# Kimchi



## debthecook (Nov 9, 2004)

I bought a BIG JAR today of sliced Cabbage Kimchi  from the Little Korea (32nd &6th) section of NY. ITS HOT and VERY VERY GOOD!!!.  I made some skirt steak and used it as a side.  How do you use Kimchi?


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## honeybee (Nov 9, 2004)

I've never heard of Kimchi. Is it a vegetable? A spice? A sauce?


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## SierraCook (Nov 10, 2004)

I just like to eat it on the side of my Asian dishes.  Honeybee, kimchi is basically pickled cabbage.  There are many versions of the recipe on the internet.  Here is one that I found.  

Kimchi

1 large Chinese or Savoy cabbage 
1/2 cup rock salt 
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
5 green onions, finely chopped 
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped 
2 inches ginger, grated 
5 teaspoons to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chili 
1 tablespoon sugar 
2-1/2 cups cold water 

Cut the cabbage in half, then into large bite-sized pieces. Place a layer of cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Continue with layers of cabbage and salt, finishing with a salt layer. Cover with an upside-down dinner plate that will fit as snugly as possible on top of the cabbage. Weigh down the plate with cans or a small brick and leaves the bowl in a cool place for 5 days. 

Remove weights and plate, pour off any liquid, then rise the cabbage well under cold running water. Squeeze out any excess water and combine the cabbage with the cayenne pepper, green onions, garlic, ginger, chili and sugar. Mix well to combine before spooning the cabbage into a large sterilized jar. Pour the water over top and seal with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate for 3-4 days before eating.


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## masteraznchefjr (Nov 10, 2004)

kim chi i eat like a jar a day lol


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## Audeo (Nov 10, 2004)

I love it with a passion!  I can eat it as a main course with bread and fruit, or as a side.  I'll just take it any way I can get it!

Darned fine stuff!


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## GB (Nov 10, 2004)

I like to eat it right out of the jar.


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## jennyema (Nov 10, 2004)

As a side dish or condiment.  Mixed with white rice.  There is a nice soup using it, too.

We eat a lot of it.  I have always liked fresh kimchi but have learned to really like the fermented stuff, too.  Even though it admittedly smells awful.

I am going to make another attempt at making it soon, but need to hit a Korean grocery, since some of the ingredients to make the authentic-tasting stuff are sort of hard to find.


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## buckytom (Nov 10, 2004)

deb, next time you are in the city, c'mon up and visit me at the broadcast center on west 57th. gonna have to go downtown to check out little korea.

i love kimchee, all kinds. i've had the standard cabbage one, plus scallion, cucumber, mushroom, carrot, tofu, and some others that i couldn't tell what the original veggie was...


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## debthecook (Nov 10, 2004)

OK Buckytom. One day. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy going to Strokos, Mee on 9th and Ocean Dragon. Beijing is ok except when the Asian gal goes wild with all the students. Biggie Bagel sucks. Keep away from Roosevelt Deli and Tasos is not as great as it looks. Food Village is great for a quick breakfast as well as the Hospital. Blimpies isn't bad either. The Egyptian guy in front of 555 with his cart may already be gone for the winter.


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## buckytom (Nov 10, 2004)

wow, you know the whole area around here!!!!!!!!  lol about tasos, the roosevelt, and beijing. you have to order the 1/2 fried chicken and fried rice before 1pm in beijing, or it's gets re-fried a coupla times to keep it warm. yuk. the little asian woman is a dynamo. i would have killed a coupla those kids by now. 
never been to biggie bagel, and i'm not a big fan of blimpie.
the egyptian dude in front of the 5's is a great guy, and has a mean chicken gyro in a pita, or better yet, over yellow rice. i wave hello and/or goodnight to him every day, great guy.
mee and ocean dragon are good, but i won't go into strokos anymore. they are racists (long story), and i'm not patronizing a place like that...

did you ever eat in jimmy armstrong's? one of my top 5 all time fav restaurants in my lifetime.

btw, did you ever work or live around here? you know the area so well...


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## auntdot (Nov 10, 2004)

My favorites are the traditional cabbage and the dikon radish.

Straight up from the jar.  

Or...........

On hot dogs, the cabbage kimchee cannot be beaten.

Or on cheese and crackers.

Or on a cracker with a bit of peanut butter.

Or on a melted cheese sandwich.

Or cook some Spam and add kimchee.  Really good with eggs for breakfast.

OK, I'll stop.  We really love kimchee.


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## buckytom (Nov 10, 2004)

ooh, i forgot radish.  btw, good ideas aunt dot, thanks...


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## jennyema (Nov 10, 2004)

buckytom said:
			
		

> deb, next time you are in the city, c'mon up and visit me at the broadcast center on west 57th. gonna have to go downtown to check out little korea





*Oh Oh ....  

you are right near Japas55, a notorious and hysterical kareoke bar!!!!* 

I have eaten kimchi there but don't remember much ... 

If you haven't been there, you must go at least once.  55th between Bwy and 8th

  :P


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## buckytom (Nov 10, 2004)

thanks jennyema, i will check it out. not much of a singer tho.


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## Claire (Nov 27, 2004)

Gee, you guys just reminded me that I made a batch of kimchee last week and it came out too salty, so bought some more cabbage, but it's all sitting in the fridge (got pre-empted by Thanksgiving) so need to mix it in.  In Hawaii, kimchee was a staple.  I've seen everything done with the basic cabbage kimchee, omlettes, soup, stews, etc.  I've also seen virtually everything make into kimchee -- even potatoes (talk about a twist on your American staple of potato salad).  But typically you go to a Korean restaurant or home, and are served a variety of kimchee, pickles and salads (I think all refered to as Kimchee) in small bowls-- I've been presented with a dozen.  The basic, well known one is the cabbage, but my favorite is cucumber.  I don't care for it once it has fermented, like it fresh, so I make my own rather than buy it (yes, even in Dubuque you can buy it at WalMart!).    I doubt a month goes by without me making either cabbage or cucumber kimchee.  I also doubt there is a human being in this town who would eat it.  Boo hoo.  Bring on the bulgogi, kal bi, and chop chae!!  Yum!


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## SierraCook (Nov 27, 2004)

Claire, 

Please share your recipes with us.  

Thanks, SC


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## Claire (Nov 27, 2004)

My recipes are mostly adapted from experience and a cookbook called The Korean Kitchen by Copeland Marks and Manjo Kim.

Bulgogi:  

1 1/2 lbs thinlysliced beef
4 tsp sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
3 barlic cloves, finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 tsp sesame oil

mix beef and sugar, let rest for a few minutes.  I cannot emphasize this step more -- if you leave it too long, believe it or not the sugar will OVER tenderize the meat until it is mush.  I learned the hard way how strong sugar can be as a tenderizer.  After a few minutes (I mean five may be too many, go 2 or 3), add the rest of the marinade, mix well, and from there you can refridgerate for up to overnight.  

These are very, very thin slices of meat.  You need a hot fire very close to your grill, and you put them over the fire and turn over, and eat. 

Kal bi is essentially the same recipe, but it is beef ribs cut across the bones, very thin.  

Chop chae is basically 'mung bean noodles' (clear noodles that you can buy most places these days).  Cook according to instructions on the package, being very careful because they go from not done yet to overcooked goop in seconds.  Err on the side of under cooking, because you're going to stir fry them next.

coat the bottom of a large frying pan or wok with vegetable oil.  stir fry any of the following:
spinach
grated carrots
green onions 
other types of onions
any kinds of peppers
mushrooms

as with fried rice, almost any veggie will be good in this.  

Toss the noodles into the  oil and veggies, and pour on:

2T soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
dry hot pepper flakes to taste
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

toss until coated and serve

the chop chae will go very fast, so make sure you have your mis en place.  

I've noticed Korean food getting a lot of press in the gourmet magazines this year.  I've never understood why it isn't more popular, because it is essentially grilled meat.  Kimchee has a bad rep because it can be pretty smelly when you go for the fermented stuff.


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## SierraCook (Nov 27, 2004)

Many thanks, Claire, for the recipes.   8)


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## Bangbang (Nov 28, 2004)

My friends have an asian market and make their own kimchee. Yummy :!:


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## grehare (Feb 24, 2006)

Wow.. this is a great site.  I have found other Kimchee lovers!!! I have been trying to find a recipe book just on Kimchee.  I saw one in a discount book catalog but, have misplaced the catalog.  Does anyone know of the book I am talking about?

I use Kimchee with most any and everything.  Eggs, eggsalad, tuna salad and I love it with any pork dish.. it's a great change from saurkraut.  

Someone mentioned a soup using it, could you share that recipe?  I love making soups.


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## grumblebee (Feb 24, 2006)

grehare said:
			
		

> Wow.. this is a great site. I have found other Kimchee lovers!!! I have been trying to find a recipe book just on Kimchee. I saw one in a discount book catalog but, have misplaced the catalog. Does anyone know of the book I am talking about?
> 
> I use Kimchee with most any and everything. Eggs, eggsalad, tuna salad and I love it with any pork dish.. it's a great change from saurkraut.
> 
> Someone mentioned a soup using it, could you share that recipe? I love making soups.


 
My first post on this website was about kimchi... here is the thread 

I made my own kimchi and it turned out so well! I was so proud... hehe.. first time I ever attempted it and it worked out fantastically!

As for the recipe books, could this be it? or maybe it is this one?


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## grehare (Feb 24, 2006)

Thanks grumblebee.  I have saved your link and am going to give your recipe a try.  I made some a few months back that turned out sooo hot( I like hottt food)this was too hot for me, lol.. I was thinking it could have taken the paint off the woodwork.  I ended up dumping it.


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## jennyema (Feb 27, 2006)

I have the first cookbook you listed and it's pretty good.

Kimchi is all about the authenticity of the ingredients, IMO.  I have since found a source for Korean fish sauce which has improved my kimchi quite a bit.  But recnetly have not been able to get Korean hot pepper.

So have been buying kimchi.  Not all that bad.


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## grehare (Feb 27, 2006)

grumblebee, thanks for the names of those cookbooks.  The one I was talking about was from the discount cataloge Fred something(I can't remember the last name) and all I remember was seeing a title with Kimchee in it and that the book was all about making kimchee.  I am going to check out the first book you mentioned.

Thanks jennyema for seconding  the first book.


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