What kimchi actually is
Kimchi (김치) is a category, not a single dish. The category covers any seasoned, fermented vegetable preparation in Korean cooking. There are hundreds of varieties. Napa cabbage kimchi is the most common, but radish kimchi, cucumber kimchi, scallion kimchi, mustard-leaf kimchi, and many more exist.
Kimchi is not a side dish. It is a foundational element of Korean cuisine. Most Korean meals include kimchi at the table. Many Korean dishes (kimchi jjigae, kimchi bokkeumbap, kimchi pancakes) use kimchi as the main ingredient.
Kimjang: the kimchi-making tradition
Kimjang (김장) is the annual late-autumn kimchi-making ritual in Korean culture. Families gather (often three generations), prepare hundreds of pounds of napa cabbage, mix the seasoning paste, layer everything into clay pots, and bury the pots underground (traditionally) or store them in special kimchi refrigerators (modernly).
Kimjang is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The practice is communal in a deep way. Many Korean-American families have lost the practice in the diaspora; some are bringing it back.
Major types of kimchi
Baechu kimchi (배추김치): napa cabbage. The default. What most non-Koreans mean when they say kimchi.
Kkakdugi (깍두기): cubed radish kimchi. Crunchier, sweeter. Often served with seolleongtang (beef bone soup).
Oi sobagi (오이소박이): cucumber kimchi. Summer favorite. Lighter, faster fermentation.
Pa kimchi (파김치): scallion kimchi. Funkier, more intense. Acquired taste.
Yeolmu kimchi (열무김치): young radish-leaf kimchi. Eaten in noodle soups in summer.
Baek kimchi (백김치): white kimchi, no red chili. Older Korean style, gentler flavor.
How Mrs. Lee makes hers
Mrs. Lee’s napa cabbage kimchi follows the classic technique. Salt the cabbage for 4 hours. Rinse three times. Mix the seasoning paste (garlic, ginger, fish sauce, gochugaru, sweet rice flour paste, julienned daikon, green onion). Spread the paste between every leaf of the cabbage. Pack into a jar and ferment at room temperature for 24-48 hours, then refrigerate.
Her secret is the fish sauce ratio. Too much and it overpowers; too little and the kimchi lacks depth. She uses about 3 tablespoons per medium head of cabbage.
Korean kimchi vs the trendy version
American grocery store kimchi tends to be milder, sweeter, lower in fish sauce, and earlier in fermentation than what most Korean families eat. It is “kimchi adjusted for non-Korean palates.” Fine but different.
Real Korean kimchi has more depth, more funk (from the fermentation), more umami (from the fish sauce or salted shrimp), and more variation by family. Eating “trendy” kimchi when you have known real kimchi feels like drinking decaf coffee.
Health and probiotic claims
Yes, fermented kimchi is rich in probiotics. Yes, it has been linked to gut health benefits. Korean people have eaten kimchi for centuries without thinking about the science. The health benefits are real but they are also somewhat beside the point. Kimchi is eaten because it tastes right with rice.
Where kimchi shows up in Korean meals
Almost everywhere. Side dish at most meals. Main ingredient in kimchi jjigae (see kimchi jjigae recipe). Filling for kimchi mandu (dumplings). Topping for kimchi bokkeumbap (fried rice). Filling for kimchi jeon (pancakes).
Older Korean families have a saying: a meal without kimchi is not a meal. The exaggeration is small.
Making kimchi yourself
Yes you can. Yes it takes a long afternoon. Yes it is worth it. See Mrs. Lee’s notes above; full recipe forthcoming on the recipes page. For the impatient, baechu kimchi can be ready in 24 hours of room-temperature ferment.
From Mrs. Lee’s kitchen
More of Mrs. Lee Youngsook’s Korean home cooking lives on the Mrs. Lee page and across the recipes index. If a Korean meal is part of a hanbok occasion you are planning, tell Eric the day and we will help dress it.