Korean Kimchi

Kimchi or Kimchee is a Korean dish, fermented cabbage. The first time I tried it was from a small Korean restaurant and carry out called Sue’s. We usually got carry outs every week from there. My first bite of it I thought man this is too hot for me! I ended up eating all and it was the first really hot dish that I didn’t suffer from. I loved it.

Sue’s was run by a Korean lady and her two teen age daughters. It supported the family while the father went to ministry school. They lived just down the street from us. I really admired that family; with the daughters working they still managed to graduate high school with honors. They always knew it was the Ainsworth’s order when we ordered Kimchi; she said I was the only one that ordered it. They moved away after the Father finished ministry school and got a church. Before they left one day she showed up at my door with a quart of her Kimchi!

I finally found a recipe that was supposed to be authentic Korean. It is about as good and close to Sue’s Kimchi as I would get. It makes 3 quarts, just right for me. It is 5 to 6 lbs. of Napa cabbage, Korean chili flakes, kosher salt, sugar, grated carrot, minced garlic and thin sliced green onions. Small heads of cabbage I cut lengthwise in 4ths and large ones in 8ths then cut 1 inch wide. You salt it down heavily and let set for a half hour. Then you rinse well, mix in all the other ingredients, place it in a covered bowl and let set at room temperature for 48 hours.

To make Kimchi you need to use Korean red pepper flakes. I used to get it at a close by Asian grocery but they closed up. I finally found some on amazon.com that ships from Whole Spice Co. in CA. It was $23 for a pound that included shipping; I thought a little expensive but another place wanted $25 a pound before shipping. The Korean red peppers have a distinct taste unlike any others. Some of the flakes look almost crystallized. I took a pinch to taste; just a mild pepper taste at first but about a minute later the heat hits you!

After the 48 hours place in sterilized quart jars; top with water to cover if needed. Place the lids on and store in the refrigerator. I would say it should be good for at least two months. I had to use two large bowls when salting down; but after rinsing it had wilted down enough for all fit in one Tupperware bowl to set for 48 hours.

I have just eaten Kimchi as a side dish. It is used to flavor soups, stews, and fried rice but my wife does not like hot so never used it that way. A fellow pellethead, Craft Service, has a business that he caters to TV actors and crew while they are shooting. He uses an FEC 120 pellet smoker for smoking meat. He recently served smoked brisket sandwiches topped with sautéed Kimchi. It looked delicious and it inspired me to use Kimchi in a cook coming up, probably this week-end.

Printable Kimchi recipe


Kimchi Ingredients

Korean chili flakes

Cutting up the cabbage

Carrots, onions and garlic

Half ready to mix

All mixed and ready to set for two days

After two days

Filling the jars

Ready for the fridge

Smokin Don