All about Kimchi - Health benefits and recipe

Healthy Kimchi recipe - Easy home cook recipe

If you are at all familiar with Korean food, then you’ve definitely heard of Kimchi. Today we will share a little information about what exactly Kimchi is and how to easily make this tasty dish at home.

Korean traditional fermented pickle "Kimchi"

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi - fermented cabbage pickled in spices - is the national food of Korea. You may have also heard of Kimchi as being a popular superfood filled with probiotic properties and lots of vitamins to boost your immune system. Not only is Kimchi very healthy, it’s incredibly tasty with a spicy and zesty flavor that pairs great with Korean BBQ. But Kimchi is basically enjoyed by Koreans at every meal - breakfast, lunch and dinner - and it will probably come as no surprise that Koreans will include Kimchi with any meal involving noodles or rice. This delicious and versatile food can be enjoyed as a side dish, as a soup, as Kimchi Fried Rice, in an egg pancake known as Kimchi Joen or in any number of other ways.

In Korea, Kimchi recipes and flavors vary by region. There are many ways to prepare Kimchi like including ingredients such as fish sauce, raw shrimp sauce, and in some regions, oyster.  Any of them are a great addition to Kimchi, as long as you follow the basic steps of making this traditional dish.  Here is an easy recipe to make Kimchi at home from Seoul Vibe Korean Restaurant:

How to make Kimchi - Easy Kimchi recipe

Kimchi ingredients

INGREDIENTS 

• Chinese Cabbage 5kg
• Spring Onions 500g
• White Radish 500g
• Sea Salt 3c.**

SAUCE

• Cooked Korean Rice 1c. + 2c. water**
• Gochugaru Chili Powder 3c.**
• Fish Sauce or Raw Shrimp Sauce 1/2c.**
• Red Chili 4
• Garlic 10 cloves
• Ginger 2 (same size as garlic)​

** Ingredients can be purchased at any Korean grocery store.

1. Cut cabbage in half and rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Kimchi nappa cabbage

2. Rub sea salt inside the cabbage by opening each of the leaves.
​Be careful not to use too much salt at once and apply the salt only to the root of the cabbage and not the leaves themselves, as it can become too salty. Add a little bit at a time until the salt is used up.

Sea salt inside the kimchi cabbage

3. Place the cabbage in a plastic bucket large enough to hold all of it and add water to the same level as the cabbage. Soak the cabbage for 4 hours, flipping and stirring the cabbage one time so the salt can spread out.

Nappa kimchi cabbage soaped in sea salt

4. Prepare the sauce putting all the ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed.

Kimchi sauce ingredients

5. After 4 hours, remove the cabbage from the bucket and rinse with clean water at least 3 times to remove the salt.

Washing Kimchi cabbage

6. Drain the cabbage in a colander for 30 minutes.

Draining soaked kimchi cabbage

7. Open each leaf of cabbage and add the sauce and roughly cut spring onions (3-4cm in length) to the cabbage leaves.

Adding sauce in Kimchi cabbage

8. Layer the Kimchi in an airtight food container and seal it well.

Kimchi in food container

9. Keep Kimchi in a shaded area for 1-2 days and then move to the refrigerator for storage

10.Enjoy!