Korean Kimchi

Before I met my husband, I was very unversed in foods like kimchi, much less would even think to try it. Now, integrated into a Korean household I get to have this amazing dish and all the verities of it every night! I have to hand it it my mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law for making the yummiest kimchi I have ever eaten!

Without diving completely into the very complex topic of Korean food in one blog, here are a few common side dishes of kimchi that we indulge in.

What is kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional side dish consisting of fermented vegetables. Fermentation is a chemical process that happens in certain foods when the yeast or bacteria break down the sugar. Typically, with a radish, cabbage, or cucumber base. The seasonings used to assist in creating such a bold flavor can consist of red pepper paste, onion, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, fermented shrimp or krill, sugar, carrots, and salt. This seasoning is what we use for 95% of our kimchi we make. It stays consistent throughout the batches.

How do you eat kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional side dish eaten with any and every meal. However, you can eat it with basically anything that you wanted. We have eaten it on our pizza, sushi, potstickers, ramen, mixed with rice, steak sandwiches, banh mi sandwiches, fried rice, by itself as a side and the list goes on!

Traditional kimchi (Napa cabbage base)

This is the most popular of kimchi. You'll find this at most grocery stores, and restaurants.

When I say this kimchi is JAMMED packed with flavor, it's jammed packed. It's typically a little spicy so if you like a nice kick, this is for you. This kimchi has napa cabbage, carrots, and radish all mixed with our delicious seasonings.

This is an example of how we would eat this kimchi as a snack or as a side dish!

Summer Kimchi (Daikon radish and carrot)

This is considered one of our summer kimchi. It is vinegar based (pickled).

This tangy refreshing kimchi is great for summer days, and great on sandwiches. We eat it out of the bowl just like this or even make banh mi sandwiches.

Homemade banh mi sandwich.

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Try it out!

There are so many different and easy ways to make homemade kimchi. The options are endless. Stick around for our recipes to come!