level of fermentation (i.e. the activity of those happy little probiotics) slowed down. If you leave kimchi outside of the fridge, over time it will become over-fermented and won't taste so great anymore.

Sugar is absolutely not necessary and is a not traditional ingredient. Folks, there are a thousand different ways to make a hundred different types of kimchi.

Researchers found that kimchi helped people lose weight by boosting their metabolism. They attribute this to the probiotic bacteria in kimchi. These bacteria assist in breaking down food and extracting more energy from it. Furthermore, kimchi is rich in fiber, which may induce satiety after eating it.

Kimchi has become a unifying emotional link among Koreans because many ate it during their childhood. This explains why there are still many people who head to their hometowns to make their own kimchi before the winter, even though it is easy to buy cheap kimchi at local markets and on the internet.

Before Korea used chili powder as a food ingredient, kimchi commonly contained refreshing and non-spicy brine like dongchimi. However, this changed in the mid-Joseon period as red peppers became the signature ingredient of kimchi.

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.

Kimchi's History and Cultural Significance

As a way of preserving vegetables, the kimchi was buried deep in the ground in earthenware pots called onggi. This kept it cool through the summer and prevented it from freezing during the winter.