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How To Make Korean Kimchi

Delicious Kimchi

The mention of kimchi makes my saliva flows. It’s so nice on its own, great for making kimchi pancakes and just goes great with almost any food! I just can’t believe that I disliked it so much when I was first introduced to it by my Korean friends while I was in South Korea. I’m so glad I never gave up trying. Pretty soon I got to like it very, very much. I’m so thankful to my Korean friends who never gave up on me but consistently encouraged and taught me different ways to eat kimchi. We became very close friends through sharing food. Food always builds friendship and brings friends closer.

Have taught quite a few friends to make kimchi and they love it so much that they make very frequently. It’s quite a while since I last made. A friend mentioned of kimchi pancake this week and the thought of it just stayed in my mind. I just have to make it. So I made kimchi yesterday.

Chinese Cabbage

I bought 2 big Chinese cabbages yesterday. Well, even though they are considered big here, they are really tiny compared to those found in Korea…..huge! The 2 that I bought weighed only 1.4kg. My recipe here to share:

Ingredients A
2 Chinese long cabbages (about 1.4kg)
1C coarse salt

Cabbage in salt solution

Add the salt to half a big pot or plastic basin of water and stir to dissolve. Cut the cabbage in half length wise and place them in the salt solution to soak until soft. I let it soak for about 3 hours. Remove and squeeze out the water.

Ingredients B
1C Korean chili powder
2T salted shrimp (or 2T fish sauce)
2 knob ginger
1 whole garlic
1 bunch spring onions
1T sugar
1 carrot

Kimchi ingredients to mix

Pound the ginger and garlic. I used my most wonderful juicer to do that which grinds it to a paste. Since I had to wash the juicer, I rewarded myself with my most wonderful drink, carrot-apple juice before I grind the ginger and garlic.

Wash and cut the spring onions to 3 inches length. Grate the carrots or you can cut into strips the length of the spring onions. Put into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the other ingredients B.

Mixed kimchi ingredients

Ingredients C
4T rice flour
1& 1/2 C water

Mix the rice flour with water and cook until thick. Keep stirring to avoid burning. Cool it down and then add to mixture B. Mix well and then spread in between the leaves of the cabbage. The rice mixture helps the cabbage in the fermenting. Leave outside for a few hours before keeping it in the fridge to continue fermenting. You can eat it the second day but I prefer to eat it after a few days which is more fermented and sour by then.

Mix ingredients into the cabbage

If you like it spicier, just add more of the chili powder. I find Korean powder is the best, both in colour & taste though you can try out with other chili powder. Test it out before you add more because some chili powder can be too hot and too over-powering.

Do you like Korean food? What is your favourite dish? Do you like kimchi? What do you eat kimchi with? Please share, add and comment in the comment box below. In the mean time, keep learning, keep cooking and keep smiling. Learning new things always brings happiness and makes life more meaningful and fulfilled.

Quote of the day……

‘Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.’

Thomas Jefferson

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18 Comments

Easy, Healthy Asian Recipes on September 5th, 2009

[...] it with rice and noodles. It’s very easy to make. More pictures and recipe on how to make it at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.c…imchi-is-easy/ Cheers, shalinee __________________ [...]

Divina on September 5th, 2009

I love kimchi too. I always have it at home.

Janis on September 5th, 2009

Korean food is my comfort food and my FAVORITE food of all. I used to outside of San Francisco and had lots of places to choose from. Now I live outside of Boston and I have 1 place I like. So, I started making it at home. What is my favorite dish? Dol Sot Bibimbop.

Mary on September 5th, 2009

Divina and Janis, great to know you share my love for Korean food….awesome food. Dolsot Bibimbap is also my favourite. On my list is also bulgogi and tokbokki, pictures at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com/2009/06/23/korean-food-in-london/

Eleanor Hoh (WokStar) on September 5th, 2009

I gotta try this because my Korean market is far away. Thanks for it. I might leave out the rice flour step though.

Sook on September 6th, 2009

I LOVE Kimchi! I’ve tried to make it once or twice when I was in college. It wasn’t as good as my mom’s, of course. I think I might have to try this! Thanks!

Eleanor Hoh (WokStar) on September 6th, 2009

I’m very excited about my first batch of kimchee. I’ve tried before and realize I shouldn’t have listened to the salesgal at the Korean market. The chili powder was the secret, I used chili flakes - wrong. Your recipe was so simple, I checked others online and was confused. So, thnx for simplifying. Will let you know whether omitting rice flour works. I put them into cute glass jars to give away as prezzies.

Alexandra@Chefspiration on September 6th, 2009

Looks great! I’ll have to try it…I hope it’s not too hard to find Korean Chilli Powder

Mary on September 7th, 2009

Eleanor, Sook & Alexandra, I’m thrilled to know we share the love for kimchi.

Eleanor, It’s exciting to know you made the kimchi. It’s good to try it differently. I’m sure it will come out nice. Really sweet of you to make and give away.

Alexandra, lovely to know you’ll try it. I hope you can find the Korean chili powder at your place. Maybe ask the Korean restaurant there where they get theirs. I’m pretty sure you can find that in Malaysia.

alice on September 8th, 2009

This post is so lovely and so close to my heart. Nice job.. I love kimchee and miss the days I used to help my mother make it.

Masterthin on September 9th, 2009

Great 1

Olive on September 9th, 2009

I have tried store-bought kimchi before and I didn’t really like it although I really love hot and spicy food. I would like to give it another try with your home made kimchi recipe.. thanks for sharing it

Mary on September 9th, 2009

Alice, thanks for your comments. Making kimchi also brings back many good memories….of beautiful Koje Do in South Korean and all wonderful Korean friends.

Masterthin, thanks for your comments.

Olive, thanks for your comments. Hope you will give it a try. You are going to like it. It is simple and easy.

PJ on February 19th, 2010

Love to try this out but can you pls tell me if I can replace salted shrimp/fish sauce with any other ingredient?

Mary on February 19th, 2010

@PJ - The actual kimchi uses shrimp sauce. But since I can’t get it here, I use fish sauce. They do give a very lovely flavour. But I believe you can do without it … only less flavourful I think. But would be good to give a try. I would love to know how you get along with it. Have fun making kimchi It’s such a healthy, delicious dish.

Ei on July 13th, 2010

I like Korean food. But, Kimchi & Sushi I like.

Mary on July 13th, 2010

@Ei - Thanks for visiting and for lovely comment, Ei! Lovely to know you like Korean food too. I like sushi too and often make it myself. Have a nice day.