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

FAQs

How can I make my kimchi more spicy? ›

If all you want is More Heat, just use finely minced habanero or scotch bonnet peppers. (Use appropriate practices for handling extremely spicy peppers.) After adding the peppers, stir well and let sit for a day or two to let the flavors disperse.

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 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.

The bright red color of kimchi's signature seasoning, gochugaru, leaves many asking, "Is kimchi spicy?" The spice level of the kimchi depends on how much gochugaru went into the mix, with different versions available ranging from mild to very spicy.

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.

Allow 1 hour to prepare the kimchi and get it in the fermentation jar. Plus 4 hours waiting while the vegetables salt. It takes 5-10 days to ferment depending on room temperature.

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.

If you would like to speed this up, then you can either raise the temperature slightly to speed up the process, or take even more care and time to remove any excess salt from your cabbage. This will lower your overall salt content, and should allow the Kimchi to ferment faster.

The key to a good kimchi is the balance of salt, heat, and the lactic tang that results from fermentation, similar to the acidic bite in sauerkraut or pickles. Napa cabbage is the standard veg used to make kimchi, and it also happens to be the only kind Mrs.

What kind of salt is best for kimchi? ›

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.

Kimchi can be made from a variety of vegetables, and even fruits, but the most recognized version — baechu kimchi — is made with cabbage. Alongside cabbage, it often contains radishes, scallions, carrots, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and other flavorings. Kimchi has a sour, salty, savory, and often fiery taste.

Though many think of kimchi as always being red and spicy, historically, kimchi was actually white and not spicy at all until chili was introduced sometime during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Add more brine if you want your kimchi spicier and thinner, and less brine if you want to keep it thicker and less spicy. If the kimchi brine isn't making it spicy enough for your taste, add a sprinkle of gochugaru or chile flakes to take it to the next level.

To reduce the spiciness of your vegetarian kimchi, you can try adding a bit more sugar or sweetness to balance out the heat. You can also try adding more vegetables or even a bit of water to dilute the spice level. Additionally, adding a small amount of vinegar can help cut through the spiciness.

Seafood flavor and vegetarian alternatives: Seafood gives kimchi an umami flavor. Different regions and families may use fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, oysters, and other seafood. Use about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, or a combination of the two.

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.

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!