What is wrong with my kimchi?

Sometimes the kimchi you imagine making is different from the kimchi you actually end up with. There are so many variables involved that it is difficult to predict the outcome even if you follow the exact recipe every time. The ingredients are powerful: garlic, ginger, chilis, fish sauce, etc. The main elements are fresh vegetables, which may be different every time you buy them. One cabbage may have more water content than another. Or a greater sugar content. One clove of garlic may be more intense than the next. One chilli powder is spicier than the other. And so on…

On top of that, the finished kimchi itself is alive, changing dramatically over time as it ferments and ages. So, if you have a very specific expectation of what your kimchi should taste like…it will probably get there eventually but it won’t stay there for long.

It is important to start with good quality ingredients and a tested recipe. But, beyond that, there will always be aspects that are difficult to control. Some flavours can be manipulated to some degree after the fact. And, of course, mistakes can happen in executing any recipe. Some are more repairable than others.

Before you do anything

Don’t worry about how to fix your kimchi until it has a little time to settle down. A freshly made batch of kimchi contains ingredients that have intense and pungent flavours. Dry ingredients need time to fully hydrate. Veggies continue to release water for some time diluting everything else. Don’t judge your kimchi until you have given it two or three days to come together.

After that time, give it a taste and then decide if there is a problem….

Let’s have a look at a few common issues and how to fix your kimchi:

My kimchi is too sour

Freshly made kimchi is not sour at all. As it ferments, lactic acid is produced, resulting in a sour flavour over time. If your kimchi is already more sour than you like, there is not much you can do to reverse it. However, sour kimchi is ideal for warm recipes like kimchi jjigae, kimchi fried rice or kimchi pancakes. In my opinion, the more sour it is, the more delicious for cooking with. So keep this sour batch for cooked meals. Ideas for how to use sour kimchi are here.

If you like fresh and crisp tasting kimchi, store it in the refrigerator immediately after making it. Cool temperatures will delay the onset of fermentation and slow the progress over time. Your kimchi will stay “fresh” much longer. Consider making smaller batches so you can finish it before it gets too sour. It is fine to cut recipes in half to always have a fresh batch on hand.

My kimchi is not sour enough

If you like your kimchi sour, once you finish making it, leave it out at room temperature. It will not go bad. Taste it once or twice a day and, when it is just about sour enough, refrigerate it to slow down the fermentation. Make sure you are pressing the veggies back down under the brine every time you taste it. If you like both fresh and sour kimchi for different uses, put half in the refrigerator right away and ferment the other half at room temperature until sufficiently sour.

My kimchi is too spicy

Once you have mixed in your chilli flakes there is no going back. The spiciness may mellow a little in the first few days as the kimchi comes together, but not that much. The solution here is to control the amount of spice you are adding right from the start.

ALL chilli flakes are different…they are from different places with different weather patterns and growing seasons. No two will be equally spicy (or sweet). The only way to judge a chilli powder is to taste it. If it is burning hot on your tongue, start with 25% of what the recipe says and add from there. You will probably find that you need much less than the recipe calls for. On the other hand, if you happen to buy a sweeter, fruitier chilli powder with less heat, add as much as you like. Taste it when your kimchi paste is finished and adjust.

My kimchi is not spicy at all

Some chilli flakes are quite mild (and will likely say so on the package). I prefer these because you can add a large amount. Your kimchi will have a deep red colour and a nice fruity chilli character. Just like above, taste the chilli and adjust as you go. If you really want sharp heat, as a last resort you can mix in a some cayenne pepper. This will ramp up the heat without affecting the overall flavour too much.

My kimchi tastes “fishy”

Fish sauces vary in saltiness and “fishiness”. Try as many as you can and choose the one you like best. In general, avoid ones with more than 2 or 3 ingredients. Many are made with anchovy but some are made with other fish, like sand lance. They will all taste “fishy” to some extent so if this is a flavour you don’t enjoy, just use less or none at all. It is not an essential ingredient for a successful kimchi but you will lose some depth of flavour without it. You can also play with the amount of salted shrimp you are using from lowering the amount to using none at all. These ingredients contribute salt to the recipe, so if you remove them you may need to replace them with some kosher or sea salt.

My kimchi is fizzy

When the lactic acid content gets very high in a long fermented batch of kimchi, you may feel fizziness on your tongue. Your kimchi has not spoiled but it may be fermented beyond the point where you like to eat it raw. It will still be excellent for cooking though and the fizz will disappear in a hot dish.

My kimchi is too salty

This is a tough one. If it is not too extreme, you may be able to dilute the salty flavour to some extent. The best way to do this, without destroying the balance of the finished kimchi, is to add more vegetables. Korean radish has a high water content and ferments nicely. Peel and chop up a korean radish and sink it into your finished kimchi. The salt in the kimchi will draw water from the radish which should dilute the mix and decrease the saltiness somewhat. Give it a few days and taste it again. Hopefully it will be improved but if not, you may need to reserve this kimchi for hot cooking, adding small amounts to dishes as both flavouring and seasoning.

The best thing is to figure out why it is so salty in the first place. Most recipes will include a step where the salted cabbage gets a rinse. This is to wash the cabbage but also to remove excess salt. Don’t forget this step. Other sources of salt in the recipe are the fish sauce and salted shrimp. If you like your kimchi less salty, you may need to use less of these ingredients.

Lastly, but maybe most importantly, do not use fine iodized table salt in your kimchi. A cup of this salt is much much saltier than a cup of kosher or coarse sea salt. If in doubt, you can always weigh your salt. For reference, a cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs around 140 grams or 5oz. This kosher salt in the red box is the one I use for everything and I think it is pretty common. If you are using a different salt, try weighing it out to control saltiness in your finished batch. This is a good post about salt varieties and substitutions.

My kimchi is bland

Bland tasting kimchi is probably from a lack of salt which is an easy fix. Simply add more salt or fish sauce or salted shrimp. Bland kimchi can also be improved by increasing the chilli powder, or tossing in a few more cloves of crushed garlic or ginger. Sometimes a little sugar can help as well but start with small amounts, taste and add as necessary.

My kimchi is moldy

If there is green, blue or black mold on your kimchi, the safest thing to do is discard it and make a new batch. White spots are more likely yeast. If it’s more than just a few small spots, I would be inclined to toss it as well although I have read that rinsing it and cooking with it is ok. I have never actually had yeast grow on any of my kimchi. If the kimchi is soft or slippery/slimy and smells BAD, throw it out.

To avoid these kinds of problems, make sure that the container you are storing your kimchi in is clean and sanitized (boiling water sanitizing is fine). Keep it covered in the fridge. It is also important to keep the veggies submerged in the brine. Press the kimchi vegetables back down under the brine after you use it. As an alternative you can hold back one or two whole cabbage leaves and use them as a natural lid on top of your cut vegetables. Or do the same thing with plastic wrap.

Consistency comes with practice

I have been making kimchi regularly for around 10 years and no two batches are exactly alike. There are too many variables that are difficult to control, not to mention that the finished kimchi keeps changing over time. But, with practice, I have learned how to steer things in the right direction and almost always end up with something i really enjoy eating.

As you can see above, some things can be manipulated after the kimchi is finished but it’s best to get things right at the start. Make notes of what you like or don’t like with each batch and vary your ingredients until your kimchi tastes delicious to you. There is no “best” or “correct” kimchi. There is only the one you enjoy eating. Make that your goal.

If you have any questions or if you are having issues that I haven’t thought of here, please post a comment below. I always enjoy hearing from you.

Myeolchi Bokkeum is panfried dried anchovies. Sweet, salty and crunchy, it is one of my favourite Korean sides and also one of the simplest recipes. It can be made in just a few minutes but you need to move fairly quickly and take a little care to get it just right. I really like these with peanuts in the recipe but I am making these today without nuts to share with someone who has an allergy.

The recipe is easy to remember because it is just “one” of everything…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried very small anchovies (in freezer section at Korean grocer)
• 1 tablespoon olive or other vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon sugar (white or brown)
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Process:

Before you start cooking, combine the water, sugar and minced garlic in a small container. Mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Start cooking: this is an easy preparation but you have to move a little quickly so here are a couple videos to demonstrate…

Heat your pan on medium high and add dry anchovies (and nuts if you are including them). I like to stir mine with my fingers in the dry pan until they are too hot to touch. This step will ensure that any moisture in the fish will evaporate before frying them in oil. Keep them moving and just heat them until you can’t handle them with bare hands anymore.

Add the olive or vegetable oil and fry until crispy. Keep them moving. It is ok for them to brown a little bit but don’t go too far or they may taste bitter (burnt)

When they are crisply fried (you can even hear how crunchy they are), move them aside, add the sugar, water and garlic from the prepared container. Let it cook down a little on the side until you have kind of a loose caramel, then mix the fish back in for a few seconds and remove from the heat.

Move the hot fish to a new bowl or container so that it stops cooking.

Pour over the sesame oil

Add the sesame seeds

Mix well and it is done

How to eat myeolchi bokkeum

You can eat these as is, put them on rice or add them to your favourite lettuce wrap (ssam). I especially like to sprinkle them on fresh salads. They can be used anywhere something sweet, salty and crunchy would go. I had a Korean cook once who put them on her yogurt for breakfast but not sure if I would recommend it! If they are not all gone in one sitting, you can store your myeolchi bokkeum in an airtight container in the fridge.

Variations:

• you can make these spicy by adding a little gochujang to the sugar/water mixture or by sprinkling some chili flakes in at the end with the sesame seeds
• you can make these saltier or more savoury by adding sea salt or soy sauce to the mix. Careful though because the anchovies themselves are already quite salty. Experiment with small amounts.
• you can add any nut or seeds in with anchovies at the start of the recipe. Peanuts are classic and delicious but almost anything works including almonds, walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
• If you like them sweeter, add a little more sugar or even syrup (rice, corn or maple)

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

The start of a long relationship with Korean food

Years ago I hired a new cook who had recently arrived from Korea on a work visa. I soon started to notice them struggling a little with physical demands and mental focus. Everyday, they worked diligently and did an excellent job, never complaining once. But they were mentally exhausted and physically depleted by the end of every day. After a few weeks, they finally admitted to me that they were having a hard time eating North American food without feeling ill. On top of homesickness, they were basically….hungry all the time. And because they were hungry, they were exhausted.

The only way I could think of to make this situation better was to feed them. I asked them what they would eat if they could choose anything. The answer was Bukeoguk.

I knew nothing about Korean cooking and I had never heard of it. But, I searched for recipes and went to a Korean grocer for the first time and bought all the ingredients I needed. The next day, I made my first Korean food. And, for the few years that this cook worked for me, I continued to feed them one new dish a day. I gradually became a pretty good Korean cook and they gradually became healthier and happier.

They eventually moved on, as all cooks do. But my love for Korean food and cooking has remained with me. And for the last 10 years I have continued to learn methods and ingredients. By now, I must have made a hundred different dishes (probably more), even making my own doenjang, ganjang and gochujang from scratch. Makgeolli too.

Since that fateful meeting, I have cooked and eaten everything I can get my hands on. I have traveled to Korea many times and I have made many friends, even learning to speak the language at a basic level (so far). This story is a long one, too long to write here….and it’s not over yet! For now, I’ll just say “Thank you: 만나서 반가워요”

Ingredients:

• 60 grams (one big handful) dried Alaskan Pollock (bukeo) 북어
• 1 cup peeled and rough chopped Korean radish
• 4 cloves of garlic minced or sliced thinly
• 2-3 green onions (scallions)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Korean Soup Soy Sauce (guk ganjang) or fish sauce
• 1 egg beaten
• salt and pepper
• water (4-6 cups)

The amounts above are guidelines. This preparation is very simple and there is no delicate balance to upset here. If you like more fish, use more fish. If you like more radish put in more radish. The important thing is that everything is underwater and that it is seasoned well with salt or soy sauce/fish sauce. If you do follow the recipe exactly it will make a good soup. 2 smaller portions with rice and sides or one big portion.

Raw ingredients:

Process:

Soak dried pollock for 15 minutes or so in warm water until it softens up enough to cut or tear apart. Keep the soaking water…we will add it in later.

Chop or tear soaked fish into bite size pieces. Sometime there are a few little bones in the meat and tearing it by hand will help you find and remove them.

Cook the fish pieces in sesame oil for a few minutes until it is hot and aromatic

Add garlic. I like to slice my garlic thin but I think minced garlic is more common. Up to you!

Add chopped radish and cook for a few minutes until warm

Pour back the soaking water, enough to cover everything plus a few centimetres.

Soup soy sauce goes in. This stuff is not the same as regular soy sauce. It is much saltier and funkier. You should be able to find it easily at a Korean grocer but, if not, you can substitute fish sauce.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until radish is cooked through. Now is a good time to add salt if needed. The dried fish contains salt, the soy sauce is very salty and the radish will release a lot of water. So I prefer for all these ingredients to cook completely before adding salt. Now is the perfect time to taste and adjust. Add salt if needed. Pepper too if you like.

Green onion goes in

Pour in egg and remove the pot from the heat. Wait until a raft of egg floats up before stirring it in.

Time to eat!

Bukeoguk is nutritious and easy to digest (also why it is known as a good “hangover soup”). It is simple and quick to make with only a few ingredients. I like to eat it with fresh white rice and a little homemade kimchi. Whenever I make it now, I can’t help but remember the first time I made it and the hungry person who got me started on my Korean cooking adventures.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I am always happy to hear from you.

I have made this kimchi fried rice recipe 1000 times in my restaurant kitchen. It is scaled down here to serve two people as a side or one person as a big meal. I am calling it a “recipe” but really, the amounts can change as you like. If you follow it, it will be delicious. But, if you like more of one ingredient and less of another, adjust as you like. Kimchi and rice are the only must haves. The important thing is that it is hot and it tastes good and that there is enough for everyone.

This will turn out best with day old, cold rice. If you plan to cook rice the same day, spread it on a plate, cool it and refrigerate it uncovered until it is completely cold and a bit dry. This doesn’t take more than an hour or two. Doing this will allow the starch in the rice to firm up. The drier the rice is, the more kimchi juice it will be able to absorb without getting mushy. If you use hot rice right out of the rice cooker, the texture of the finished rice will be mushy and sticky.

Gochujang is fermented Korean chili paste which you can buy at any Korean grocer. Lately, I have seen it at most regular supermarkets as well. It will add some spice and funk to this dish but it is optional. It always comes in a little red rectangular plastic tub. Just like this:

Roasted Korean Seaweed (aka Gim or Laver) can be found at any Asian grocer and maybe at your local supermarket too. It comes in bigger sheets or little packets which I prefer because they work as one serving. Looks something like this:

The big packs are ok too but make sure to wrap the leftover sheets tightly. Humidity will destroy them in a day.

The older and more sour your kimchi, the better the end flavour of this rice dish.

Vegans, this will work just fine with no meat. Mushrooms are very good in this recipe as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked white short grain rice chilled in the refrigerator
• 1 cup sour kimchi with juice
• 1 teaspoon gochujang (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted Korean seaweed (laver)
• 1 egg per person
• 1 cup chopped protein of your choice (I have used summer sausage and chicken here because I have it on hand. My first choice would be a nice smokey bacon)
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Process:

Cook sausage (or bacon or mushrooms) in olive oil until it starts to brown..

Add sliced chicken… (all of these proteins are optional)

Season with salt and pepper and cook all the way through…

Stir in kimchi with juice and gochujang if you are using it…

Meanwhile, fry up an egg in a separate pan…

When kimchi is heated through, add cold rice, chop and stir it until kimchi and liquid is incorporated. It should be HOT…

This looks good, even colour, no chunks of white rice, steaming…

Add sesame oil and mix through. Check for seasoning now and adjust salt and pepper…

Plate the rice and top with crushed seaweed and toasted sesame seeds…

Add fried egg and garnish with green onion…

That’s it! A portion this size with enough meat/mushrooms in it should feed one person as is. Or, you can use this as a side for any other dish like fish, steak, pork chop, kebabs, chicken, grilled veggies..almost anything.

A good recipe for homemade cut cabbage kimchi can be found in this post.

For other ideas on what to do with kimchi at home check this post.

If you have any questions or or comments please leave them below.

Kimchi is alive

Just like all living things, kimchi ages. One month from now the texture and flavour will be quite different. Freshly made kimchi is crisp and bright like a spicy salad. You can taste all of the individual ingredients. Over time, this fresh kimchi will soften as it ferments. The initial sharp and distinct flavours will meld into something more deep, dark and complex. And, as fermenting bacteria produce lactic acid, it will become more and more sour. After enough time has passed, it will sour to the point that the acid levels feel “fizzy” on your tongue.

The good news is that kimchi never really goes “bad”. At every stage of fermentation, there are many ways to eat it. Nothing is wasted.

The list below is divided into things you can do with fresh kimchi vs things you can do with aged kimchi. I think, in general, fresh kimchi is best eaten cold and aged sour kimchi is best eaten hot but it is not a hard rule. You can try either in any preparation.

Freshly made kimchi

Kimchi, even freshly made, is a powerful ingredient. Start with a little bit, taste and add more little by little until you are happy with the flavour.

1-Eat it as is: fresh cold kimchi is a refreshing side dish to eat with almost anything. It is especially good to balance the flavours of fattier foods and meats and makes these things easier to digest. I can’t eat eggs without a side of kimchi anymore.

2-As a salad topping: you can use small leaves of fresh kimchi as an ingredient in any fresh salad. Creamy salads like Caesars also taste wonderful with some julienned fresh kimchi on top.

3-Burger or hotdog topping: like a pickle or relish, chopped fresh kimchi will balance the intense smokiness of sausage or the charred meaty flavours of a burger.

4-Raw oyster topping: A tiny amount of fresh chopped kimchi on top of a raw oyster is a perfect accompaniment. This is especially true for sweeter fattier Pacific oyster varieties but also works well for briny east coast oysters.

5-Avocado Toasts: these days, a lot of us are enjoying the rich flavours and health benefits of ripe avocado smeared on toast. I love it too and often include a bit of fresh chopped kimchi and green onion in the avocado mash. It is especially delicious with a fried egg on top. Addictive!

6-Shrimp Cocktail: whoever first combined ketchup and horseradish as a shrimp dip was a culinary genius. Add a little chopped kimchi into your cocktail sauce. It will tone down the sweetness of the ketchup and add a little garlic and spice for a slight variation on a classic combination.

7-Fresh rolls: if you like rice paper rolls stuffed with crisp veggies and/or shrimp and pork, a little chopped fresh kimchi can add a subtle spicy and garlicky flavour.

8-Kimbap: a little kimchi rolled up with the rice and other ingredients in your kimbap is delicious, especially if you are also making them with tuna!

9-Tuna Sandwich: if you enjoy classic canned tuna and mayo sandwiches as much as I do, try chopping some fresh kimchi into the mix. It brightens up the flavour and is a perfect match for the oily mayo and meaty tuna. If I don’t have kimchi on hand, I don’t even consider making this sandwich. It is that good.

10-Bloody Mary/Bloody Caesar Cocktail: try substituting the tobasco in your cocktail recipe with some fresh juice from your kimchi stash. You can even garnish with some small fresh kimchi leaves. Sour kimchi works great here too.

11-Kimchi Devilled Eggs: mix some finely chopped kimchi into the mayo and egg yolk mixture to brighten the colour and flavour of this classic dish. Top with chopped chives or green onion for a perfect finish. Also good with sour kimchi.

Aged Kimchi

Sour kimchi is an ingredient in many classic Korean dishes. For excellent traditional recipes to try at home, please have a look at Maangchi’s website , Korean Bapsang or My Korean Kitchen. There are countless sources for Korean cooking on the internet but these three are the ones I look to first for great food and writing.

Classic Korean dishes using sour kimchi:

1-Kimchi fried rice: an excellent way to use up leftover white rice. Top with chopped roasted seaweed, toasted sesame, sesame oil, green onion and fried egg. Here is a link to my kimchi fried rice recipe.

2-Kimchi jeon (pancake): Aged kimchi and it’s juices are made into a batter using flour and/or rice starch. Fried in oil until crispy outside and served with soy and vinegar sauce. Addictive. Good recipe here.

3-Kimchi jjigae (stew): there are a variety of thick and hearty stews made with aged kimchi. Ingredients can be fresh veggies, tofu, meats, tuna and other fish. Even spam and ramen noodles or hotdogs in the case of Buddae Jjigae (Army base stew). Here is a good classic recipe from Maangchi. Buddae jjigae here from My Korean Kitchen.

4-Kimchi Guk (soup): similar to kimchi jjigae but a little lighter and thinner. Look here for a good recipe to try.

5-Kimchi Mandu (dumplings): Korean dumplings, steamed, fried or in soup are delicious. If you want to try making your own have a look at this recipe from Korean Bapsang. You can also buy pretty good frozen ones at Korean grocers though they will probably never be as good as the fresh made.

6-Kimchi Jjim (braised kimchi): An incredibly deep and flavourful braise of aged kimchi and pork. You can also substitute in other meats, fish and/or mushrooms. I have also made this with really tough cuts of beef and the results are always very good. It is one of my favourite ways to eat really ripe kimchi. Here is a good recipe.

Other uses for aged kimchi

In my last 10 years as a chef I made tons of kimchi and tons of staff meals. The restaurant staff were always the test subjects for kimchi experiments but I honestly never received a lot of complaints. Most of the things listed below I have made myself at one time or another.

1. Pasta Sauces: aged kimchi, in small amounts will wake up any tomato sauce. You won’t exactly taste kimchi but you will taste something…GOOD. Kimchi will add a little punch to any tomato sauce with it’s heat, acidity and fermented funk. It is surprisingly delicious. This also works in cream sauces where you end up with a kind of spicy, garlicky rose…excellent with seafood.

2. Baked Pasta: Expanding on the above point, layers of kimchi alongside layers of tomato and meat sauce in a lasagna or any baked pasta is an outstanding flavour boost.

3. One more noodle: kimchi macaroni and cheese is next level delicious. Make it from scratch or even stir chopped kimchi into your boxed mac n cheese.

4. Burgers and Pizza: Warm aged kimchi is a fantastic topping on burgers (put it under the cheese) and pizza. You can also puree aged kimchi into any pizza sauce to brighten it up.

5. Kimchi Grilled Cheese sandwich: I see this one talked about a lot because it is a fantastic idea. Try it with a smoked cheese or layer of smokey bacon for maximum pleasure

6. Instant Ramen (or any cup noodles): another classic application because it is so good. Use only half the powder of your instant ramen packet and substitute in some well fermented kimchi and juice. Add an egg too. A little more healthy and definitely more delicious.

7. Hot sauce: many hot sauces are made from fermented chilis (heat) and vinegar (acid). Aged kimchi has both of these qualities. Put kimchi juice and leaves in a blender and puree. Add some extra chilli flakes to ramp up the heat if you like. Instant kimchi flavour that you can easily add to anything.

8. Hollandaise Sauce: add some well aged chopped or pureed kimchi into your egg yolks at the start of your hollandaise sauce. If it is sour enough, it can replace vinegar, shallots and cayenne like magic.

9. Kimchi Potato Hash: Boil and chop potatoes. Fry bacon in a pan until fat is rendered, add aged chopped kimchi, add potatoes and cook until they start to brown and crisp. Amazing starch for any meat dish or even with eggs at brunch.

10. Chili con carne: If you are a chili lover, try adding a little aged kimchi into the mix. It will do the same thing it does for pasta sauce. You won’t exactly taste kimchi but you will taste something delicious.

11. Steamed mussels: kimchi and cream together (bacon too) make an excellent broth for steaming live mussels and dipping bread later.

12. Baked oysters: Oysters on the half shell with crispy bacon bits, aged kimchi and smoked (or even blue) cheese broiled in the oven.

13. Kimchi butter: aged kimchi cooked in butter and poured over fish or meat with fresh green onion or chives makes an flavourful and easy sauce.

14. Kimchi sour cream: chop some aged kimchi into sour cream and serve it with bacon bits on potato and cheese pierogis. Thanks for this suggestion Milosz!

Maybe not?

Many years ago, I may have made kimchi gelato. I think some people liked it but…it wasn’t unanimous. I think it was pretty good. Am I dreaming?

There must be more…

Today I sat down and tried to think of every way I have cooked with kimchi in the past. This is what I came up with for now but I am sure there are a lot more good ideas. If you have anything to add, please leave a suggestion in the comments and I will add it to the post. We can work on this list together : )

It was in my professional restaurant kitchen that I first started making Napa cabbage kimchi, 12-16 heads of whole cabbage at a time. Determined to do everything by hand, I bought fresh garlic and peeled and minced every clove with a knife (2-3 hours just for this). Carrots, onions, radish, ginger: all cut by hand. My goal was to produce the most “hand-made” perfect kimchi I possibly could. Efficiency was not so important. Between shopping for all the ingredients, hauling them to the restaurant and finishing the kimchi, it took me the better part of 2 whole days. Of course, I had prep cooks to help with all the peeling and a dishwasher to clean up after me.

Did all this hand-work make any difference? I am not sure. At the time, as a non-Korean chef, I thought I had better try my hardest to make it as traditional as possible. But after reading lots of recipes and speaking with Korean cooks and friends that I knew, it seemed that most of their moms or grandmas were using food processors to make the process more efficient. Efficiency: this is a Korean tradition as well! The kimchi I make at home these days is just as delicious, takes less time and makes less of a mess. Making cut kimchi instead of whole cabbage kimchi also makes the whole process a little faster and saves me the trouble of cutting fermented kimchi every time I want to use it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole Napa cabbage (around 2kg)
• 80grams (around 1/2 cup) of Diamond Crystal kosher salt ***if you are using another kosher or sea salt, weigh out 80gr. DO NOT use fine table salt in this recipe.***
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar or maesil plum syrup
• 1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger sliced
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 korean pear peeled (you can substitute a regular pear or apple)
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon salted shrimp
• 1 cup mild korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
• 6 green onions
• 1 carrot cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup korean radish matchsticks
• 1 cup chopped buchu (asian chives) or watercress (minari)

PROCESS:

VEGETARIANS: you can make this exact recipe and leave out the shrimp and fish sauce. The cabbage will still ferment and be delicious. If you want a more intense savoury flavour, you can add a few squirts of soy sauce or some dried mushroom powder to the puree. If you can’t find dry mushroom powder, pick up some dried shiitakes at any asian grocer and grind them in a coffee grinder. Add them to the kimchi sauce a teaspoon at a time until you like what you taste.

IF YOU DON”T LIKE SPICY FOOD: leave out the chilli flakes. Your kimchi will still ferment and be delicious.

That’s it! A very simple kimchi recipe. It is still pretty messy and time consuming but, it will always taste better than anything you will buy in a jar at the grocery store and you will have the satisfaction of handpicking all of the ingredients yourself and making it as spicy as you like. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.

If you are interested in seeing past fermentation experiments including scratch made doenjang, gochujang and vinegars have a look at my instagram highlights. Any future stuff, I will post here.

Here is a link to my favourite kimchi fried rice recipe. And for more ideas about what to do with your new batch of kimchi, have a look at this post.