10 Kimchi Recipes with Different Vegetables (Part II) (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables go well with kimchi? ›

If you add some vegetables like carrots, onions, lettuce and green onions, the tastes will enhance the texture and flavor. Don't forget to add eggs in the end. Just cracking the eggs into the boiliing ramen. Eating any meat with kimchi goes well, too.

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.

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.

Don't use salt that has any anti-caking agents and don't use chlorinated water. Both could inhibit fermentation. The basics to making kimchi: soak the cabbage, radish, and carrot in salt brine.

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 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 Dumplings (Kimchi Mandu, 김치만두)

One of the most popular Korean dumplings is this! Pair kimchi with minced pork/beef/tofu and wrap them in a dumpling wrapper. You can pan fry them or steam them as you like!

So do you eat kimchi hot or cold? If you are eating kimchi because of the amazing live cultures and nutrient availability it offers, we recommend eating it cold. Try some of our own favorite cold kimchi recipes to get started: Cold noodles with kimchi.

You probably don't need to let it sit at room temp for more than a few hours (unless you like it really sour). If it just smells like seasoned cabbage and doesn't bubble at all, you'll probably want to let it sit out for most of the day to get a more satisfying sour flavor.

Sure, a specialized kimchi jar with an airtight seal might be the traditional choice, but a large glass or plastic container with a secure lid can work wonders too. The key is to create an environment conducive to fermentation, allowing those magical microbes to perform their amazing job!

Do you rinse kimchi after salting? ›

Let the cabbages rest for 2 hours. Turn over every 30 minutes, so they get well salted. From time to time you can ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over top of the cabbages if you want to. After 2 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water.

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.

Kimchi is high in sodium, with about 500 milligrams per cup. That's more than 20% of all the sodium that you're supposed to get in a day. Too much sodium can raise your risk of high blood pressure. If kimchi isn't prepared or stored properly, it can cause food poisoning, especially in people who are immune compromised.

As far as timing? It's most optimal to eat enzyme rich fermented food at the beginning of the meal, so they can begin the work of helping digestion as soon as they land in the stomach.

"Fermented cabbage is the most common kind, but kimchi is actually a pickling technique, so you can make it with any vegetable," explains Marja Vongerichten. "Every Korean household has a different recipe: Some use pears, others, raw shrimp or oysters." This classic recipe includes napa cabbage, ginger, and garlic.

Kimchi is usually served with rice

The traditional way to eat kimchi is to have it as a banchan, which is a Korean side dish. Banchan is basically any side dish for steamed rice.

I love to keep it in my kitchen to top bowls of grains and noodles, stir into soups and stews, and toss with stir fries. But its big, bold flavor can go into just about anything. If you're looking for ways to put kimchi to good use, these recipes from our database are a good place to get started.

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.