The Kimchi Topic

[Soup]

has anyone ever put bagoong in their kimchi and korean soups?

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What is bagoong?

[melonpan]

has anyone ever put bagoong in their kimchi and korean soups?

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What is bagoong?

it is either filipino jeot or jeot is korean bagoong. you choose.

i believe that bagoong, like jeot, comes in either shrimp or anchovy.

used in cooking filipino stews and dishes... bagoong is delicious like jeot is. i love it all.

[maryeats]

Hands down I am a sucker for Oi Kimchi or Oi Saengchae, cucumber kimchi and stuffed cucumber kimchi.

Whenever I walk past the cases in the supermarket, my mouth waters. At home I eat it straight from the plastic bag. It never even makes it to the fridge.

[Jinmyo]

Oi!

Oi sabagi is great with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Well, most sandwiches.

That and oi kimchi make any other pickled cucumbers coverr their faces and cry into their dimensionless and nuanceless brine.

Oi!

[Jason Perlow]

Ok Koreans, tell me if what I did tonight is legit:

Today, I actually tried making Oi Kimchi for the first time. I went to my local H-Mart to pick up the necessary ingredients.

1 container of peeled garlic

1 bunch of scallions

1 Mul Radish

1 Hand of Ginger

1 Bag of Medium Coarse Kimchi Chile Flakes

1 Jar of Brine Shrimp

My Kimchi Mise-en-place:

* 2 lb UNWAXED Kirbys for pickling

* 1 Korean Mul Radish

* 1 Bunch Green Onions, cut into 1/2 inch strips

* 4Tbsp Garlic — minced

* 1Tbsp Ginger — fresh, minced

* 2Tbsp-4Tbsp Kimchi chile

* 2Tbsp Salt

* 1Tbsp Sugar

* 2Tbsp of Brine Shrimp, thoroughly mashed

After washing I cut off the ends of the cucumbers (it’s bitter) and sliced them lengthwise and then into 2 inch long half-barrels.

I cut up the Mul radish into 3 peices and cut off the outside skin with a chef’s knife.

I grated one of the big radish peices and got about 8oz of radish plus radish water.

I put the grated radish into a clean dishrag (a cheesecloth would be optimal) and wrung the radish water into my large container along with the reserved radish water from the bowl. This should yeild about 1 cup of radish juice total.

Next I took 2Tbsp of brine shrimp and ground them into a paste in the mortar and pestle.

I put the cucumber slices into the container (with the radish juices) along with the grated radish, cut up scallions, cubed up Mul radish from another big piece (rest was put in the fridge in water for a snack), brine shrimp paste, 4tbsp of garlic, 1tbsp of grated fresh ginger, 2Tbsp of salt (or 4Tbsp if without the brine shrimp), 1Tbsp of sugar, and 2-4Tbsp of Kimchi Chile flakes depending on how hot you like it. Mix up well, and then add approximately 2 cups of water until everything becomes covered.

Let stand at room temperature (72 degrees) for 48 hours with lid or plastic wrap covering, then transfer to deli containers or smaller Tupperware in the fridge. Give to friends. Share and eat.

Edited August 20, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[melonpan]

Ok Koreans, tell me if what I did tonight is legit:

Let stand at room temperature (72 degrees) for 48 hours with lid or plastic wrap covering, then transfer to deli containers or smaller Tupperware in the fridge. Give to friends. Share and eat.

its no secret that kimchi making intimidates me. after one failure (and it was horrible) i gave up. i never really wanted to make it. i have mothers and other ajumas and ktown to supply me after all.... but i do feel inadequate.

still, i dont know if it is legit or not. and frankly i dont care if its legit. i mean, i know some korean friends who swear that adding 7up to their bulgogi marinade is a wonderful secret. is that legit or not?

i say its moot.

the question REALLY is: how does it taste?

looks mighty fine though... canicomeover?

[ZenKimchi]

So far, it looks good. Craving oi kimchi now. Oi kimchi and naengmyeon -- ah, summer!

Man, it really is freaky how big and fat ginger is in America compared to the scrawny mudcaked ones we get in Korea.

[SheenaGreena]

still, i dont know if it is legit or not. and frankly i dont care if its legit. i mean, i know some korean friends who swear that adding 7up to their bulgogi marinade is a wonderful secret. is that legit or not?

my mother uses kiwi juice or coca cola in her bulgogi marinade. it makes it taste extra delicious

I don't think I could make kimchi ever. Its just way too intimidating. I have watched my mother make kimchi hundreds of times, but it is too time consuming and takes forever. Also I hate waiting for kimchi to ferment after it was just made. Especially chonggak (raddish) kimchi. That seems to take FOREVER.

Does anyone know why some kimchis have this like sparkly carbonated taste to them after they ferment? Some of them taste a little bit like 7 up. I was wondering why some taste like this and others don't

What's the oldest kimchi you have ever eaten? With a kimchi fridgerator I have eaten some over a year old and boy are they stinky, but delicious

[nakji]

Does anyone know why some kimchis have this like sparkly carbonated taste to them after they ferment? Some of them taste a little bit like 7 up. I was wondering why some taste like this and others don't

This is one of the bestest tastes in the world. It makes your tongue curl up like a particularly well seasoned salt-and-vinegar chip.

MMMMMMmmmmm.

We used to go to a great pork place in the back alleys of Sinchon, and the adjumma there made seriously killer kimchi - like, her own homemade stuff, none of that Chinese stuff that a lot of the cheaper places tried to pass off. She didn't use a lot of brine shrimp, to keep the cost down, she said, and she aged it 6 months before serving it. It had a lovely, almost cider vinegary taste. She would pack it up in bags for me to take home, and would never take a cent for it. She thought it was crazy that this waeguk girl loved her kimchi so much.

My bosses' wife made great kimchi as well. She used to use more ginger (which a lot of Koreans admitted to me that they didn't like!) and she had thick strips of radish stuffed in each leaf which we would all fight for when we went over for dinner. Yum

The commercially made kimchi, in my opinion - you know the kind that comes in the green bag - ? Was always too...salty? for me. Homemade was best, because every family had a different way that they liked it. Much the way traditional Western pickles would be, I guess. A lot of my older female students admitted to not having time to make their kimchi every November, and relied on Mothers-in-law and grandmothers to do it. I thought that was really sad - what would happen when they were all gone? But of course, totally understandable, because kimchi making, like putting up any pickles, is time-consuming business. I remember every October and November, newspapers would publish cabbage and radish prices, and everybody would lament how expensive they were these days.

Now I buy Ehwa Kimchi - "Lee Hoa" in Vietnamese. It's okay...it's slightly sweet, which I enjoy plain with rice. But it's not nearly juicy enough for proper kimchi bokkumbap. There's no red juice at the bottom of the pack at all. Sacrilege!

Jason, your pictures look lip-smacking. Have you ever tried mul-kimchi? It's a cold kimchi soup served with many grilled dishes. It's made with sliced cucumbers, cabbage, some carrots and green onion, all floating in a semi-frozen chili broth. Very refreshing!

[ZenKimchi]

Does anyone know why some kimchis have this like sparkly carbonated taste to them after they ferment?  Some of them taste a little bit like 7 up.  I was wondering why some taste like this and others don't

What's the oldest kimchi you have ever eaten?  With a kimchi fridgerator I have eaten some over a year old and boy are they stinky, but delicious

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The sparkling ones I have tried have been old kimchis -- at least over a year old. The first time I had one was two years ago at a friend's house during Chuseok. I've since come across it in a rare moment in nice folksy restaurants.

[SheenaGreena]

The sparkling ones I have tried have been old kimchis -- at least over a year old. The first time I had one was two years ago at a friend's house during Chuseok. I've since come across it in a rare moment in nice folksy restaurants.

the ones that I taste that are over a year old don't taste "sparkly" they taste like funky delicious cheese.

my mother calls it "sho-nay" or refreshing kimchi.

How does it get that carbonated mouth feel though? It must be a special type of fermentation or bacteria that gives off gas.

I want to eat a whole bowl of that stuff right now

[jschyun]

I just caught that photo essay. So how does it taste?

Does anyone taste a difference between the already peeled garlic in the tubs/bags as opposed to garlic you freshly peel yourself? I can't tell really.

[gus_tatory]

jeniac42: perhaps someone who makes home-made kimchi can answer your question. The stuff I buy at my neighbourhood Korean store (napa cabbage variety) is great and cheap.

Today I awoke with a mild hangover from my office Christmas party, and made kimchi three ways:

kimchi jige (chicken broth, kimchi, greenonions)

kimchi pajeon (pancakes)

greens stir-fried then braised with kimchi, sesame oil

I feel better now.

Edited December 9, 2006 by gus_tatory (log)

[Habeas Brulee]

Does anyone have a good recipe for that cubed radish kimchi? The pretty simple kind that most restaurants serve in their banchan, I mean.

I tried making it for the first time from this recipe, and it ended up tasting too fishy for me.

I'd just try again with less anchovy sauce, but I don't know how reducing the anchovy sauce might affect the safety in leaving it out on the counter for two days, and I'm a little terrified. (Also, I'm curious to see how adding the rice flour porridge helps it.)

[milgwimper]

Does anyone have a good recipe for that cubed radish kimchi? The pretty simple kind that most restaurants serve in their banchan, I mean.

I tried making it for the first time from this recipe, and it ended up tasting too fishy for me.

I'd just try again with less anchovy sauce, but I don't know how reducing the anchovy sauce might affect the safety in leaving it out on the counter for two days, and I'm a little terrified. (Also, I'm curious to see how adding the rice flour porridge helps it.)

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You don't need to use anchovy sauce or any type of fermented seafood in kimchi if you dislike it. If brined well with salt you don't really need to add more, but you can replace probably all of the fish sauce with a tablespoon or two of sea salt. The recipe is a little vague on the weight of the radish, so I am guessing here...I think you should try and experiment until you get it to taste the way you like it, by say reducing the amount of fish sauce to 2 Tablespoons. Just don't rinse the brine very well so all the salt is gone, then you might have to worry about the kimchi setting out.

Good luck! Tell us how it goes.

[Habeas Brulee]

It worked! My second batch is fantastic. I'll comment with a link here as soon as I take some photos and post the more detailed recipe I ended up using to my blog. Thank you so much for your advice!

[milgwimper]

It worked! My second batch is fantastic. I'll comment with a link here as soon as I take some photos and post the more detailed recipe I ended up using to my blog. Thank you so much for your advice!

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You are so welcome, and I am so glad it worked out so nicely!

[Habeas Brulee]

Here's another question: I have a ton of baby bok choy in my fridge that I fear will go bad before my partner and I can eat it (we're only two people, after all!). Can I kimchi it?

I've been googling around, and getting a lot of opposing advice, some saying that I can, some saying that it's too.. something?.. and would just rot.

[milgwimper]

Here's another question: I have a ton of baby bok choy in my fridge that I fear will go bad before my partner and I can eat it (we're only two people, after all!). Can I kimchi it?

I've been googling around, and getting a lot of opposing advice, some saying that I can, some saying that it's too.. something?.. and would just rot.

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Hmmm I have not personally made it with baby pak choi, but I don't see why it couldn't be made into kimchi. Go a head and try making it. Do you remember anything in particular saying why it would be bad to use bok choi? Maybe you can make it into one of the watery types of kimchi? Good luck!

[SheenaGreena]

i've seen bak choi kimchee. It's not as crispy/crunchy as cabbage...but its still good. I would just do it like you are making regular baechu kimchee

[phage]

The sparkling ones I have tried have been old kimchis -- at least over a year old. The first time I had one was two years ago at a friend's house during Chuseok. I've since come across it in a rare moment in nice folksy restaurants.

the ones that I taste that are over a year old don't taste "sparkly" they taste like funky delicious cheese.

my mother calls it "sho-nay" or refreshing kimchi.

How does it get that carbonated mouth feel though? It must be a special type of fermentation or bacteria that gives off gas.

I want to eat a whole bowl of that stuff right now

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I bought a gallon of kimchi about 1 1/2 months ago and it was still pretty green - After a few weeks it started to get that good carbonated effect. But my fridge had so much stuff in there (plus I had some older kimchi to use up) that it got pushed to the back and by the time I dug it out again the carbonation was on its last legs. Its still tasty now but no longer as "active." That peak of perfection didn't really last long, alas....

-- Phage

[_john]

I haven't made kimchi in a while but I have eaten some very unusual and good ones since my last post. They were, in order of preference: surume ika (dry cuttle fish?), rakkyo (a kind of shallot), and yamaimo (mountain potato). Surume ika makes a good drinking snack on its own but kimchi surume ika, now your talking. I ate the rakkyo kimchi with curry. it seemed like they took standard commercially pickled rakkyo and just put some kimchi base on them but they were still good. The yamaimo was actually very refreshing and crisp, surprisingly good.

I did make nira (garlic chive) kimchi a while ago which reached the "sparkling" stage. that was super good.

ive been meaning to make some fruit kimchi. First I think I will try persimmon, maybe apple would be good too. Asian pear is already used in some korean dishes that are seasoned similar to kimchi, like yukhe, so I think it would match.

[milgwimper]

my mom recently told me that if you grind up an onion into the kimchi it would make it refreshing. So the last batch I made chopped up my garlic, ginger, and onion together in the blender and added to my bechu kimchi and well. WOW it was nice and tingly on the tongue, and quite sparkling.

About the fruit, I had some really good asian pear kimchi, as the main ingredient in korea. If I could find some asian pears here I would try to make a batch of that stuff, as I dream of it from time to time. *sigh*

I love fermented raw squid! I love it also in kimchi.

[sazji]

Original English Text:

What's your favorite kimchi? What is one of the most unusual ones you have eaten?

Translated to French:

Quel est votre kimchi préféré? Quel est un de les plus peu communs que vous avez mangés?

Translated back to English:

Which is your kimchi preferred? Which is one of not very common that you ate?

LOL, I had to try it with the Google Turkish translator. Turkish has such a foreign structure I figured it would be good. It came out:

En beğendiğiniz kimchi nedir? Ne bir sen yedim en ilginç olanlardan biridir?

The first sentence is right. The second is already gibberish...and translated back to English:

What is your favorite kimchi? What is the one you ate one of the most interesting ones?

[sazji]

BTW I've been on a kimchi jag lately myself, and made it according to the recipe here:

http://fauxlahipster.blogspot.com/2009/03/briny-salty-spicey-goodness-kimchi.html

It was hands-down the most amazing kimchi I've ever made.