“Don’t knock it till you try it…” I know that I’m one of those kooks who’s so down the fermented foods rabbit hole that you could pickle pretty much anything and I’d give it a try… but kim chi should ACTUALLY be a staple in everyone’s refrigerator. (alongside its best friend gochujang paste but that is a story for another time.) It’s spicy, it’s umami, it’s powerfully flavorsome and best of all, it elevates just about anything that you can think to put with it – and it doesn’t have to be an Asian-style dish either! My favourite use for this funky ferment is actually in a plain old cheese toastie, it’s a match made in heaven, similarly, I love it in my peanut sauce doused buddha bowls, heck I’ve even made a chicken stew with it and an amplified onion bahjii with it… it’s a lot more versatile than you might think!
The fascinating history of kimchi…
Alright, buckle up for a wild ride through the spicy and tangy world of kimchi! As with most famous ferments it started out as a necessary way to preserve vegetables throughout the dead of winter. Interestingly though, the original kimchi wasn’t even that spicy, it was akin to what we know today as sauerkraut just with a different set of vegetables… and a heavy empashis on radish!
Before Korea used chili powder as a food ingredient, kimchi commonly contained a refreshing and non-spicy brine like dongchimi (radish water). However, this changed in the mid-Joseon period (near the 16th century) when red peppers were introduced by Portuguese traders, and suddenly gochugaru, (korean chilli flakes) became the signature ingredient of kimchi, along with many other Korean favourites that we know today.
As the love of Kimchi spread far and wide each region put its own personal take on it and now this beloved ferment has some 180 recognised variants on the original recipe. Hence there’s practically no wrong way to do kimchi at this point in time!
Due to its deep cultural significance and the part its played in the survival of many during both general times of adversity and the Korean War, Korean’s considers kimchi to be a symbol of resilience.. A probiotic dose of vegetables, packed with flavour and loaded with immune enhancing spices like chilli and garlic, what a treasure to have on hand when food scarcity presents!
Kimchi is so famous and so intrinsic to the Korean community that in 2013 UNESCO named the practice of making it, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Item. I honestly don’t know any other food that has been honoured in this way. That’s how much Korean’s and the world love this spicy pickle!
In a world full of bland, be kimchi.
Anonamous
And it doesn’t matter how or what you serve it with, it’s a flavour bomb that doesn’t quit. I’ve even got my one year old eating it… and he’s a fussy little Vegemite!
Also try this if you are looking for interesting side with a probiotic hit: Beetroot, whipped feta, kefir & rose salad
Reasons to make your own kimchi…
Theirs many reason that I always have some of my own homemade kimchi on hand, not to mention because I’m just mad for the stuff…
1. Additives: Many commercial kimchis have msg in them, which despite it probably being in many things I don’t realise I’m already eating – i’m still not much of a fan of it and with my background in nutrition I can’t bring myself to purchase something that contains it.
2. Texture: In my experience, commercial kimchis are sometimes a little on the almost-slimy side, which is also something I’m not the greatest fan of. I believe this is because regular kim chi usually has glutenous rice powder in it which gives it this quality. Even as a wee one, I’ve never been able to do that texture so i find making my own and leaving it out gives me a favourable kim chi experience. There’s no reason you can’t add it back into this recipe if you prefer it though, it definitely helps it all stick together.
3. Flavour: When you make your own kimchi you have the total power to decide how spicy, how salty, how garlicky and how
A note on ingredients:
Thankfully this is probably one of the easiest creations on the blog to date, so if all you have time to do is check it all in a food processor and blend away, you’ll get great results like that. There’s a few little tips and tricks, however, that do help to push the flavour intensity up a notch.
Gochugaru – It’s definitely one of the most destinctive flavours in the whole realm of kim chi – it’s available at every single Asian shop across Australia and on the internet – but there really is no substiture so please don’t try to skip it, it just won’t taste the same.
Fish Sauce – many people make kim chi without fish sauce. I always find it’s little bit lackluster without but I’m also not vegetarian so I don’t need to. It does still taste pretty good without.
Nappa Cabbage – I’ve also made this with regular lain green cabbage and it’s still pretty decent – however there is something the thinner leaves in the nappa cabbage bring to the table.
Radish – I’m using regular here which is a fair substitue, but tradidiontally kim chi is made with diakon raddish which has a bigger yield and also a slightly stronger spicyness to it.
Salt– I don’t always add this, mainly because I forget sometimes, it’s not essential but it does add a nice extra tartness to the overall flavour, and it should be relatively easy to find in the supermarkets these days.
Turnip not swede – These two vegetables look very much alike so be careful out there. But, turnips are much spicier in flavour and do not need to be cooked the same way swedes do. If you can’t find them you can substitute in the same quantity of cabbage, carrot or radish instead.
Garlic & Ginger – Must be fresh not shop bought pastes.
Onion – Some recipes leave this out completely, I personally think it’s essential so can’t imagine making it without it – but you do you boo!
Carrot – I always use plain old orange carrots for this but there’s no reason you couldn’t go white or yellow… I’d just avoid the purple ones as they taste quite earthy and I’m not sure the flavours would combine well.
Kimchi
Equipment
- 1 1.5L fermentation vessel
Ingredients
- 1 head nappa cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 daikon radish (best on a mandolin 2mm)
- 2 medium carrots (thinly sliced)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 medium turnip (thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 knob ginger (around 5cm)
- 1/2 cup gochugaru
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1 tbsp agave
- 6 cloves garlic (grated)
Instructions
- Chop the cabbage into 3cm pieces and add the finely sliced carrot, turnip, radish and onion.
- Add all the flavouring ingredients to the vegetables along with the salt.
- Make sure to use gloves for this next part to avoid staining or burning your hands from the chilli. Mix all the vegetables together with the flavouring, massaging until a good amount of water has been released from the vegetable material.
- Place kimchi into a sterilised jar and make sure to pack firmly into the jar – making sure that the liquid covers all the vegetable material. You will need to use a weight to keep it down – make sure this is also sterilised.
- Depending on your climate, leave to ferment for between 1 to 2 weeks – tasting at regular intervals to see if the flavour has developed enough to your liking (please always use a sterilised spoon or fork) When you are happy with it, keep refrigerated and serve as needed.
Did you make this recipe?
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Until next time. Keep following, liking, sharing, commenting and cooking, and may your every spoonful be tastier than the last!
