Spicy Kimchi (Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is spicy kimchi made of? ›

Mix the garlic, ginger, green onion,chili flakes,sugar & 1 tbsp salt, stir together. Pour 11/2 cups of very hot water over the mixed seasoning. Place cabbage leaves in a large zip lock bag or in a bowl, pour in the seasoning, mix well so the seasoning is on every leaf. Place in the fridge for two days.

If all you want is More Heat, just use finely minced habanero or scotch bonnet peppers. (Use appropriate practices for handling extremely spicy peppers.) After adding the peppers, stir well and let sit for a day or two to let the flavors disperse.

To reduce the spiciness of your vegetarian kimchi, you can try adding a bit more sugar or sweetness to balance out the heat. You can also try adding more vegetables or even a bit of water to dilute the spice level. Additionally, adding a small amount of vinegar can help cut through the spiciness.

If you like lighter tasting kimchi, simply reduce the amounts of gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes), salted shrimp, fish sauce, and/or garlic. If you don't have saeujeot (salted shrimp), just add more fish sauce (and salt if needed) to achieve the desired salt level.

Authentic Kimchi Spice: Korean Gochugaru Chili Powder.

Kimchi is a traditional, slightly spicy Korean sauerkraut made from lacto-fermented vegetables like napa cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, garlic, ginger, and Korean chili (gochugaru). It is served with almost every meal in Korea as both a side dish and a condiment, making it a Korean staple.

Overall, eating up to three servings of kimchi daily was associated with an 11% lower odds for obesity, compared to folks who ate less than one serving daily, Shin's group found.

I use korean red pepper powder. But if you have none of that, you can use paprika powder. It will not taste as good, but you can live with it.

If you leave kimchi outside of the fridge, over time it will become over-fermented and won't taste so great anymore. What are the health benefits of eating kimchi?

In summary, fermented vegetables such as kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented soy products, and beverages such as fermented teas are garnering attention as a source of natural anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds.

Does heat ruin kimchi? ›

The answer to “do you eat kimchi hot or cold” is really about health, not flavor. Kimchi tastes great cooked into almost anything. But heating kimchi kills the healthy, helpful bacteria that are a product of the fermentation process.

If bitter tasting compounds naturally found in cabbage remain in the kimchi juice or cabbage leaves, they can leave a bitter taste. If that is the case, the bitter taste vanishes as kimchi ripens. Warning! The excessive use of seasoning that suppresses ripening such as ginseng makes the bitter taste more prominent.

It has a deep flavor, so it's used to season many Korean dishes in place of salt. Many Koreans include salted fermented shrimp in their kimchi paste when making kimchi.

For example, if you want to make a vegan-friendly batch of kimchi, feel free to leave out the fish sauce. Or for a variation on traditional kimchi, try making baek kimchi, or white kimchi, which omits the gochugaru for a milder, refreshing flavor.

Kimchi can be made from a variety of vegetables and recipes vary depending upon which region of Korea they originated from. Some of those recipes use brined anchovies, brined shrimp or a jeotgal (a type of fish sauce) as part of their flavorings, but they can simply be omitted if that is your preference.

Along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, kimchi contains natural probiotic bacteria. If you eat them regularly, the probiotics in fermented foods can be beneficial to your gut microbiome. Studies suggest that eating kimchi on a daily basis could help to improve some digestive problems.

In addition, most kimchis contain Korean chili. Also known as gochugaru pepper, this chili is medium hot, but has a delicate, fruity, slightly smoky flavour. Gochugaru is usually sun-dried and sold as a powder. It gives kimchi its spiciness and beautiful red colour.

Because it's a fermented food, it boasts numerous probiotics. These healthy microorganisms may give kimchi several health benefits. It may help regulate your immune system, promote weight loss, fight inflammation, and even slow the aging process. If you enjoy cooking, you can even make kimchi at home.

Basic ingredients for kimchi: napa cabbage, radish, carrot, salt, garlic, fish sauce, chili powder and scallions. A sticky, glutinous paste of rice flour is also needed to make the seasoning of the kimchi.