Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (2024)

FAQs

What is the ingredients of Korean kimchi? ›

Napa cabbage

Baechu-kimchi / Main ingredient

Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in East Asian cuisine. Since the 20th century, it has also become a widespread crop in Europe, the Americas and Australia. In much of the world, it is referred to as "Chinese cabbage".

Wikipedia

Kimchi is commonly sliced and added to soups and hotpots or chopped to be stirred through rice. A whole leaf can be used as a wrap for meat, fish or shellfish. Most often it is sliced and enjoyed as a piquant side dish.

This fermented cabbage dish can be served as a side dish, over a bed of rice, folded into scrambled eggs, whirred into tomato sauce, or even just eaten as is.

The key ingredient in the Korean dish kimchi is napa cabbage (also known as Chinese cabbage). Traditional kimchi preparation involves fermenting this cabbage along with Korean radishes, garlic, ginger, red chili pepper flakes, and other seasonings.

With only 23 calories per cup, kimchi is a low-calorie food. It also contains fiber, which can help you feel full and ward off hunger. One small study found that eating kimchi as part of a monthlong diet helped people with overweight or obesity shed weight and body fat. Eating kimchi may also prevent weight gain.

Because it's a fermented food, it boasts numerous probiotics. These healthy microorganisms may give kimchi several health benefits. It may help regulate your immune system, promote weight loss, fight inflammation, and even slow the aging process. If you enjoy cooking, you can even make kimchi at home.

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.

Early history

The pickling of vegetables was an ideal method, prior to refrigerators, that helped to preserve the lifespan of foods. In Korea, kimchi was made during the winter by fermenting vegetables, and burying it in the ground in traditional brown ceramic pots called onggi.

Cabbage and radish kimchi, a popular fermented vegetable dish, in particular were effective in reducing the risk of obesity and abdominal obesity in both men and women.

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. Signs of your kimchi going bad include mold growth, an alcoholic smell, and an extremely sour taste.

How much kimchi should I eat per day? ›

Now, Korean researchers say a few servings of the spicy food each day might help stave off weight gain. "Consumption of 1–3 servings/day of total kimchi was associated with a lower risk of obesity in men," and smaller amounts were linked to similar trends among women, concluded a team led by Sangah Shin.

Kimchi is delicious straight out of the jar! Of course you can cook it. Kimchi fried rice is excellent! Cooking it really mellows out the flavor, but it kills the healthy bacteria.

You can eat kimchi straight out of the fridge, or you can throw it in a small skillet and heat it up with 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of vegetable oil. It tastes great both ways! Some people prefer the cold, spicy taste, while others find the tangy texture best when heated up.

The best time to eat kimchi for gut health is during a meal, preferably with foods that are rich in fiber. Including kimchi as a side dish with your lunch or dinner can be beneficial. Kimchi is a fermented food that contains probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that support gut health.

Kimchi is a unique and traditional fermented ethnic food of Korea, which consists of vegetables such as Chinese cabbage fermented with lactic acid bacteria.

Is kimchi vegetarian? Not always. According to the 2022 iteration of the Codex Alimentarius international food standards, kimchi is vegetarian in that it's simply “prepared with Chinese cabbage as a predominant ingredient and other vegetables which have been trimmed, cut, salted and seasoned before fermentation”.

Nutritional Information

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Napa Cabbage, Chili Pepper, Carrot, Garlic, Green Onion, Cane Sugar, Onion, Salted Baby Shrimp, Sea Salt, Ginger, Anchovy Extract.