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

FAQs

What is in kimchi that makes it spicy? ›

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.

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.

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 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! . . . . . . .

RED CHILI PEPPER FOR KIMCHI - Coarse gochugaru flakes used for making kimchi and cooking Korean dishes such as Spicy stir-fried pork, BBQ, etc.

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.

Make the spice paste.

Add the garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce, shrimp paste, or water and stir into a smooth paste. Stir in the gochugaru, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons); set aside until the cabbage is ready.

If you leave kimchi outside of the fridge, over time it will become over-fermented and won't taste so great anymore. What are the health benefits of eating kimchi?

Mix Kimchi Paste with Cabbage

Next, add the kimchi paste and gochugaru to the bowl then mix well. I like mixing with my hands but wearing gloves as the kimchi paste can stain your skin. Give the kimchi a taste and adjust spiciness by adding more gochugaru if desired!

Tradition is one of the main reasons why Korean serve kimchi at almost every meal. History shows that Koreans were already eating kimchi as early as 37 BC. During those times, it was common for the locals to make fermented dishes because of the abundance of ingredients and lack of refrigeration.

What is the difference between Japanese kimchi and Korean kimchi? ›

Furthermore, Japanese kimchi is made to suit Japanese taste, which is less spicy and pungent than Korean one, and foreigners tend to prefer this Japanese mild kimchi. Such Japanese copycat kimchi has stirred up Korean patriotic sentiment, since kimchi is more than food and a kind of national symbol for Korea.

Opened, store-bought kimchi lasts 3-4 days at room temperature and up to 6 months in the refrigerator. As soon as you break the seal and expose your kimchi to oxygen, the fermentation process starts to speed up, meaning that your kimchi will near its expiration date a lot faster.

You can enhance kimchi with a bunch of seasonings and add-ins, traditional or otherwise. These give a distinct flavor to the final product. Love lots of deep, umami, flavor? Try adding salted shrimp, oysters, or mushrooms.

Kimchi is a super versatile dish that can be eaten on its own - seriously, straight out of the jar - as a condiment, or worked into almost any recipe. It compliments many flavors in sometimes surprising ways and has enough flavor to stand out on its own.

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.

Gochugaru flakes are normally used to make kimchi - the Korean pickled cabbage dish - and make the most delicious seasoning for shredded cabbage or vegetable salads. These are very small flakes (almost a coarse powder) of bright red Korean chillies with very few seeds.

Kimchi is a traditional, slightly spicy Korean sauerkraut made from lacto-fermented vegetables like napa cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, garlic, ginger, and Korean chili (gochugaru). It is served with almost every meal in Korea as both a side dish and a condiment, making it a Korean staple.

They come in mild (deol-maewoon gochu-garu 덜매운 고춧가루) and hot (maewoon gochu-garu 매운 고춧가루) versions. For dishes like kimchi, I use the milder flakes so that I can add a lot for color without making the dish too spicy.

Baek-kimchi literally translates as “white kimchi” in English, because it's not made with Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru), which makes it whitish. It's not spicy at all, but that doesn't mean it's bland!