What Does Kimchi Taste Like? Plus Kimchi Recipe

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Kimchi is a worldwide Korean food, for those of you who want to taste kimchi, of course you are wondering what does kimchi taste like. If that’s what you’re looking for, then here we will explain to those of you who are still curious about the taste of kimchi.

For some people, kimchi seems unappealing, even though this is a simple dish but has a unique taste with great health benefits for health.

At first glance, kimchi is just normal, with its worldwide popularity, this seems like it doesn’t make sense. But that’s the fact about kimchi, this Korean food. So, it’s natural that many people wonder what kimchi tastes like.

Ok, well here we will talk a lot about Kimchi, such as its taste and uses.

What is Kimchi?

Before we talk about the taste, let’s first know what kimchi looks like and what its ingredients are when it is raw.

Traditionally, kimchi is a side dish made from fermented vegetables. The vegetables used are a variety of vegetables that are consumed daily and the most common are cabbage or white mustard greens.

The cabbage is fermented and mixed with a thick paste made from Korean red chilies, then added with sugar and two tablespoons of water.

The paste for kneading kimchi comes in two versions, and this depends on individual preference. This pasta is mixed with chopped vegetables consisting of carrots, Korean radishes and green onions.

This paste is then spread evenly on the cabbage, then stored for at least one week to ferment.

What Does Kimchi Taste Like? Does Its Taste Good?

For those of you who want to try Korean food, you are certainly wondering what Kimchi tastes like. OK, here we will tell you about the taste.

The taste of kimchi may be very interesting, and for those of you who haven’t tried it, you must be very curious about this interesting taste.

The taste of kimchi is sour and distinctive, this is due to the fermentation process. But the sourness is not too overwhelming, and there is a hint of umami with the aroma of spices.

The taste of real kimchi is very dynamic, varying from one to another because it is influenced by the maker.

Then, the right umami and sour taste is also greatly influenced by the amount of spices used. So, because there are so many different flavors, it is very difficult to say what kimchi tastes like.

The only answer is to be guided by original Kimchi with commonly made flavors. The sour taste is different from ordinary sour, and this dominates kimchi and is always present even if you make various versions of kimchi.

Kimchi, even though it is simple, has great nutritional value, and this is what makes Koreans make kimchi the main side dish at meals.

Kimchi Nutritional Value

It is a source of carbohydrates, protein and fat, this is the result of the large number of vegetables used. 55% carbohydrates, 17% protein and 27% fat which makes this Korean food popular.

Calories are also found in kimchi but only 1%.

The nutritional content provides many health benefits such as being good for digestion. Kimchi contains beneficial bacteria called “Lactobacillus”, which appear during the fermentation process.

What Are the Uses of Kimchi?

Kimchi is the main side dish for Koreans at every meal.

There are two kinds of ways to use kimchi, and this is the most commonly used when enjoying kimchi. These two methods are with rice and with noodles.

Apart from these two methods, there are also other ways that are often used to enjoy kimchi. Some common recipes that you can try to enjoy with kimchi are:

• Scrambled eggs
• Fried rice
• Tacos
• Quesadillas, etc.

When you enjoy kimchi, you need to consider some basic precautions, this applies when you use kimchi in any recipe.

If you want to use kimchi in a recipe, then only use a small amount because it has a unique taste.

Know how much fermentation your kimchi has undergone, the longer you store (ferment) the more sour it will taste.

Kimchi Recipe: How to Make Kimchi at Home

Ingredients

• 10 pounds baechu (napa cabbage)
• ½ cup sweet rice flour.
• 1 cup kosher salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup of crushed garlic
• 1 cup onion, minced
• Water
• 1 to 2 tbs ginger, minced
• 1 cup fish sauce
• 2½ cups Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) (to taste)
• 10 green onions (diagonally sliced)
• salty, fermented squid (see FAQ, above)
• 2 cups Korean radish, julienned
• 2 cups leek, chopped
• ¼ cup of carrot, julienned

Instruction

Prepare the cabbage

Trim off the outer leaves of the cabbage that have changed color

Cut lengthwise 4 times, remove the core and then cut into small pieces

Soak in cold water, and put in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt.

Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage to sprinkle evenly with salt. The total time for marinating is about 1.5 hours.

After 1.5 hours, rinse the cabbage with cold water 3 times until clean.

Drain the cabbage and set aside.

Make Porridge

• Put 3 glasses of water and sweet rice flour in a saucepan, stir and boil, stirring until the porridge bubbles, about 5 minutes.
• Add 1/4 cup sugar, stir and cook until clear for a few minutes, cool.

Make kimchi Paste

Put the cold porridge in a large bowl, now add all the ingredients one by one

Add chili flakes, fish sauce, garlic powder, chopped ginger and chopped onions. (easy to do with a food processor)

Take the salted squid, drain it, cut it into pieces and add it to the kimchi paste.

Add green onions, chopped leek, carrots, Korean radish.

Mix all the ingredients well and now your kimchi paste is finished and enjoy.

Lastly: Mix the cabbage with the pasta

Put the kimchi paste in a large bowl, and add all the cabbage, mixing with your hands.

All images credited to maangchi.com