# Talk to me about Kimchi (in terms I will understand) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2012, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661 "2012-09-24T08:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/41 "2014-01-10T22:21:43Z")
For the cabbage, I prefer it old and stewed in the vinegar until it’s dyed red from the chile paste but for the cukes, onions, and radishes you want the crispness of a “new” kimchi but still sour enough that it’s pickled/spiced. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/42 "2014-01-10T22:27:23Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > but for the cukes, onions, and radishes you want the crispness of a “new” kimchi but still sour enough that it’s pickled/spiced. Says you. My family tends to like well fermented radishes. I like my cucumbers fairly fresh, but my parents like them aged a bit. They also seem to like cabbage kimchi fresher than I like mine. There can be lots of variation, even within the same family. Kimchi juice goes pretty well in chicken soup, too. That’s the only way my brother takes it. The scary thing is when you have tons of leftovers and realize you have 5 or 6 kimchi dishes on the same table, including a stew and kimchi pancakes. A bit of overkill, but you have to get rid of it somehow (and try telling anybody in my parents’ generation it’s ok to throw perfectly good food away - you’ll get an earful). ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/43 "2014-01-10T22:34:18Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > . . . I prefer it old and stewed in the vinegar. . . Kimchi is not made with vinegar. It’s a fermented pickle, and the acid is lactic, not acetic. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/44 "2014-01-10T22:48:08Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > It’s probably “typical”, but you should realize that, to a large extent, lots of Korean cooking is still passed down among families, and each family’s kimchis may be subtly different from each other. Sure - I imagine it’s like cheese in this regard - not a massive range of initial ingredients, but enormous variety in the end result - and it being possible for people to like none, few, some or all of them. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/45 "2014-01-10T22:54:26Z")
Kim chi is best eaten in context of a Korean meal of Korean barbecue. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/46 "2014-01-10T23:07:01Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Kim chi is best eaten in context of a Korean meal of Korean barbecue. That’s what I was going to say. Find a good Korean restaurant and try what they serve. If it’s really a good one, they will bring out 8 or 10 dishes right off the bat-- all different types of Kimchi. But it’s just an appetizer, so think of it that way and enjoy the whole meal! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/47 "2014-01-11T01:26:25Z")
I agree with **puly** , in that kimchi stew is one of my very favorite dishes. I made a batch over Thanksgiving with some kimchi I made, subbed those chewy rice cakes for the tofu (thank you David Chang), and it was as good as I remember it. Just an amazing dish. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/48 "2014-01-11T04:21:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Time to resurrect this thread with my results. I finally looked in the right place and found some refrigerated jars of kimchi. I bought a 300g jar of Chongga Mat Kimchi. That’s it dammit. I’m driving to the opposite end of the city tomorrow in pursuit of some Kimchi at an Asian superstore. Stay tuned… ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661/49 "2014-01-11T23:25:09Z")
If you’re the cooking kind, then just imagine this. It’s summer kimchi which does not require months of fermentation. First tip: everything has to be clean and sterile: 1. your cabbage - get the Chinese cabbage kind. Prepare by cutting off 1 inch from the base. Next, slice lengthwise twice 90 degrees of each other (longit quarters.) Last, cut into 2-inch lengths. Wash carefully and drain. 2. prepare the above cut cabbage similar to sourkraut - put in a big bowl, add 3 tablespoons salt for every kilo and mix. Put a plate over the mix face-down and weigh down with something heavy and clean. In less than 1 hour, the cabbage will wilt and get hydrolyzed (term???) 3. for the kimchi-proper - in a clean mortar-pestle, pound garlic, ginger, green onions, and either fresh or dried chilli peppers (estimate the proportions yourself, a lot more fun.) Add a little salt and sugar. 4. mix #3 with #2 but first drain the cabbage of excess liquid. Put in a clean glass jar up to the brim, avoiding air bubble. Poke the inside with a skewer or chopstick. Refrigerate for 24 hours for best results. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-kimchi-in-terms-i-will-understand/635661.md?page=2)