How To Make Kimchi - Mom's Famous Spicy Kimchi Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How can I make my kimchi more spicy? ›

You can add hot pepper flakes. Some advice on what brand from My Aunt's Homemade Kimchi with a Vegan Kimchi Option: We're also pretty particular about the brand of Korean red pepper powder (or hot pepper flakes), gochugaru that we use. We recommend buying Wang Korean gochugaru.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with fermented vegetables. Its ingredients can vary, but napa cabbage and Korean radish are common bases. Kimchi also often includes green onions, ginger, and garlic.

Add radish: You can add Korean radish, daikon radish or red radish into the kimchi jar to help draw out the salt. Taste the next day and your kimchi should be less salty. Since the kimchi is fermented, the radish will have a different texture than the kimchi but I love the added crunch! . . . . . . .

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.

Traditional Korean Gochugaru

This chili powder is an essential ingredient in making Kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish, but it is also used in other traditional dishes such as soups and stews.

Along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, kimchi contains natural probiotic bacteria. If you eat them regularly, the probiotics in fermented foods can be beneficial to your gut microbiome. Studies suggest that eating kimchi on a daily basis could help to improve some digestive problems.

The kimchi fermentation process is very short in comparison to making sauerkraut. Kimchi ferments at room temperature in only 1-2 days or more slowly in the refrigerator. For safety, kimchi should be stored refrigerated and is best eaten within 1 week, as the quality of kimchi deteriorates with longer fermentation.

The process, called lactic acid fermentation, is what gives kimchi and sauerkraut their nutritional superpowers. This is the crucial difference between kimchi and sauerkraut; fermentation time. They both undergo lactic acid fermentation, but sauerkraut tends to ferment for a significantly longer period of time.

Homemade kimchi must be kept refrigerated and will last for up to 1 month. Store-bought kimchi that remains unopened can be kept at room temperature for 1-3 months. If you have store-bought kimchi that's been opened, it will be good for 3-4 days at room temperature and up to 6 months when refrigerated.

Kimchi will always have a high level of acidity. This is caused by gut-healthy bacteria in the kimchi, which create acid during their lifetime, lowering the pH of the kimchi and preserving it naturally. If the kimchi was not acidic (read: sour) it would go bad!

Why does my kimchi taste so bad? ›

Kimchi spoilage and over-fermentation

It will continue to ferment at a cool temperature. If kimchi over-ferments, it will have a very vinegary odor and taste. It is not pleasant to eat raw, so it is often used for soups and stews. If any fermentation gets soft and slimy, then it is a sign of spoilage.

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.

Kimchi is a healthy food because it provides beneficial bacteria. It helps balance your gastrointestinal tract by providing probiotics, cleansing digestive routes, and helping with digestion. The high-fibre content in kimchi also helps to detoxify the body.

Generally, kimchi is safe for most people unless you have a specific allergy to any of the ingredients. It may also cause some unpleasant side effects such as gas and bloating if you're not used to fermented or high-fibre food.

What happens when you eat too much kimchi? Since kimchi is fermented and spicy, you might experience uncomfortable gastric repercussions. Usually those with IBS or other gastrointestinal issues are more prone to sensitivity, especially since kimchi is also spicy.

The method (if you can even call it that) is as simple as it gets: Drain the kimchi juice, chop up any large pieces, lightly coat a nonstick pan with oil or butter, and fry the kimchi for 5 to 7 minutes over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Kimchi is often supplemented with spices, plants, herbal medicines, and marine foodstuffs to improve the flavor, functionality and nutritional quality. For instance, adding mushrooms, sea tangle extracts, and mustard leaves to kimchi yields final kimchi preparations with powerful antioxidant properties.

The answer to “do you eat kimchi hot or cold” is really about health, not flavor. Kimchi tastes great cooked into almost anything. But heating kimchi kills the healthy, helpful bacteria that are a product of the fermentation process.

Baek kimchi (백김치) is a variety of kimchi that's made without gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes). Baek means white. Kimchi is obviously much more popular in its red spicy form, but we enjoy white kimchi for its mild, refreshing taste. It's child-friendly and great for people who have issues with spicy food!