Kimchi
Korean Cookery
Chapter 4 · Kimchi and Fermentation
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
The kimchi article calls kimchi "a traditional Korean side dish of salted, fermented vegetables", most often napa cabbage or Korean radish, and says it is "eaten as a side dish with almost every Korean meal". The article says there are over 180 recognised varieties, and gives these among them:
| Name | What the article says |
|---|---|
| Baechu-kimchi | Spicy napa cabbage kimchi, made from whole leaves with a filling (sok) between salted layers |
| Kkakdugi | Cubed Korean radish, strongly scented, often with fermented shrimp |
| Dongchimi | Non-spicy, watery radish kimchi |
| Baek-kimchi | White kimchi, no chilli |
| Oi-sobagi | Stuffed cucumber |
| Pa-kimchi | Green onion |
Salting
The article says to cut the vegetables into small uniform pieces to increase surface area, coat them with salt to draw out water, drain, then add the seasonings. It gives two ways: "5–7% salt for 12 hours or 15% salt for 3–7 hours". It does not say whether those are brine strengths or salt by weight of vegetable, and I did not check, so the first recipe uses my own simpler salting. Cabbage for spicy kimchi is "usually marinated twice" according to a caption. It says brining salt is coarser than kitchen salt.
Seasoning
The listed seasonings are gochugaru, scallions, garlic, ginger and jeotgal (salted seafood: salted shrimp, anchovy and fish sauces, with the amount varying by region). Sugar "can be added to bind remaining water". Kkakdugi, per its own article, is flavoured with salt, red chilli powder, spring onions and ginger and often has fermented shrimp.
Fermentation
- Packing and time. The kimchi article says to pack into airtight jars and ferment at room temperature for "24 to 48 hours", with about 3% salt "ideal" during fermentation. The kkakdugi article instead says fermentation takes about two weeks in a cool, dry place. The two figures differ, and neither says how sour the result is, so I put both in the experiments and resolve nothing.
- Gas. Fermentation makes carbon dioxide, and the article says to release the gas daily.
- Bacteria. The vegetables supply the lactic acid bacteria, so no starter is needed. Leuconostoc dominates early, Lactobacillus and Weissella later as acidity rises. The article says these bacteria prefer about 10 °C and that higher temperatures speed acidification.
- Safety numbers. A Canadian guidance figure for commercial production is a final pH of 4.2 to 4.5, and the pH 4.6 threshold relates to botulism toxin, which is not produced below it. Home cooks cannot rely on this without a pH meter; I do not give a pass/fail test.
- Spoilage. The article says some yeasts cause white colonies, spoilage and off-flavours.
Kimjang and storage
The kimjang article describes it as the traditional winter preparation of kimchi, beginning in the tenth month and running for about a month, with groups gathering to cut, wash and salt the vegetables. It lists earthenware jars buried up to their necks (fermentation stops below 0 °C and resumes in spring); today many city residents use balconies or dedicated kimchi refrigerators. It was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2013. Its dates and recipes are cited from sources between 1962 and 2007, and one citation is flagged for an error, so treat specific dates with caution; it says recipes go back "at least" to the 13th century and red pepper was added in the 17th. Chapter 1 already noted that the Korean cuisine article does not reconcile the kimchi origin claims.
Clean equipment (general advice, mine): wash the jar and lid in hot soapy water, keep the vegetables pressed under their own liquid, and use clean hands or utensils.
When to throw it away (general advice, mine): if you see fuzzy mould, or it smells rotten and not sour, discard the whole jar; do not scrape and eat. The article's white colonies from yeasts are not mould, but I cannot tell the two apart for you, so when unsure, throw it out.
Allergens: fish sauce and salted shrimp (fish, shellfish); you can leave them out or use a vegetarian substitute, but the flavour will differ.
Chilli: wear gloves when mixing gochugaru paste into the vegetables; wash your hands before touching your eyes.
Try it
Kkakdugi: small-batch radish kimchi
Radish is the easiest place to start because it needs no leaf-by-leaf stuffing. In the article the cubes are flavoured with salt, red chilli powder, spring onions and ginger; the garlic, sugar and quantities are mine.
Ingredients (1 jar of about 700 ml)
- 500 g mooli (daikon) or Korean radish, peeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp fine salt (about 15 g)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce, or a pinch more salt
- Toss the cubes with the salt and sugar in a bowl and leave for about 30 minutes (mine), stirring once, until they release liquid.
- Drain, keeping a few spoonfuls of the liquid. Taste a cube: it should be salty but not unpleasant.
- Wearing gloves, mix in the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, spring onions and fish sauce until every cube is coated and red.
- Pack tightly into a clean jar, pressing so the liquid rises. Add a spoon of the saved liquid if dry. Leave 3 to 4 cm of space at the top.
- Close the lid loosely (or use a lid that lets gas out). Leave at cool room temperature and taste a cube each day. Open the jar daily to release gas.
- When it tastes pleasantly tangy (the articles give 24 to 48 hours at room temperature for kimchi, and about two weeks in a cool place for kkakdugi), move it to the fridge.
Baechu-kimchi: napa cabbage, small batch
This follows the article's description (cut, salt, drain, fill between leaves). The amounts are mine; I did not check them against a cookbook, and the 5 to 7 percent figure from the article is my reading of a brine strength, which I could not verify.
Ingredients (1 jar of about 1 litre)
- 1 napa (Chinese) cabbage, about 600 g, quartered lengthways
- 60 g coarse salt, dissolved in 1 litre of water (about a 6% brine, mine)
- 3 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 spring onions, cut in 3 cm lengths
- 1 small carrot or 50 g mooli, in thin matchsticks
- Soak the cabbage quarters in the brine, pressing them down with a plate, for about 6 hours or overnight (mine), turning once. They should bend without snapping.
- Rinse well under cold water and drain cut-side down for about 30 minutes. Squeeze gently.
- Mix the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, spring onions and carrot into a paste, wearing gloves. Add a splash of water if too thick.
- Rub a little paste between every layer of leaves and over the outside. Fold each quarter and pack into a clean jar, pressing down. Leave a few centimetres of space.
- Ferment and taste as in the radish recipe, opening daily to release gas, and refrigerate when it tastes right to you.
Experiments
Challenges
Describe how kimchi is made from the articles: the salting, the seasonings, the fermentation and the role of bacteria. Name three kinds of kimchi.
Make the radish kimchi and keep a daily log for a week: smell, taste, fizz, texture. Say when you put it in the fridge and why.
The two articles give different fermentation times. State both, say what each does not tell you, and explain how you would decide for your own kitchen without claiming either is wrong.
Quick Reference
- Kimchi: salted, fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish
- Method (articles): cut small, salt, drain, add seasonings, pack in airtight jars, release gas daily
- Times: 24 to 48 hours at room temperature (kimchi); about two weeks in a cool place (kkakdugi); the two do not agree
- Seasonings: gochugaru, scallions, garlic, ginger, jeotgal; sugar can be added
- Mine, untested: all weights, volumes, salting times and the 6% brine
- Discard: fuzzy mould or a rotten smell (general advice)
Next chapter: Jjigae and Guk, the stews and soups that use kimchi and the pastes from Chapter 1.