While most people picture a vermilion hue and fiery heat when the word “kimchi” is thrown out, did you know that kimchi used to be “white” before chili peppers were introduced to Asia from the New World by the Portuguese in the 1600th century?
Making kimchi was historically a way for people to preserve vegetables for the long harsh Korean winter, before the advent of modern refrigeration. With the introduction of chili peppers, it didn’t take long before people figured out that the capsaicin in peppers had an antimicrobial effect aiding in preservation, while adding a little spice to the bleak winter days.
In many ways, kimchi’s development parallels the development of similar preservation methods in other regions of the world. But while pickling has fallen out of favor in the West, Koreans have elevated the process to an artform, and in doing so, kimchi has become a part of Korea’s national identity.
With hundreds of regional and seasonal variations, it’s a requisite part of any meal. Even fast-food chains such as Lotteria (the #1 chain in South Korea) get in on the act, with menu items like the kimchi burger. During the great kimchi crisis of 2010, when bad weather created a shortage of cabbage, restaurants did the unthinkable and started charging people for kimchi, leading the media to describe the situation as “a national tragedy”
These days, most young city-dwellers buy packaged kimchi, but for the older generations and those in rural areas, the baechu (napa cabbgage) harvest in late fall/early winter signals an annual ritual where extended family and neighbors gather to make giant bins full of kimchi. Although napa cabbage can be grown year-round, it’s the gigantic heads of cabbage with thick white stems made sweet with the chill of fall, that make the best kimchi.
Baechu kimchi is traditionally made by stuffing a spicy mixture of shredded veggies and herbs between the leaves of a whole head of cabbage. Some might call it sacrilege, but to save time (and because I really don’t need 10 pounds of kimchi), I usually buy a half head of napa cabbage and cut it up into pieces. After soaking the cut cabbage in brine overnight, and tossing it together with the other ingredients, it’s ready to eat almost instantly.
Personally, I love kimchi at all stages. On day one, it starts out like a salad, with fresh crispy cabbage and much of the heat coming from the raw garlic and ginger. As the kimchi matures, the flavors meld together, the harsh spiciness of the garlic gives way to the lingering sweet heat of the gochugaru. By the time the kimchi has reached the tail end of it’s ripening, the lacto-fermentation process renders the kimchi mouth puckeringly tart, the perfect stage for making Kimchi Jjigae
While the best way to store kimchi is in glass jars (be sure not to seal the lids), I find that double bagging them in Ziploc freezer bags tends to keep the kimchi smell somewhat contained, and it makes it easy to store in a small fridge. That said, kimchi has the uncanny ability to seep through even the most airtight of containers and imbue everything around it with the fragrant aroma of fermenting garlic and cabbage, that’s why I like to keep it outside in an ice chest (it’s below 0 C everyday during winter here).
How to Use Kimchi
Units
Ingredients
- 1500 grams napa cabbage (~ half a large head)
- ¼ cup sea salt
- 50 grams onions (~1/4 large onion)
- 30 grams garlic (~half a head)
- 15 grams fresh ginger (~ 1.25 centimeters, cut into coins)
- 65 grams apple (~1/2 apple)
- 3 tablespoons Saeujeot (salted brine shrimp)
- 3 tablespoons cooked short-grain rice
- 1 tablespoon myeolchijeot (fermented anchovies or fish sauce)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- 150 grams Korean radish (~1/4 radish shredded)
- 150 grams carrot (~1 large carrot shredded)
- 4 scallions (thinly sliced)
- 35 grams garlic chives (cut into 2 inch lengths)
- ½ cup gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
Instructions
- Remove the core from the cabbage and cut it into 3″x3″ pieces. In a very large bowl or clean bucket, add the napa cabbage and toss with the salt.
- Cover the cabbage with cold water. Put this in a room temperature place for 24 hours. This removes some of the excess water from the cabbage making it crunchier and it also begins the fermentation process.
- The next day, put the onion, garlic, ginger, apple, saeujeot, cooked rice, myeolchijeot, and sugar in a blender or food processor and process until you have a smooth paste.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the radish, carrots, scallions, garlic chives and gochugaru along with the mixture from the blender. Put on some food-safe gloves and squish the mixture together with one hand. Taste the mixture and add more gochugaru if you want it spicier.
- Drain the cabbage then return it to the bowl along with the seasoned vegetables. Toss the mixture together with your hands until everything is very well combined.
- Your kimchi is edible right away, but it’s best to let it ferment in a cool place for at least a week.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Patricia, you could certainly make it without the fish/shrimp, but it’s not going to taste the same. That said, it sounds like you’re accustomed to kimchi without the seafood, so maybe it would be okay for you. As for the rice, it does a couple of things. The first is to give the sauce a bit more thickness, but the starches in the rice also feed the bacteria that ferments the cabbage, which helps with the fermentation process. This is a pretty typical way of making kimchi in Korea, but there could be regional differences which might be why your relatives don’t add it.
Patricia Steiding says
The rice makes sense now. My relatives were nice enough to make kimchi for me without anything “fishy” in it, though for themselves they are all about the fish. I started making kimchi & other Korean foods about a year ago after my mother passed away – decided I needed to channel my inner Korean (I’m half Korean). So far I’ve done pretty good. Just trying different variations of kimchi that I’ve found on the internet and some books I bought on Amazon. Thanks again for your reply!
unclebobbyb2013@gmail.com says
Yum! Ive made a quick version of Kimchee in the past this is my first time making it this way! Excited to place some on some turkey burgers with Bacon! yummy!
Marc Matsumoto says
That sounds like a great combo! I hope you enjoy!
Baker8D says
what is the measurement amount of salt for different size cabbage? Can I omit the rice or can I use any other substitution? Thanks
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Baker8D, I specified the amount of salt for 1500 grams of napa cabbage, if you have a different size, just do the math to figure out how much of the other ingredients you need. Or just save some of the cabbage for something else if you have too much. As for the rice, it isn’t essential, but it adds a little thickness to the liquid and helps feed the bacteria that ferments the cabbage which is why it’s added.
6rtury says
Marc,
I’m not Korean in any way, but reallo do love Kimchi and other fermentated foods. I’ve just started doing fermentation myself. One of my favorites is fermented glutinous rice. Always have some in the refrigerator and also in the freezer. Two questions:
1. Can I use some of my fermented rice in your recipe for Kimchi, omitting the sugar called for in your recipe?
2. Will freezing some of my finished Kimchi in 1 gallon zip-bags make it mushy?. I haven’t done it yet but thought I’d do it after, perhaps, 4 days of fermentation.
Thanks for any direction – 6rtury
Marc Matsumoto says
I’m not sure what you mean by “fermented glutinous rice”, do you mean it’s been saccharified with aspergillus oryzae? If so, you could use it instead of the sugar. As for freezing, I would not recommend it it will completely change the texture of the kimchi. The only time I ever freeze kimchi is when the fermentation has gone on for weeks and it’s getting too sour. Then I’ll freeze it for use in kimchi jjigae as you can’t tell the difference when it’s cooked.
Tod Rissmiller says
Hi Marc I have a question so this will be my first attempt at fermenting anything so when done mixing I let it sit in a glass container covered or uncovered for a week ? Then refrigerate ?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Tod, you want to partially cover it (to keep dust out), you can do this by just placing the lid on top (and not screwing it closed) or by putting a piece of fabric like a dishtowel on top and using a rubber band to secure it to the neck of your jar. As for where to keep it, you want it to be in a very cool dark place like a cellar. If you’re unsure you can store it in the refrigerator right away, but it will take longer to ferment. Once it’s reached a stage of fermentation you’re happy with, you want to store it in the fridge to slow the process down, otherwise it will get too sour before you’re able to finish it all.
Butch says
There is a wonderful Asian Market in my town, run by a Korean family, they make an incredible in house Kimchi. I eat it by the fork full right from the jar, and savor the juices at the end with shots of sake!!! I am going to try your recipe.
Question; When properly stored, does Kimchi ever go bad/rancid?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Butch, kimchi is an actively fermenting food, so it will eventually go past the point of pleasentness in the same way that cheese and wine peak and then start degrading. Basically it gets more sour as the lacto-fermentation progresses (similar to sauerkraut). You can slow this down by lowering the temperature, but it will not completely stop it (unless you freeze it, but this ruins the texture of the kimchi). Assuming you don’t introduce any bad bacteria (i.e. by handling it with unclean hands, or using a fork you put in your mouth), and you store it in the fridge, kimchi should last for several months, but there are so many factors that can effect this, it’s always best to use your best judgement (i.e. if it smells wrong, don’t eat it).
Janet Huyton says
Can I use saurkraut in place of kimchi please?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Janet, I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you asking if it’s possible to use sauerkraut instead of kimchi in recipes like kimchi jjigae?
MOISES EDWARDS MAIA says
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Moises, I haven’t heard of adding brown sugar to kimchi. The traditional method is to make a porridge with rice flour, but using cooked rice is easier and it accomplishes the same goal (to add hydrated starch to the mixture which speeds up lacto fermentation).
Kathy Stroup says
Starting this recipe today. Do you have any tips or suggestions for a Kimchi Noobie? I’m leaving the shrimps out; I don’t think my husband would come near it if I used them! I have a good fish sauce. The kimchi I bought recently had anchovies in it. Have you ever tried this with anchovies? I also found a vegan recipe that used red miso. I would like to pump up the umami, and the miso sounded plausible. Do you think your Umami Salt would throw things off too much? Help!😟
Kathy Stroup says
Eleven days out, and the Kimchi has finally hit the sweet spot. I wasn’t really a fan of the newly prepared and unfermented product. Now it’s balanced and tangy. The garlic and ginger were quite assertive before; now they’ve settled into the ensemble. I may leave it out of the fridge for a day next time I make it to give the fermentation a chance to start. I really had no idea what to expect, and it’s been a great adventure.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kathy, I’m sorry so sorry I missed this. Fish sauce is a great substitute for the shrimp, and when I’m making a vegan kimchi I usually substitute a light colored soy sauce (usukuchi or shiroshoyu). I’ve never tried using anchovies, but I’d imagine they’d have the desired effect as well though I’m not sure what the oil will do to the kimchi. The garlic, onions and and scallions are definitely more pungent out the gate, and they tend to mellow as the kimchi lacto-ferments. Yes, you can definitely leave it out at room temperature for longer initially to jump start the fermentation, but it will shorten the overall shelf-life of the kimchi so you’ll probably want to get through it within a month. I hope this helps for next time!