Cabbage Kimchi Recipe - Aaron and Claire (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between old kimchi and new kimchi? ›

Taste. The biggest difference between fresh and fermented Kimchi is the taste. Fresh Kimchi is more like a salad, so it taste more raw, fresh and crunchy. Fermented Kimchi is softer and tangy.

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.

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).

Your kimchi will continue to age if kept cool in the refrigerator and away from oxygen, remaining delicious for up to 12 months or even longer.

Is it safe to eat? The cause of black dots, known as “pepper spot” or “black spec”, is likely to be low light levels, high soil pH, fertilizers high in nitrogen and phosphorus, and harvesting & storage conditions.

I want to take a moment here to emphasize that selecting the right type of salt for kimchi is incredibly important. Natural sea salt is the salt of choice for most Koreans making kimchi, but I've found that kosher salt is a very good substitute.

White cabbage, shredded x 300g (save an outer cabbage leaf as you'll need this for packaging!) A few hours before you're going to make the kimchi (we usually do this 5-6 hours before but a couple of hours to overnight is also fine) pour the water into a large mixing bowl, add the salt and stir to dissolve.

The addition of iodine can inhibit beneficial bacteria and disrupt fermentation. We, therefore, advise against using iodized salt for vegetable fermentation. However, salts containing natural iodine are not a concern. The presence of anti-caking agents, on the other hand, can give a bad taste to fermented vegetables.

Overall, eating up to three servings of kimchi daily was associated with an 11% lower odds for obesity, compared to folks who ate less than one serving daily, Shin's group found. Results varied somewhat based on gender: Women who ate two to three servings daily saw their odds for obesity fall by 8%, the study found.

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.

Does kimchi need fish sauce? ›

While traditional kimchi recipes call for fish sauce, we have officially created this delicious vegan version that you will love!

Baechu-kimchi (배추김치), translated as napa cabbage kimchi or simply kimchi is a quintessential banchan (side dish) in Korean cuisine, made with salted, seasoned, and fermented napa cabbages.

Kimchi has been a staple in Korean culture, but historical versions were not a spicy dish. Early records of kimchi do not mention garlic or chili pepper. Chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in kimchi, had been unknown in Korea until the early seventeenth century due to its being a New World crop.

The shelf life of many store-bought kimchi brands is around eight months to a year. But, rely on your common sense. If you see any mold, toss it. If the smell changes from the usual expected sourness and pungency, to the point of being unpleasant, it may be time to get rid of it and buy more or start a new batch.

It's made by fermenting cabbage, radishes, and other vegetables in a mixture of salt, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper. The taste of the resulting mixture can vary depending on the specific ingredients used and how long it is fermented, but it is generally spicy, sour, and slightly tangy.