Korean recipes:
Kimchi and Kaktugi
Kimchi is a staple of Korean life and many people include it in their meals three times a day. You can eat it by itself, or use it in so many different Korean recipes. When Koreans make Kimchi, they make an effort to make the best Kimchi possible and include many different kinds of ingredients depending on the region where they live.
Today I will show you how to make traditional Kimchi with oysters and also we will make radish Kimchi (“kaktugi”) at the same time, with the same Kimchi paste, which saves time instead of making them separately.
Many people think you have to wait for Kimchi to be fermented before eating, but personally I prefer to eat fresh Kimchi, as soon as I make it. And I like to make stew out of older Kimchi. See my recipe for Kimchi stew (“Kimchi jjigae”).
If you don’t like oysters, you can leave them out. And if you want to make only Kimchi or kaktugi, leave out the other recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium size Napa cabbages and 2 Korean radishes
- salt, sweet rice powder, sugar, water
- 4- 6 cups of hot pepper flakes
- fish sauce, white onion, fresh garlic, ginger
- green onions, Asian chives, fresh oysters (optional)
How to handle cabbages and radish:
- Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core, but not through the rest of the leaves.
- Soak each piece in cold water and sprinkle with 2½ cups of salt, and then set it aside for 2 hours.
* tip: the stem should get more salt than leaf part - Skin 2 radishes and cut them into 1 inch cube shapes. Do this by cutting them into several disks, and then cutting horizontally, and then cutting vertically. Put them in a big bowl and sprinkle them with ½ cup of salt. Then set these aside, too.
- 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage over so they get salted evenly. Turn the radishes as well.
- Another 2 hours later, you will see the cabbage look softer than before, and it should have shrunk.
*The total salting process will take 4 hours - Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.
Making Kimchi paste:
Make porridge
- Put ½ cup of sweet rice powder (you can replace with plain flour) and 3 cups of water into a skillet and mix them up. Then cook over medium- high heat, stirring constantly.
- When you see some bubbles, pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the porridge and stir one more minute. Then cool it down.
- Place the cold porridge into a big bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
- Add 1 cup of fish sauce, 4~6 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 medium size minced onion
*tip: much easier to use a food processor. - Add 7 diagonally-sliced green onions, 2 cups of Asian chives (cut into 2 inches in length), and 2 cups of shredded Korean radish.
- Add 2 cups of frozen oysters, but this is optional. (I found out lots of people can’t eat them.)
- Mix all ingredients well and your Kimchi paste is done.
Are you ready to spread our paste on the leaves and make your kaktugi?
* I recommend you wear rubber gloves so that you won’t irritate your skin.
- Spread the Kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage, and make a good shape out of the leaves by slightly pressing with both hands.
- Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.
- Mix your leftover paste with your radish cubes (kaktugi).
That’s all!
You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator.
How do you know it’s fermented or not?
One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.
I’m going to quote myself and copy and paste some recipes for kimchi soup and stew that I wrote on YouTube to answer a commenter’s question there.
Kimchi Soup:
It’s very very simple to make, but tremendously delicious. : )
1. Chop 3 cups of kimchi and put
it in a pot.
2. Pour 9 cups of water.
3. Add several dried anchovies
(of course remove the intestines)
and a little bit of sugar and
salt.
4.Boil it about 20 minutes.
5.Tofu is optional. When the
kimchi is cooked, cut Tofu into
cube shape and add it.
6. You don’t need any other side
dishes for this soup. In a big
bowl, ladle kimchi soup and rice
and enjoy it.
Kimchi stew (chigae):
1. Cut some kimchi into bite sized
July 13th, 2007 at 6:57 ampieces and put them in a shallow
pot.
2. chop or slice some pork and
place it on the kimchi.
3. Slice some onion and green onion
and put them on the kimchi and
pork.
4. Some sugar, hotpepper powder,
and a little salt.
5. Pour water until all
ingredients are submerged.
6. Boil it until it is cooked.
Don’t forget the last touch, a few drops of sesame oil.
i saw this video for your kimchi on evil jungle prince’s web page. i tried it! and i think it’s come out well? i have not actually tried it yet b/c i just haven’t had the time to yet. but, i forgot to squeeze the water out of the vegetables before mixing with the paste. will this affect the kimchi?
July 15th, 2007 at 9:37 pmHi,deborah,
We have “Mool Kimchi” which we make kimchi with water. You need a spoon to eat the kimchi.
So I think it will be ok. If my mother hears this, she may say,
“No~ you have to get rid of water by squeezing them tightly!”
Let’s see, if your kimchi is ok, I may not need to squeeze them anymore while making kimchi. : )
July 15th, 2007 at 10:18 pmHi,
Here is another successful kimchi making from my recipe.
He made 3 kinds of kimchi: cabbage, raidish, and cucumber. They all look delicious!
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=76025&st=197#
August 7th, 2007 at 6:51 amhi! I made kimchi a couple of days ago, using the help of your video. however, after putting it in the container and leaving it…I notice there is a lot of liquid. Is that normal? Actually, I think I made too much of the mixture thing to begin with. Should I pour it out? Also, some of the mixture is left over, in a different container in the fridge. Can I do anything with it? (Another recipe perhaps?)
August 7th, 2007 at 1:06 pmThanks in advance! And thanks for making that kimchi video :)
Hi,Deena,
That’s why we squeeze all the water from salted cabbage before spreading kimchi paste between the cabbage leaves. Even though you don’t see much water when you are making kimchi, you will see lots of liquid from kimchi come out afterwards. No worry. Press kimchi using a spoon. The juice from kimchi will be delicious when it fermented.
You don’t know what to do with the leftover kimchi paste?
August 7th, 2007 at 8:33 pmI usually Keep it in a freezer and use it someday when I need to make kimchi quickly.
I just made this today and will be posting a little blog about it (with pictures) on my website. I hope it ferments well. Thanks for all your help and for posting the recipe on your site.
August 19th, 2007 at 6:07 pmHi,Sandy,
It’s great news that you will post the pictures of kimchi you made on your blog. I can’t wait to see it.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:48 pmThanks.
This is my response about neunwest’s comment on Youtube. YouTube doesn’t allow us to write more than 500 words, so I chose this method. : )
Hi,neunwwest,
You must be a student staying in a boarding house. I will translate your korean writing for those who may be interested in knowing what you say.
“I’m going to try to make kimchi. How long do I have to wait before keeping it in a refrigerator? I may need very a very good container.”
My answer: ok, you seem to live in a foreign country and miss kimchi. : ) Do you like sour taste kimchi? Then you can wait for a day or 2 days until its taste turns sour before putting it into a refrigerator.
I like fresh kimchi, so I usually keep it in my refrigerator right after I make it.
If you worry about kimchi smell, keep it in tightly sealed double plastic bags.
September 8th, 2007 at 9:33 amHello. I’ve become a recent fan of Korean food after I happened to find a jar of kimchi in Walmart of all places! I can’t believe I’ve overlooked Korean cuisine! I love Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese foods but have never encountered Korean before.
I’d never heard of kimchi but it looked interesting and I fell in love after making a tuna jigae. I am an amateur cook and I do like experimenting and I went online looking to see exactly what kimchi was and I found your youtube page.
Of course I had lots of ingredients except for Korean ones in my cabinet! Who knew that there was a Korean market five minutes from my house? So, I tried making kimchi yesterday and it didn’t turn out so well! I think I miscalculated amounts and put too much of everything; I also think I used the wrong kind of red pepper powder. I got a kind that said “coarse” on it and it just didn’t seem to dissolve very well. Should I have bought fine powder?
Oh, and would you mind posting your recipe like you did for the kimchi soup, please? From your video I couldn’t tell how much red pepper powder, ginger, oysters, green onions, leeks, and chopped radish to use.
January 26th, 2008 at 1:17 pmamileegirl
January 26th, 2008 at 3:03 pmI’m happy to hear that you are becoming interested in korean cuisine. Yes, I will post the kimchi recipe for the kimchi video. It may take time though.
Thanks again! : )
Hi Maangchi,
Thanks so much very your very informative video. Just one question, I noticed that you were wearing gloves while squeezing the water from the cabbage. If one doesn’t use gloves, will this have any effect on the process ? Should one not handle the cabbage bare-handed after it has been salted ?
January 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pmIt’s ok to use your bare hands, just be sure to wash them! The gloves are to protect your skin, not protect the food.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:13 amHi!
Thank you so much for the kim chi video.
I have one question. Do you add salt to the kim chi paste? If so, how much? In other web sites, I saw recipes that said I need to add salt to the kim chi paste. I am a bit confused. Thank you for your reply!
Jason…
February 12th, 2008 at 8:24 amHi,Jason
February 12th, 2008 at 6:59 pmI used 1 cup of fish sauce for the recipeinstead of using salt.
Soon detailed recipe will be posted.
Hi Maangchi! Since this entry is about making kimchi I figured it would be the perfect place for me to request…Me and my friend love Kimchi Bokumbop and we’ve tried to make it one time but it didnt taste the same…so may I please request for you to make a video on how to cook it? Thnx :D
February 21st, 2008 at 1:40 amHi, sitting still,
February 21st, 2008 at 6:08 amstir-fried rice with kimchi (Kimchi bokkumbob)! I will remember your request. Thanks,
Hi Maangchi,
I made some Cabbage and Raddish Kimchi last night. The paste was too wet although I followed your recipe exactly. What do you think is the problem?
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 amIf the paste is too wet for you, use less porridge next time you make your kimchi. 1 day after making kimchi, usually lots of liquid from kimchi comes out. The liquid will be turning into delicious juice later. Press the kimchi down with a spoon so that the kimchi is submerged instead of being floated.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:28 amPractice makes perfect. : )
Hi Maangchi,
I am on my second batch of this recipe. The first batch was so-so because I think I let the cabbage stand too long in the salt and it came out too salty. My Korean friend said the radish kimchi was very good.
I made a second batch and didn’t let the cabbage stand so long in the salt plus I used extra fish sauce. It is sooooo good. I also used carrots instead of radish this time and it is also very good.
I love the fish sauce in the recipe. It is one of those tastes that I loved but never knew what it was.
After the kimchi sits for a week or so, I will be trying your kimchi jigae recipe. Anything that has kimchi AND pork belly has to be wonderful.
You are right: practice makes perfect.
Thanks again for the recipes Maangchi!!!!
February 25th, 2008 at 7:40 amHi, Brian,
February 25th, 2008 at 8:24 amoh, you are a very excellent cook.
You have made kimchi only twice, but it sounds like you can make perfect kimchi now. I’m very glad to hear that.
hi maangchi,
saw ur videos on youtube.com and have been addicted to ur recipes on your site. i havent tried any as today is my first day watching and ive seen half of the videos already!
im living in sri lanka where stuff like korean radish and chinese cabbage, sweet rice flour are not available. what are other alternatives which i can use?
can i use chilli powder as opposed to pepper powder?
February 25th, 2008 at 1:53 pmHi, Anonymous
I’m leaving my response regarding your question here:
“Hi maangchi,i just finish made the kimchi,i m not sure how the taste yet. btw how should i keep the kimchi paste if i have made to much of the paste for the kimchi,the size of the cup i use is abt (height) 10 cm, so as a result extra paste for two cabbage.can i just keep it in fridge and continue tomorrow?besides,based on your video,1/2 cup of sweet rice flour require 1 cup of fish taste, i just follow the quantity but using my cup to measure it, is it ok with this ?”
My answer:
I am sure your kimchi will turn out good! : )
This recipe is for 2 heads of cabbage kimchi and 2 mediums size of radish kimchi, so if you follow the direction to make only cabbabge kimchi, I’m sure extra kimchi paste will be left.
You can keep the leftover kimchi paste in a container and put it in the freezer and use it when you make kimchi another time.
Please try to use a standard measuring cup instead of using your own cup.
Be sure that the amount of porridge for kimchi paste should not be too thick, then it will be difficult for you to spread the paste between each cabbage leaf.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:57 amHi Maangchi,okay, many thanks for your kind advise on my question, and would like to say sorry for that..
March 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pmDear Maangchi, Thank you for this site and showing me how to make fabulous Korean food. I just made the kimchi and it turned out delicious. I like the not so sour kimchi that is served at our local restaurant, oysters and all, so I did not let it ferment and only left it out for a few hours and then into refrigerator. Will this still keep well even though not fermented? OK, next the jeon and then the soon du bo jjigae.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:44 pmThomas,
March 28th, 2008 at 10:07 pmoh, you like fresh kimchi. I like to eat fresh kimchi, too. You can keep it in the refrigerator right after making kimchi. No problem!
Hi Maangchi! I made some kimchi fried rice the other day. It’s on my blog!
April 15th, 2008 at 9:52 amhttp://mumspotting.blogspot.com/2008/04/bon-appetite.html
Hi Maangchi,
Love your recipes and youtube vids, i have question about the kimchi though, is there anything i can use instead of Fish Sauce? since some of the people i want to make kimchi for are allergic to shellfish like shrimps. so Fish Sauce is not an options, and thus i need something else. any tips?
thanks
Bokkie
April 15th, 2008 at 4:02 pmBokkie,
April 15th, 2008 at 8:28 pmDon’t use fish sauce if you can’t eat it. Some people make kimchi without fish sauce.
Christine,
April 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pmYour kimchi fried rice looks good!
Hey,
I just posted my ultimate kimchi recipe and cannot wait to try it again. Yours look so much alike. What else can we kimchi? Mustard, leaves, kohlrabi?
April 19th, 2008 at 12:05 pmhello maangchi! :) the kimchi looks so good and i am going to try it out this weekend. ^^
thank you so much!
April 21st, 2008 at 7:42 amStephanie,
April 21st, 2008 at 5:40 pmDon’t forget to take a photo of your kimch and send it to me.
I will post it in my blog.
Good luck with your kimchi making!
hi maangchi i couldn’t wait to make the kimchi so i made it last night.
well so today after one day of fermenting, i thought the kimchi would be sour enough. after opening the tupperware, and tasted some. it wasnt sour enough.
is it okay for me to close it back and leave it to ferment further. or is it because i opened the container now the fermentation process has disturbed and the kimchi no longer ferments?
thank you
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 amStephanie,
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pmThere will be no problem with opening the container to check to see if it’s fermented or not.
When you open it, press kimchi down with a spoon so that the top part of kimchi wouldn’t dry. Sooner or later it will be fermented. Keep it at room temperature until it’s fermented.
hi maangchi! this is stephanie again regarding the kimchi i made. i made both the radish and the cabbage kimchi. and i just gave away some for my relatives to try.
they complained that the radish one smelled weird as if it is going to spoil.
is it true that kimchi can go bad?
April 28th, 2008 at 5:20 amStephanie,
April 28th, 2008 at 5:59 amI’m sorry to hear that!
Funny thing is that I don’t like the smell of radish kimchi either especially when it starts fermenting process, the smell is so strong that it sometimes smells like being rotten.
But once it is fermented well, you won’t smell it. When you keep it in the refrigerator, I suggest double bag. I mean wrap the kimchi container with plastic bags 2 times.
Hello, I am so glad I found your web site. I made kimchi the other day but I used cayenne pepper and my kimchi is much, much hotter than the ones in the Korean restaurants…practically too hot to eat! Can you recommend a brand of Korean pepper that I can use. I have tyo say I like very spicy food but this was too hot…I would like to make more and perhaps mix it together. The kimchi that I like is very fermented, so I can keep a lot in the fridge. Thank you for showing how to make your wonderful recipes.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:32 pmLynn R.
Lynn R.,
May 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pmDid you use red chilly pepper powder or flakes? Check my ingredients blog. you will see what you have to buy.
And if your kimchi is too hot for you, next time you make it again, drease the amount of hot pepper flakes. Oh, you like ver fermented kimchi. Put the kimchi container at room temperature until it’s fermented. It usually takes a couple of days depending on your room temperature. When the kimchi is fermented, you can keep it in the refrigerator. Good luck!
Hello,
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 pmI stumbled upon your Youtube videos a few days ago and am making Kimchi right now following your recipe. I do have a question though. In your video you said to put 1/4 cup sugar into sweet rice flour porridge but recipe and on the video screen, it says to put 1/2 cup, could you tell me which one is correct? Also what can I substitute if I don’t want the sugar? I’ve heard that I can use apple but how much/many should I put? How about brown sugar, would it be ok? Also in your video, did you use regular table salt to salt the cabbage? I’m using coarse sea salt (Korean brand) and afraid that I might have put too much….
I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Thank you so much.
KiYon
Enjoy your stay in Korea!
KiYon,
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:45 amPlease folllow my written recipe in my blog. I don’t remember what I said. I think 1/2 cup of sugar is too much though.
You can use brown sugar instead of white sugar.
I use just table salt.
Thank you for your interest in my recipes.
Maangchi,
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 amThank you for your reply. Now I have some problems :(.
I didn’t make radish kimchi with your recipe and some how all the kimchi paste was enough for the cabbage kimchi, so I used it all up.
Kimchi was done at 1 AM last night and this morning after being left out on the kitchen counter, there are tons of water in kimchi and the paste seems to be too much now. I tasted one of the end tip of the leaves and boy, it is salty!!! How can I fix this at this point?? Did I do the salting too long (I did it for 4 hours total like you said but used coarse sea salt without measuring) or put too much paste? Should I remove some kimchi paste or water? I do like kimchi water for cooking soups and do like sour kimchi. I don’t want another salty kimchi. Please help.
KiYon
KiYon
I think you left the same comment on my youtube and send me email. right? I think you made a mistake by salting twice.
Salt only once and total salting hours is 4 hours, but don’t forget, 2 hours after salting, to turn them over to salt evenly.
As I sent you through email or comment, you can fix your salty kimchi this way. (I’m explaining this for others who may make the same mistakes)
When your kimchi turns out too salty:
-Pour some water in your kimchi container and mix it with current kimchi juice. Then wait until the kimchi is fermented. The fermentd huge amount of kimchi juice could be used for your kimchi soup or stew. Take out the kimchi and cut it into bite size and enjoy it. It won’t salty anymore.
-Practice makes perfect!
I would like to encourage you!
May 26th, 2008 at 12:26 ammaangchi, thank you for your reply. I didn’t leave a comment or emailed to you thru Youtube. I guess someone else had the same problem of salty kimchi. I added some slices radish and green onions but the taste is not that great now. I think kimchi is less salty though.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:16 pmCan I request some Korean food for you to make? I would like to learn how to make Misugaru or Sunsik garu, you know the powder that we can pour with water to drink in the morning. The ones I get at Korean store doesn’t taste good so I would love to learn how to make this.
Thank you for your advice.
Kiyon,
May 29th, 2008 at 8:29 pmPlease don’t give up making kimchi later. It’s smart to add radish in your salty kimchi. I am sure your next kimchi making will be successful. BTW, in order to make misugaru (multi-grain powder), you have to wash, steam, and dry all the grains and take them to a Mill. Unfortunately I can’t find any mill here in Toronto.
Hi Manngchi,
As promised few days ago, here is the link to the pictures of the Kimchi and Soybean side dishes I have made on the weekends.
They taste delicious, better than the from the restaurants.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21148158@N02/
Cheers
Angela
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:13 pmHi, Ange,
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 pmThank you for sharing the photos of your dishes. I will link to it from my blog. Thank you!
Dear Maangchi,
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:44 amI totally love your blog and your recipes on youtube. I already made some kimchi and it was fantastic. Thanks to a Korean shop in my area in Munich it is no problem at all to get all the ingredients.
Now my question: At my Korean shop they offer something which they call “kimchi bokkum” which is kimchi with pork and rice. It tastes fantastic and I was wondering if you had a recipe for that?
Again, thanks for your fantastic recipes. I am on a weight loss program and your recipes work great for that.
Best regards,
Philipp
Hi,Philipp,
Thank you for your nice message.
I posted a written recipe for kimchi bokkeum bap on my blog.
Check it out.To make this, your kimchi should be fermented. (sour taste)
http://blog.maangchi.com/labels/Kimchi%20stir%20fried%20rice.html
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 amHi Maangchi,
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:10 pmthank you for your nice reply. I had already seen the recipe for kimchi bok keum bap. I just thought it might be something different since the food at my shop is not with stir-fried rice but with normal cooked rice and it contains pork (and of course kimchi). Do you have any idea what this might be?
oh, ok,
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 pmthen I can guess they made kimchi stew with pork and just mix the leftover stew with rice. We sometimes eat that way.
Hi I was looking for kimchee recipes and I saw your video. My mother-in-law is korean and makes kimchee almost exactly like yours but never measures so I don’t have an exact recipe and I like to measure. I was wondering though she uses small salty shrimp instead of the oysters, can you substitute and how much would you use?
June 6th, 2008 at 3:38 pmHi,Anonymous,
Ths small salty shrimp is fish sauce. I sometimes use it, too. : )
I add oysters in kimchi because I like the flavor. If you don’t like it, skip it. Use shrimp sauce or fish sauce.
The salty shrimp sauce is called “sae woo jeot” (새우젓). You can suprise your mother-in-law by saying it later when she makes her kimchi. : )
Just like your mother- in- law, I had never measured before I started this cooking blog and videos.
June 6th, 2008 at 4:41 pmhi maangchi
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 pmI’m going to make kimchi today, but I just want to make it in small portion( use 1 cabbage only instead of 2), can I reduce into half all the ingredients in kimchi paste….
thnx
Hi,anonymous,
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 pmYes, use less than half amount of ingredients in the recipe. Thanks,
Hi maangchi~!
I really enjoy looking through your recipes.I’ve learnt alot and I can’t wait to start making them~!By the way I read that some koreans actually add fruit/fruit juice? to their kimchi to create an unique taste.Is that true?Thanks!
June 26th, 2008 at 12:11 pmminmin,
June 26th, 2008 at 2:51 pmNo, I never use fruit juice in kimchi paste, but I’ve heard about it.
Hi Maangchi. I started making kimchi last year and I gave up after a couple of batches. I can make it in my sleep now after seeing your video and using the right ingredients. It is the most addicting food I’ve ever eaten. A must with just about every meal. Thanks
June 28th, 2008 at 9:17 pmJim
Jim,
June 28th, 2008 at 10:49 pmYes, don’t give up making kimchi as long as you like it a lot.
I’m looking forward to your update your kimchi making! Yes, kimchi is addictive. : )
hi maangchiiii
i quartered the recipe for the kimchi paste to make just kaktugi, bc i had leftover radish from the jja jang myun. i didn’t put too much salt on the radish when i let it sit overnight [it was too late to wait for 4 hours]. could this be a reason why the kaktugi is sooo bitter? or did i just choose a bad radish?
ps. is it 1/2 cup of sugar or 1/4 cup of sugar for the paste? you wrote 1/2 on the blog and 1/4 on the video so that confused me a little [i went for the safe amount of 1/4 cup]
thanks again maangchi!
June 30th, 2008 at 11:34 pmand how can i fix the bitter taste if possible? thanks again ^.^
June 30th, 2008 at 11:35 pmHello Maangchi,
I made Kimchi three days ago and they smell really good! but i had different results for my kimchi for the fermenting. I made two jars, one is stuffed all the way to the top in a glass jar and the other one is filled only half way in a plastic jar. Two days later, the one in the glass jar had a bunch of bubbles while the one in the plastic jar does not have any bubble at all. Do you know why that happened? Does it have to do with the type of jar i used or does it have to do with the fact that i opened the plastic jar before the end of 2 days?
Thank you!
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:51 pmHi,Anonymous,
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:55 pmYour kimchi with no bubbles is ok. There is nothing wrong. Just press it down with a spoon not to let air comes in.
Hi,Sophia
I approved your comment, but for some reason, it does not appear in the comment section.
I’m sorry to hear about your bitter radish kimchi. That’s strange! I
am not sure whether or not the bitter taste came from the radish.
And also add 1/2 cup of sugar following my written recipe on my blog.
July 4th, 2008 at 3:53 pmThere is not much difference between 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup sugar.
Dear Maangchi
I’ve been living in Seoul for 4 months and was ecstatic when I discovered your blog. I’ve made oi sobagi twice and it turned out quite well, so I no longer buy it in Lotte! Thanks!
I haven’t tried making kimchi yet but noticed that the ones I’ve bought fresh would have white stuff on it when left long in the fridge. Does this mean the kimchi has gone bad? It smells quite strong and not as nice as when newly purchased. Can you do something with it or should I throw it away?
July 8th, 2008 at 9:49 amLuthien
Luthien
I’m glad to hear that you alreday made oisobagi twice so far! Yes, it’s very easy, istn’t it?
Remove the white stuff(mould) and the top layer of the kimchi and eat the rest. You can make kimchi stew(jjigae) with the sour taste kimchi.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:21 pmHi maangchi,
i’m very glad to have stumbled upon your blog as i love cooking new dishes! your recipes are easy to follow!
July 16th, 2008 at 3:45 ami’ve been longing to make my own kimchi as it’s expensive to buy it in malaysia. i just followed exactly how you did it (both kimchi-fresh & fermented, and kaktugi). The results look and smell wonderful! Taste-wise, it’s slightly different from restaurants and store-bought; mine has a richer & deeper flavour. Is it suppose to be like that? How should good kimchi & kaktugi taste like? I’m going to post this in my blog soon!
i’ve also tried kimchi and tofu jigae using other recipes, so i’m going to try yours soon! :) Thank you maangchi!
hi maangchi,
i’ve posted a comment, but not sure whether it got through? Just to let you know that the kimchi and kaktugi which i made (for the 1st time!) following your recipe looks and smells wonderful! it has a deeper and richer flavour than store-bought and restaurants. is it supposed to taste like that? thanks for the recipes! :)
July 16th, 2008 at 3:50 amMei Leng,
July 16th, 2008 at 1:14 pmIt sounds like your kimchi making is already successful! Congratulation.
Hi Maangchi,
I already made the kimchi using your recipe
here are some pictures that I took, I am still waiting for the fermentation
but so far, it looks right to me :)
http://www.xanga.com/world_of_geekgal
July 20th, 2008 at 11:27 pmhi,shut up … : )
July 20th, 2008 at 11:36 pmYou got good napa cabbage and everything looks perfect! I will link your website to my blog now.
Hi Managchi,
I make my kimchi too salty, I think put too much fish sauce. It there anyway i can do or add on to make it less salty, because I dont normally eat kim chi with rice, I just eat it like that.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:57 amMay,
I’m sorry to hear that your kimchi is too salty.
I would fix this way if it’s still fresh kimchi.
1.Chop some cabbage or radish into bite size and put it in a large bowl.
2.Add hot pepper flakes, minced garlic and mix altogether.
3.Mix the bland kimchi with your salty kimchi.
4.Wait unitl it ferments.
* Turn over your kimchi with a spoon on and off over time to mix it well.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:18 amHi Maangchi,
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:32 pmJust to let you know that after fermentation, my kimchi tastes so GOODDDDDDd, even better than kimchi that my mom bought in the grocery store, she loves it so much
thank you Maangchi,
I love youuuuuu
Shut up.. : )
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 pmI love you too!
I made your Kimchi for the first time. It was a gift for my friend who lived 11 years in Kuwait and eat it a lot. Well, I made it more spicy than usual… But it tasted like her souvenirs. She was so happy, she even called her father… Thanks soooo much! You helped me doing one of her alltime best birthday gift!
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 pmAnyong haseo, Maangchi,
I’ll be trying your kimchi recipe soon, but a quick question: what is the purpose of adding the oysters? Is to help with the fermentation process? Is this a common ingredient in kimchi? I don’t recall smelling an ‘oyster’ smell in the kimchis I’ve had. Just curious. Thank you!
Linda
July 24th, 2008 at 12:44 pmHello,Linda,
July 24th, 2008 at 1:56 pmThe reason I use fresh oysters is that I like the flavor of oysters in fresh kimchi. If you don’t like it, just skip it. : )
Hi maangchi! I was wondering if the ingredients and procedures are the same for making green onion kimchi (pa kimchi)?
July 26th, 2008 at 5:34 pmHi,anonymous,
July 26th, 2008 at 10:26 pmTo mak pa kimchi (green onion kimchi), you won’t need garlic and of course, green onion, either. :0)
I usually make rice porridge and put lots of hot pepper flakes and lots of fish sauce, and sugar in it. You don’t need garlic, ginger and green onions.
Hi there Maangchi, I just wanted to say that your videos have been a great help. I just moved to South Korea four days ago and needed to understand the food a little more. Your video’s helped with that. Thanks!
Brandon
July 27th, 2008 at 12:13 amIs it ok to just use rice powder instead of ’sweet’ rice powder? Do you need to add extra sugar because of that? Thanks!
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:16 pmCloud,
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:15 pmyes, no problem. Sweet rice doesn’t mean it is sweet. You can use the same amount of rice powder or plain flour as the amount in the recipe.
I’ve come across past problems about kimchee such as kimchee that seems to be kinda slimy. (literally there would be slime when removing a leaf) Since you are experienced making kimchee, is that normal? And is that edible? I know sometimes rice and water will spoil and become slimy. I’m not sure how the fermentation process should be. I always thought kimchee is suppose to be a little watery.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:14 pmamateurchef
August 12th, 2008 at 8:13 pmYes, it’s normal. No problem! If you don’t like the texture, next time more water when you cook the porridge. Once you make kimchi, it never goes bad.
Hi, Maangchi. I happened upon your blog and web site, and I’m impressed! This is great! I’m crazy about Kimchi, particularly the radish variety. I have a couple of recipes that are very good, but could use improvement. I find that my radish kimchi is sometimes a litle too salty. I think that I need to get my proportions correct. In your recipe, you use two radishes on which you sprinkle 1/2 cup of salt. The daikon radishes here in Montana are different than yours; they’re much thinner. They’re good, but I can only go by weight. So, if you would tell me the weight of the radish and the amount of salt per pound in your recipe, it would be very helpful. One more favor: If I want to make only enough of the rice flour base paste for the radish, what do suggest for quantities. Thanks, and I look forward to visiting often!
Jimmy
August 14th, 2008 at 9:40 pmHelena, MT
Jimmy,
Don’t forget to rinse and drain before mixing your radish kimchi with kimchi paste.
1/2 cup or 1 cup of salt doesn’t matter actually. It may depend on either the amount of salt you put or how long you salt. You have made your radish kimchi and if it’s too salty, you can decrease the amount of salt or salt it for a shorter time.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:17 pmHi Maangchi!
Thank you so much for the Kimchi Recipe! I love korean food and I decided to make Kimchi and followed your recipe. Unfortunately, mine came out too salty :(.
The Kimchi paste was delicious! but I think I left my cabbage & radish too long. I tried fixing it by adding water to the kimchi and just let it ferment, but it didn’t help with the saltyness :( BUT, I’m not giving up!
Do you have any advice on what should I do with the salting process? Use coarse salt or iodize salt? I used iodize. Decrease the time of salting perhaps? Please Help Nuna! ^ ^
Thank you !
August 16th, 2008 at 5:00 pmMelissa,
August 16th, 2008 at 8:28 pmYou can use either coarse salt or iodize salt. I’m using just iodize salt as you see in the video.
Next time you make your kimchi, put less salt then. iodize salt is very salty.
Another tip for salty cabbage: (before mixing with kimchi paste)
Soak it in cold water for a while and taste it until you satisfy. (Be sure to drain cabbage before mixing with kimchi paste!)
I like your line, “I’m not giving up!”. Yayee! I get some feeling your next kimchi will turn out perfectly. Update me.(Please good news)
catg
August 17th, 2008 at 6:51 amI have never used corn flour for kimchi paste. For some reason, you want to use corn flour, why not? It will be ok.
Hi Maangchi,
Well guess what I just made and I think I have favorite soup now lol I used the kimchi .. the same one I made that’s in your blog. I had so much of it I decided to make a soup with ramen. It was really nice on a rainy day like today.
August 20th, 2008 at 6:28 pmI forgot to say that I used chicken stock instead of anchovies.. but yeah any “old” kimchi is good for soups. I would also think that using the leftover kimchi paste and making soup out of that would help for colds ?
August 20th, 2008 at 6:36 pmkimchi soup is very delicious. I make kimchi soup with either dried anchovies or meat (pork or beef)
August 20th, 2008 at 8:07 pmWhen I feel like simple soup, I use dried anchovies, and the flavor is awesome. The other kimchi soup uses chunks of meat, tofu. I will post the kimchi soup video later in the winter time.
hai maangchi..i just tried your kimchi recipee, the kimchi paste taste so nice n smell nice too..yummm…However,when i mix with the cabbage, it becomes so salty, like crazy salty…hiks…hiks..i did rinse the cabbage well,but i guess maybe i put to much salt and it just absorb to well huheuahehu ?? anyway..this is my first try, so i will do better next time hehehe, i will upade you on how it goes next time i do another try :)
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:56 amChelia,
I’m sorry to hear your salty kimchi. Next time, use less salt and less!
If your cabbage it too salty before mixing it with kimchi paste, you can fix it by soaking it into cold water for a while until its taste is alright. (taste a sample of cabbage)
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:48 amcan you teach us how to make eggplant kimchi maangchi? thanks again for all your recipes - really enjoying them.
August 26th, 2008 at 5:45 pmcatherine,
August 26th, 2008 at 9:12 pmI have never heard about eggplant kimchi. : )
It won’t be crispy if you make kimchi with it.
I steam eggplant and mix it with garlic, soy sauce, chopped green onion, and hot pepper powder to make a side dish.
Hi Maangchi,
I’m going to try the recipe this Saturday. I have few questions to ask first, if you don’t mind. ^^
When fermenting it, do I have to keep in a refrigerator or simply in a room?
And, once fermented for 2 days, how long will the Kimchi last before losing its taste? Or perphaps the Kimchi will gain better and better taste along the time?
August 28th, 2008 at 6:16 amAnd, two more things. =)
I’m not very sure about finding Asian Chives and Korean Radish in Indonesia. Can I replace them with something else?
Is it okay to skip the fish sauce? I’m a vegetarian. Do you have something to replace the fish sauce?
Thank you. =)
August 28th, 2008 at 6:21 amTo ktvroom.blogspot.com
After making your kimchi, put it at room temperature for 1 or 2 days. Check out if it’s fermented or not by opening the lid of kimchi jar or container.
When it ferments, its taste is a little sour. Then keep it in the refrigerator and eat it until it runs out. Kimchi never goes bad and fermenting process keeps going on.
To Yu Hwa Jun,
oh, you are from Indonesia! You can replace Asian chives with green onions. Can you find Chinese radish there? Yes, skip fish sauce if you can’t eat it.
August 28th, 2008 at 8:52 am안녕하새요 Maangchi,
I love your site!! Thanks for sharing all your recipes and knowledge about korean cuisine!! I’m sooo glad for having a website where the recipes are so well-understanding!! I’m a spanish girl who nowadays is studying korean.
Because of my studies, I have some korean and japanese friends so, the last day they came for dinner to my home, I cooked for them as a surprise Kimchi and Kaktogi following the instructions from your Youtube’s video. As I didn’t have korean pepper (Here in Barcelona sometimes is difficult to find korean ingredients), I had to use red chilli pepper powder… My friends said me the taste was very good instead it was very, very spiced. My korean teacher said me she’s going to bring me korean pepper under the condition I must cooked kimchi for her…TT!!
So I have many questions:
What can i do with the very hot Kimchi and Kaktogi that I still have at home…? Is there any recipe where I can use them? Maybe any soup? Maybe with rice (like bibimpab??)
Another question is: how long can Kimchi and Kaktogi being kept on the fridge?
Next time I hope to do it better!!
August 28th, 2008 at 8:03 pmThanks.
Gisela L,
wow, it’s very interesting story related to your kimchi making. It’s not bad you will get some Korean hot pepper flakes from your Korean teacher.
You can make kimchi soup or stew (my kimchi stew recipe) with your hot spicy kimchi. And also, as you said, you can chop it and make bibimbap. You will use less hot pepper paste because your kimchi is very hot spicy.
You can keep it kimchi for a few months in the fridge and actually it never goes bad and ferments instead.
August 28th, 2008 at 10:11 pmI’m sorry, maangchi.
It has been some technical error to my input form. ktvroom.blogspot is actually me, hwa jun. =)
Thank you for your info. So, I will replace Asian Chives with… green onions. Which will double the amount of green onions used for the kimchi. There should be nothing wrong with that, right?
Oh, I’m so excited. =)
August 29th, 2008 at 12:37 amThanks for your advices Maangchi, I’m going to try it! 화이팅!!
August 29th, 2008 at 2:47 amyu hwa jun,
August 29th, 2008 at 7:35 amnothing wrong with using lots of green onions. I sometimes make green onion kimchi which is very delicious. But its strong smell lasts for a long time. : )
Hi Maangchi!
August 29th, 2008 at 12:50 pmThank you so much for the advice! Like I said before, I’m not giving up with my Kimchi! and I DID IT! I decided to make another batch of KIMCHi and It turned out awesome! ^ ^ I’m so Proud of my self. I think my problem from the first time I did it, I RUBBED the salt on the cabbage instead of spinkling it and watching your video again. I love the some of the sweetness from the sweet rice flour and sugar combined w/the spiciness. My husband & father-in-law loved it. I sent more than half of what i made to my father In law, and he said that it was so good that they finished it in ONE day!!! They want me to make more and send it to them in North Carolina!
Thank you so much Nuna! ^ ^
Melissa,
August 29th, 2008 at 2:27 pmI’m proud of you! You made it! haha, ouch! you rubbed salt on the fragile cabbage?
Hi Maangchi,
You are doing such a great service here! I have tried so many recipes but they never turned out the right way. But I think this time is going to be different because you gave excellent instructions, and being able to watch you was also very helpful. I keep trying to make kimchi like my mom’s. After this batch I think I will have the basic skills and then I can modify it according to my taste. Thanks again!!!
August 30th, 2008 at 3:01 pmCharles,
August 30th, 2008 at 7:42 pmYou will make very delicious kimchi sooner or later. : )
Dear Maangchi,
I would like to make kimchi using other types of vegetables. Can baby bak choy be used? Do I need to make porridge for this type of kimchi as well? What other types of veg would be good for making kimchi other than cabbage, cucumber and raddish?
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:23 amSagua,
Yes, you can make kimchi using so many different kinds of vegetables. I have made green onion, sesame leaves, and mustard green kimchi other than cabbage and radish kimchi so far.
Bok choy or lettuce will be suitable for Korean style vegetable salad (Geot jul yee). If you want, check out my vegetable salad recipe in “Tofu stew” where I posted the recipe for Geot jul yee (korean style vegetable salad).
Thank you!
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 amGreetings Maangchi,
Thanks to you I have made the most delicious kimchi that I have ever eaten! This is by far better than any other kimchi that I have eaten (and I’ve eaten a lot of kimchi!). Here is what I did different from your recipe with absolutely delicious results:
1) I used chives that are readily available in almost any American market (not Asian).
2) I forgot to get radishes, so they were not included.
Even though I made these changes, the kimchi is amazing. I was so hesitant about adding raw oysters to a fermented dish, but I am glad I followed your advice. I have access to several Korean markets and restaurants that offer various versions of kimchi. Your recipe is by far better than all I have tried so far.
Your time and effort are greatly appreciated. Thank you for offering those of us who have not grown up with Korean food the chance to create our own.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:28 pmAlice,
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:19 pmI see you tried to follow my recipe tightly even though you said you used western chives instead of Asian chives and did not use radish. : )
Thank you for updating your kimchi making.
Hi Maangchi!
I just followed your kimchi recipe, and I am storing it in several mason jars. How long can I keep those in the fridge before they go bad?
Also, I made some other banchan (soybean sprouts and cucumber). How long can I keep those in the fridge? Thank you so much - your website is the best!! =)
September 4th, 2008 at 9:02 pmShirley,
Congratulation on your successful kimchi making!
It never goes bad and will keep fermenting.
If I were you, I would put all your kimchi jars in the refrigerator except for one jar. When you like to make kimchi stew, you will need fermented kimchi, so put one jar of kimchi at room temperature for a couple of days. When it starts fermenting, keep it in the refrigerator. After you finish the fermented kimchi, and you can take out another jar from your refrigerator and keep it at room temperature for a day I guess, then it starts fermenting again.
Check out forum section and leave your questions. Someone else might give you a good answer.
I usually eat soybean sprout side dish in a day because it goes bad quickly. cucumber side dish, which one?
September 4th, 2008 at 9:52 pmHi Maangchi!
I chose to email you because this letter would be too long for your blog.
I like kimchi so much. I tried to make kimchi many, many years ago but I just failed. It’s because I got the “wrong” recipe. I just got it from a cookbook. Although I’ve come across many recipes for making kimchi on the internet, I never tried any. I never tried making kimchi again until I saw your video on YouTube (thanks to YouTube). After seeing your video I knew right there and then I finally got the right recipe. I bought everything that I needed and tried your recipe. After 2 days of fermentation, I checked my kimchi. Right after opening the container, I knew then that I made it!! It smelled so good!! I tasted it and wow, it was just perfect. It was really good.
You know the reason why I wanted to learn how to make kimchi is that, kimchi is not available in supermarkets where I live. There is not even a Korean restaurant here. The last time I’ve tasted really good kimchi was when I went to Hong Kong several months ago.
I thank you so much. I’ve made several batches of kimchi since the day I made the first one. I also like your other recipes.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:59 pmHello there Maangchi!
The reason why I like kimchi so much is it’s versatiliy. You can eat it fresh, eat it fermented, cook anything with it and you get a very delicious meal.
Friday is the day of the week when I have to get up early for work. Since I made that successful kimchi, my friday breakfast now is noodles with kimchi. Very easy to prepare. I just make a soup base out of kimchi and just put the noodles in it. Sometimes if there are left over roast chicken, or if there’s an available can of tuna, or whatever is available in the fridge, I just mix it with the soup and I have a good breakfast.
My friends also like to eat kimchi so much. They eat like the Koreans do.
By the way, how much is the average kimchi consumption for Koreans? I’m just curious because I think I’m eating kimchi more than the Koreans do. I can eat maybe equivalent to one quarter of the Napa cabbage in your video) in one meal.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:35 pmHi Maangchi,
Do I cut the cabbage (into smaller bite sizes) before I spread the kimchi paste or do I do it after all the fermentation is completed?
September 6th, 2008 at 12:56 amIsabel,
September 6th, 2008 at 1:09 amwow, I’m happy to hear that you can make your own kimchi well!
The amount of kimchi consumption for Koreans depends on people. You should write your recipe in the Forum section. Many people will be interested in your kimchi noodle soup. It sounds simple and delicious. : )
CheRio,
September 6th, 2008 at 1:26 amJust before eating your kimchi, take out from the container in the refrigerator and cut it into bite size.
I just made my first green onion kimchi and it tastes sooooo goooood….. Thanks you so much again, Maanchi. You’re the best cooking teacher that I’ve seen, at least on the internet.
Keep up the good work.
September 7th, 2008 at 4:07 amIsabel,
September 7th, 2008 at 7:55 amoh, you made green onion kimchi? Actually I don’t use garlic in green onion Kimchi and use more fish sauce.
Anyway I’m happy about your successful Pa kimchi (green onion kimchi) making. I am going to post the recipe someday. Thank you!
hello there,
I am very glad I found this site, I have been reading and looking at all your recipes and I must say I am just estatic about making kimchi, i’ve recently purchased already made kimchi but i will try out your recipe really soon. Thank you for sharing all your recipes i cant wait to try them one by one.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:07 pmsummerparis,
September 9th, 2008 at 5:27 pmWonderful! Please update me how your kimchi making turns out later. Thank you!
Hi again Maangchi!
Do you have a recipe for baek kimchi? Please post it, please… Thanks!
September 10th, 2008 at 7:36 amIsabel,
September 10th, 2008 at 11:13 amYes, I do. I will post the recipe someday. Thank you!
I have tried making japanese cucumber kimchi. Not sure how it turn yet but can I know how many garlic you need cos I tasted the kimchi sauce the garlic taste and smell is so strong. FYI, I used 5 whole garlic, 1 big onion and 1 thumbsize ginger….
September 15th, 2008 at 5:12 amAlison,
September 15th, 2008 at 7:52 amThe amount of garlic in Kimchi depends on your taste and the amount of your cucumber. Next time you make kimchi, please follow the recipe and add or reduce some ingredients according to your taste.
FYI, I’m from Singapore. I’ve been looking to buy the Red Hot Pepper Flakes but find only Chilli Powder instead. I prefer the flakes which looks original Kimchii I eat in the restaurant. Wonder if you or anyone know where they sell the chilli flakes here. Thanks! Oh I think my kimchii is fermented cos I see some tiny bubbles and top layer sauce becomes abit liquid, though the taste is too strong of garlic. Will try the 2nd time. Practice makes perfect.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:45 amhi, i m from malaysia. i also like kimchi very very much. thanks for ur sharing. i can’t find the red hot pepper flakes, but only the hot pepper paste. is it ok?
September 19th, 2008 at 9:10 amAllison,
September 19th, 2008 at 10:22 amNobody uses hot pepper paste in kimchi. You will have to use hot pepper flakes ore powder.
Check out “where do you buy your korean ingredients” in the forum on my website.
Hi Maangchi! I so love your video on kimchi making :) It was very entertaining and inspiring^^ I am gonna make kimchi tomorrow because I so love the taste of it with pork belly and chilli rice cake~<3
Thank you so much for the effort to put up the recipe and vid. It was so comprehensive:) Wish me luck for my attempt tomorrow!
***To Allison:
September 20th, 2008 at 11:44 amP.S.: I know where pepper flakes can be found in Singapore:) I’m from singapore btw. Its at Bencoolen’s Burlington shopping mall’s Shine Korean Mart. They have all you need for making kimchi. Gud luck on your search!
mokopi,
September 20th, 2008 at 3:36 pmThanks a lot. Allison will be happy about the information where to buy hot pepper flakes. I am going to copy and paste your message in Forum under “Where do you buy Korean ingredients”
Hi Maangchi!
September 24th, 2008 at 11:53 amI’ve tried your receipe last night and it turned out REALLY GOOD!! WoW! I’ve already had kimchi before ( not home made ) and it was a little too sour… So, with your receipe, I like how it is possible to controle the “sourness” of this dish! I’m really happy to have tried to make kimchi! Thanks a lot!
Hi Maangchi & Mokopi,
Thanks for the information. I found another one at Novena Square called the Sol Mart (all Korean product). I bought the hot pepper flakes and make a 2nd attempt. My husband loves it. Will pay a visit to the shop at Burlington Square. Thanks again!
September 25th, 2008 at 12:49 pmAllison,
September 25th, 2008 at 4:33 pmYour information will be very important for those who are living in your area. I hope you leave the information under “where do you buy Korean ingredients” in Forum. Thank you!
HEY, MAANGCHI!
MY FRIEND AND I JUST MADE KIMCHI YESTERDAY w/ YOUR RECIPE!
We left it out for a day but i don’t see no bubbles. Can I just put it in the fridge?
Photo; http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/myzsjennifer/DSC00096.jpg
thanks maangchi.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:07 pmJennifer,
September 25th, 2008 at 7:13 pmhaha, it looks fantastic! Sometimes you don’t see bubbles even though kimchi is in the process of fermenting especially when kimchi doesn’t have much liquid. Your kimchi totally looks fine. Smell and taste it and if you find it’s sour enough, keep it in the refrigerator. Did I tell you? I usually eat my kimchi right after making it?
Hello there Maangchi!
I have read some recipes incorporating blended Nashi pear into the kimchi paste. Some even put blended apples. What can you say? Have you tried these before?
September 29th, 2008 at 6:52 amIsabel,
September 29th, 2008 at 7:29 amI use pear when I make “dongchimi”(non-spicy radish water kimchi).
Hi Maangchi.can i add shrimp paste ( pickled small shrimp )? my kimchi s out of stock now hahahaha.i am planing make kimchi again.btw,all my husband’s friends said my kimchi taste like packing kimchi sold in supermarket.i told them i found a great teacher!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 11:21 pmjenny,
September 30th, 2008 at 7:45 amYou can make the most delicious kimchi, yayeee!
Yes, you can add shrimp paste which is pickled and very salty.
Hi Maangchi,should i reduce the fish sauce if i add shrimp paste ? how many tbsp shrimp paste i should add ?
September 30th, 2008 at 9:10 amjenny,
September 30th, 2008 at 9:52 amyes, I think you can use 1/2 cup of fish sauce and 3 tbs saewoojeot (salty shrimp paste) for this recipe.
Hi Maangchi,
As I was pulling out all the helpful tips reading through all the Q/A, I am confused about the difference between “fish sauce” and “salted shrimp” as being the same.
I saw salty shrimp “sauce” in a jar called “sae woo jeot” (새우젓)(looks like baby shrimp pickled). Is this also referred to as shrimp “paste?”
When I see the fish sauce in a bottle, it is a liquid that has a label with a of picture of kimchee on the bottle. Is this also referred to as “anchovy” sauce?
Also, can Kimchee be made using only “sae woo jeot” (새우젓)? Or is the combination in a recipe you recommend better: 1/2 cup of fish sauce and 3 tbs saewoojeot (salty shrimp paste) for this recipe. Can you please tell me why that would matter?
Thanks for you help. I just want to make sure I understanding exactly what is needed and meant in these recipes.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:48 pmThis is my answer about your questions.
1.Salty pickled baby shrimp is salty shrimp paste.
2. Yes, you can use only saewoojeot in your kimchi.
3. You see some kimchi picture on the bottle or jar of fish sauce? it means you can use the fish sauce in Kimchi.
4. There is no rule for Kimchi recipe. Everybody has her own recipe. I reco