National Dishes of the World

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Kimchi
Photo: 국립국어원, CC BY-SA 2.0 kr, Wikimedia Commons

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Kimchi

김치 (gimchi)

Fermented napa cabbage with a paste of chilli, garlic, ginger and fish sauce – served with almost every Korean meal.

Eaten in: North Korea, South Korea

Prep
1 h
Cooking
5 min
Resting
26 h
Total
27 h 5 min
Servings
12

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About the dish

Kimchi is fermented vegetables – most often napa cabbage (baechu kimchi) – seasoned with a paste of gochugaru chilli flakes, garlic, ginger, spring onion and fish sauce or salted shrimp. Fermentation gives it a pleasantly sour, spicy and deep flavour that changes week by week: fresh kimchi is crunchy and mild, while mature kimchi is sharply sour and perfect for cooking. There are hundreds of kinds, made with radish (kkakdugi), cucumber or chives, as well as white, non-spicy baek kimchi. It is served at every meal as banchan and added to stews, fried rice and pancakes. In autumn families and neighbours make their winter supply together – a custom called kimjang.

Main ingredients

  • napa cabbage
  • gochugaru chilli flakes
  • garlic
  • ginger
  • spring onion
  • fish sauce
  • radish
  • salt

North Korea: In North Korea kimchi is usually milder and juicier.

More: Wikipedia (pl) Wikipedia (en)

Recipe

Kimchi

https://foodmap.ominuvo.com/dish/kimchi

Ingredients

12 servings

12 servings

Method

  1. Cut the cabbage lengthways into quarters, rinse, and sprinkle salt between the leaves, especially near the thick base; leave for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes.

  2. Once the leaves are pliable, rinse the cabbage three times in cold water and drain cut side down for 30 minutes.

  3. Cook the rice flour with the water, stirring, into a thin porridge and let it cool.

  4. Mix the porridge with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, shrimp and sugar, then add the radish and spring onions.

  5. Wearing gloves, spread the paste between every leaf of the cabbage, starting from the outside.

  6. Fold each quarter in half and pack tightly into a jar or container, pressing out the air and leaving a few centimetres of space at the top.

  7. Leave at room temperature for 1–2 days until it bubbles and turns slightly sour, then keep in the fridge; slice just before serving.

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