6 Ways to Make Homemade Korean Kimchi, Easy and Delicious

Kapanlagi.com - For fans of Korean dramas and Korean music, kimchi is certainly not unfamiliar. Made from a variety of fresh vegetables such as napa cabbage, radish, and cucumber, kimchi has a fresh and sour taste. No need to buy, apparently making kimchi is quite easy and can be done with local ingredients.

Successful with a number of drama and music shows, South Korean cuisine also attracts attention. Starting from kimbap, bibimbap, bulgogi, ramyeon, and kimchi. Among these foods, one of the most popular and intriguing for people is kimchi.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean food that is processed by fermentation with selected spices. Among these spices are vinegar, salt, krill shrimp, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili powder, which are mixed together. The red color of kimchi is obtained from the spread of chili powder, which gives a spicy sensation. Kimchi is generally made with fresh vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, cucumber, and radish, which have a crunchy and fresh texture.

In Korea, kimchi is a traditional food that is often added to various dishes such as ramen, soup, kimchi jjigae, kimchi fried rice, and is always provided as a side dish in daily meals of the local community. Processed through fermentation, kimchi apparently offers various health benefits. The presence of good bacteria in kimchi through the fermentation process provides benefits such as improving digestion, controlling cholesterol levels, preventing premature aging, and even enhancing the immune system.

Nowadays, enjoying kimchi dishes doesn't require going all the way to Korea, as there are plenty of kimchi products readily available in the country with various flavors. However, you can also make your own kimchi using local ingredients. Making Korean-style kimchi is quite easy to practice with affordable ingredients. To find out the recipe and how to make kimchi in detail, read some reviews below.

1. How to Make White Cabbage Kimchi

How to make white cabbage kimchi (credit: cookpad.com/Nuniek Wijayanti/)

How to make white cabbage kimchi into the most common and popular dish. After going through the fermentation process with selected spice ingredients, the white cabbage will have a soft yet fresh texture. The recipe and how to make white cabbage kimchi are as follows according to cookpad.com.

Basic ingredients for making white cabbage kimchi:

- 1 large white cabbage.

- 1 carrot, sliced lengthwise.

- 2 spring onions, sliced lengthwise.

- 1/2 onion, sliced.

- 3 tablespoons of salt.

Kimchi sauce ingredients:

- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed.

- 2 cm ginger, grated.

- 3 tablespoons of chili powder.

- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.

- 1 tablespoon of sugar.

- 1 tablespoon of rice flour.

- 250 ml of water.

How to make white cabbage kimchi:

- The first step in making white cabbage kimchi is to cut the cabbage into 4 equal and elongated parts. This will make it easier to clean the cabbage and allow the spices to penetrate better during the seasoning process. Then wash it thoroughly and drain.

- After washing, sprinkle each leaf of cabbage with salt, making sure to evenly distribute salt on each part. Then let it sit for about an hour. Every 30 minutes, flip the cabbage to ensure even distribution.

- Next, wash the cabbage again until the salt is completely removed, then drain.

- Then make the kimchi sauce by cooking water with rice flour and sugar until thickened, then let it cool to room temperature.

- Prepare a container and add carrots, spring onions, onions, crushed garlic, grated ginger, chili powder, fish sauce, and the rice flour sauce. Mix well.

- Then add the washed white cabbage, mix well.

- Next, store the kimchi in a covered container for 2-3 days to enhance the flavor, or you can also enjoy it fresh after seasoning it with the spice mixture.

2. How to Make Radish Kimchi

How to make radish kimchi (credit: Instagram.com/lysa_tangkulung/)

Just like making white cabbage kimchi, making radish kimchi is not much different. Here is the recipe and method for making radish kimchi that you can try at home, as reported by Instagram lysa_tangkulung.

Basic ingredients for making kimchi:

- 1 tbsp sugar.

- Sufficient amount of chili powder.

- 1 white radish.

- 2 cloves of garlic.

- 1/2 tsp salt.

- 1/2 piece of ginger.

How to make radish kimchi:

- The first step in making radish kimchi is to peel the radish, then wash and cut it into square cubes.

- Then prepare the other seasoning ingredients, and sprinkle sugar and salt, mix well.

- Let it sit for 30 minutes, then stir every 10 minutes to allow the seasoning to penetrate well.

- Mix the radish with ginger, chopped garlic, and chili powder.

- Let it sit for two days at room temperature. Then put it in the refrigerator.

- Radish kimchi is ready to be served.

3. How to Make Siamese Pumpkin Kimchi

How to make chayote kimchi (credit: Instagram.com/dapur_yushima/)

Siamese pumpkin can also be used as the main ingredient to make delicious and tasty kimchi. Making Siamese pumpkin kimchi is just as easy and you can practice it at home. Here's the recipe and how to make Siamese pumpkin kimchi from dapur_yushima.

Ingredients to make kimchi:

- 2 Siamese pumpkins.

- 2 tbsp salt.

- Spring onions, diagonally sliced.

- 4 tbsp chili powder.

Ground seasoning for kimchi:

- 4 shallots.

- 2 cloves of garlic.

- 1 thumb-sized ginger.

- 3 tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce.

How to make kimchi:

- The first step to make kimchi is to soak the Siamese pumpkins in a container filled with water, salt, and apple cider vinegar for 15 minutes to clean off any dirt.

- Then drain the Siamese pumpkins, dice them, and remove the seeds.

- Next, sprinkle 1 tbsp of salt, mix well. Let it sit for 30 minutes, but stir every 10 minutes to allow the seasoning to penetrate and distribute evenly.

- After 30 minutes, the Siamese pumpkins will release a lot of water. Use that water to blend the seasoning, but pay attention to the saltiness level.

- Then blend the seasoning ingredients and mix them with the diced pumpkins, spring onions, and chili powder. Stir well.

- Siamese pumpkin kimchi is ready to be consumed or can be stored for a few days for fermentation.

4. How to Make Cucumber Kimchi

How to make cucumber kimchi (credit: cookpad.com/Phie Kitchen/)

Making cucumber kimchi is quite easy. Moreover, the cucumber will provide a fresh and crispy taste like pickles in general. The recipe and how to make cucumber kimchi are available in the recipe below, cited from cookpad.com.

The basic ingredients for making kimchi:

- 500 grams of cucumber.

- 1 tablespoon of salt.

- 35 grams of spring onion.

- 2 cloves of garlic.

- 50 grams of carrot.

- 50 grams of onion.

- 25 grams of gochugaru.

- 1 1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce.

- 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.

- 30 ml of water.

- 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds.

How to make cucumber kimchi:

- The first step in making kimchi is to wash all the ingredients thoroughly. Then cut the cucumber into 4 equal and elongated parts without cutting through the base.

- Next, sprinkle salt on each surface and let it sit for 20 minutes.

- Thinly slice the carrot and spring onion.

- Then slice the onion and finely chop the garlic, put the vegetable slices into a container.

- Add salt, fish sauce, gochugaru, and sesame seeds.

- Stir until well combined, set aside.

- Rinse the cucumber and then insert the vegetables into the gaps of the cucumber.

- Repeat until all the cucumber is filled with vegetables, then put it into a container. Wait for 8 hours for fermentation, then put it into the refrigerator.

- Cucumber kimchi can be eaten directly or fermented again for a more sour and fresh taste.

5. How to Make Kimchi Jjigae

How to Make Kimchi (credit: cookpad.com/Felicia Tan/)

After knowing how to make original kimchi, you can also make other interesting dishes using kimchi, one of which is kimchi jjigae. This dish is a typical Korean soup dish with additional ingredients including kimchi. The recipe and how to make kimchi jjigae are as follows, as quoted from cookpad.com.

Ingredients for making kimchi:

- 150 grams of meat, cut according to taste.

- 750 ml of broth.

- 215 grams of kimchi.

- 1/2 box of silk tofu.

- 2 sheets of odeng.

- 1 piece of sausage.

- 1 piece of onion.

- 1 stalk of leek.

- 1 tbsp of gochujang.

- Soy sauce as needed.

- Sesame seeds as needed.

- Chili powder as needed.

- Salt, sugar, pepper, and broth powder as needed.

How to make kimchi:

- The first step in making kimchi jjigae is to add the sliced onion, diagonally sliced white part of the leek, meat, gochujang, and kimchi.

- Next, add the broth and simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat.

- Then prepare the other ingredients and after 20 minutes, add salt, sugar, mushroom broth, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili powder. Adjust the taste.

- Then add the odeng and tofu and cook for 10 minutes.

- After that, add the sausage and cook for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

- Serve kimchi jjigae with sliced green part of the leek.

6. How to Make Green Onion Kimchi

How to Make Green Onion Kimchi (credit: koreanbapsang.com)

Green onions can also be added as a base ingredient for making kimchi. Making green onion kimchi is also quite easy to practice with the following recipe as quoted from koreanbapsang.com.

Ingredients for making kimchi:

- Sufficient amount of green onions.

- 4 tbsp chili powder.

- 4 tbsp fish sauce.

- 2 tsp sugar.

- 1 tbsp minced garlic.

- 1 tsp grated ginger.

- 1 dried squid weighing 3 ounces.

How to make green onion kimchi:

- The first step in making green onion kimchi is to clean the green onions from the roots and dry leaves. Wash several times, then drain.

- Mix all the seasoning ingredients together in a separate container.

- Then slice the dried squid thinly and about 2 inches long. If it is too hard, soak it in water to soften it.

- Coat the seasoning ingredients evenly with the green onions and the sliced squid.

- Then fold the green onions that have been coated with the fine seasoning and store them in a covered container.

- Store at room temperature for a full day, then refrigerate. Kimchi can be consumed immediately or stored for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator to have a more sour and fresh taste.

So those are 6 easy and delicious ways to make homemade Korean-style kimchi. Enjoy trying it, KLovers.

(kpl/nlw)