Aside from barbecue, kimchi is probably the dish most synonymous with Korean cuisine. This fiery red, funky, fermented cabbage is on the table every meal – breakfast, lunch and dinner, 365 days a year. It is one of the cornerstones of Korean cooking, and Koreans consider it vital to their daily diet.
Kimchi making may look daunting, but don’t worry, it’s really very straightforward. You’ll just need to have one or two very large bowls for the brining of the cabbage and a large container to ferment it in. Also, I highly recommend that you wear plastic or latex gloves while smearing the chilli paste onto the cabbage leaves. Otherwise, your hands will be tingling afterwards and the odour, while delicious, will linger on your skin. Many Korean households purchase pre-made kimchi these days, and you can certainly do that and use it wherever kimchi is called for in my recipes, but please do try making this at least once.
FAQs
Pogi is when you take the whole quarters of brined cabbage and then stuff the individual leaves. This is harder and more time consuming to make. Mak kimchi is when you cut the cabbage into smaller pieces first then mix together with all the different ingredients.
What is Poggi kimchi? ›
While the classical cabbage kimchi (poggi kimchi) consists in seasoning and fermenting halved cabbages, mak kimchi (which I like to call “lazy kimchi”) is cut into small pieces before the fermentation process. This small step makes the seasonings' distribution easier and accelerates the preparation process.
What is the secret ingredient in kimchi? ›
Meanwhile, a ruby-red marinade is prepared using ginger, garlic, white radish, red pepper flakes and carrot. For extra richness, anchovy extract or fermented prawn paste (or both) can be added, though vegan-style preparation is increasingly popular. The number of ways to customize baechu kimchi is nearly infinite.
How to eat poggi kimchi? ›
Enjoy when the kimchi has fermented to taste, after 1½ to 2 weeks. To serve, remove a quarter of the cabbage, unroll, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
What is the world's best Korean kimchi? ›
Jongga, Koreans' favorite Kimchi brand of all time, has been elevating the legacy and culture of Kimchi since 1987.
Is kimchi just Korean sauerkraut? ›
Both kimchi and sauerkraut are fermented cabbage dishes, traditional to a specific culture, and growing in popularity around the globe. One hails from the traditions of Korea, while the other made its name in Eastern Europe. If you wanted to, you could likely draw comparisons between the two for days!
What does Costco kimchi taste like? ›
You get the same tangy, spicy, sweet elements of cabbage kimchi but with a satisfying CRUNCH. We usually have to go to the Asian supermarket for other kimchi types, but what a thrill to know that Costco is expanding their selection of Kimchi.
Is Trader Joes kimchi probiotic? ›
If you want to get in more probiotics alongside or in lieu of starting a supplement, there are a few foods worth incorporating, such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut. These foods contain probiotics because they're fermented with live active cultures at the end of processing.
What makes kimchi taste better? ›
The use of bold seasonings like gochugaru and, in some regions, salted seafood, offer additional layers of complexity to the overall taste of the kimchi.
Why do you put sugar in kimchi? ›
Two Main Steps for Making Kimchi
In the first stage, the cabbage is soaked in a salty brine that kills off harmful bacteria. In the second stage, the remaining Lactobacillus bacteria (the good guys!) convert sugars into lactic acid, which preserves the vegetables and gives them that wonderful, tangy flavor.
Aside from barbecue, kimchi is probably the dish most synonymous with Korean cuisine. This fiery red, funky, fermented cabbage is on the table every meal – breakfast, lunch and dinner, 365 days a year.
What vegetables to put in kimchi? ›
*The beauty of kimchi is you can use any vegetables you have on hand. They can be either fresh or on the softer side. Here are some of our favourites: nappa cabbage, carrots, green onions, cauliflower and bok choy.
What does mat kimchi mean? ›
Matt Kimchi is the modern method of making Baechu Kimchi, it differs as the Chinese cabbages are sliced before the vegetables are flavoured with sauces and spices. When severed it looks and tastes very simular to Baechu Kimchi, However Koreans say that baechu kimchi still tastes better that the modern equivalent.
What is mat kimchi in Korean? ›
This is our Kimchi, a traditional dish from Korean cuisine. It consists of fermented cabbage and vegetables, often Chinese cabbage and rettich, pickled in some salt (water) and Korean pepper powder.
What are the different types of radish kimchi? ›
Made two different types of radish kimchi, Kkadugi (Korean Radish Kimchi) and Chong-gak-kimchi (which translates to Bachelor's Kimchi made with ponytail radishes). These are definitely our favorite types of kimchi.
What is the difference between poki and mak kimchi? ›
Mak kimchi has a little sugar and ginger in the brine, which mellows its flavor somewhat. * Whole Spicy Cabbage Kimchi (Poki Kimchi) : More elegant than the mak kimchi, this is a whole cabbage layered in the same manner as the cabbage water kimchi described above, and it's served the same way too--but it's spicier.
