The Power of Kimchi

While shopping at a Korean grocery the other day, I saw two little girls in the produce section. They were both limply hanging onto the shopping cart like little rag dolls as their mom meticulously picked out nappa cabbages for their kimchi. Seeing their bored faces took me back to my younger days and having to help my mother.

The monthly kimchi-making was how the neighborhood women saved money and found out the latest gossip. I remember how my sister and I hated squatting on the kitchen floor with the rest of them, peeling garlic as the pungent scent of chile powder made our noses itch.

Listening to their mindless chatter about people I vaguely knew and peeling clove after clove of the endless pile of garlic: It was all I could do to stay awake. The only thing that would cure me of my drowsiness was the morsel of fresh kimchi that my mom would put into my mouth.

Even after the drudgery, seeing the jars full of kimchi at the end of the day filled me with a sense of accomplishment, as my mouth watered with anticipation. But it really wasn’t until I became an adult that I grew to appreciate this cultural tradition.

Kimchi is a source of national pride for Koreans. When hungry, any Korean would swear that a bowl of rice and some kimchi are all that’s needed to complete a meal.

According to a national nutrition survey in South Korea, an average adult consumes two to four ounces a day in the summer and five to seven ounces a day in the winter. That translates to about 12.5% of the average South Korean’s daily food intake.

Not only is kimchi eaten as part of a meal, it is also used as an ingredient in other dishes. For instance, there is kimchi fried rice, kimchi jigae (a hot pot of kimchi, meat, tofu and vegetables), kimchi mandu (like wontons), kimchi flat cakes, kimchi ramen--the list is endless.

My father is such a kimchi eater that our family has found creative ways of preparing it. We have had kimchi pizza, kimchi hamburgers and even kimchi stuffing in our Thanksgiving turkey.

In Korean culture, a woman’s value as a wife is tested by her cooking abilities, especially by how good her kimchi is.

When my sister was newly married, she made her first batch by herself. She followed all the steps and ingredients except for one crucial one, the last bit of salt in the seasoning. A couple of days later, we sat down to dinner to enjoy my sister’s first kimchi. My younger brother exclaimed in horror, “What is this tasteless thing?”

It was as raw as if she had just taken some chile powder and poured it over the naked cabbage. Laughing, my mom pulled her famous kimchi from the fridge and saved the day.

Although it is considered such an important dish, no written record of it is found in Korea until the 7th century. It is believed that kimchi originated from Chinese pickles (ju, pronounced “cho” in Korean) imported during the Shilla and Koryo dynasties--roughly beginning in 57 BC.

When most Koreans hear the word kimchi, the image commonly conjured up is that of the traditional type made with nappa cabbage. Although this kind is the best known, kimchi can be made with a variety of vegetables, spices and other ingredients. It is also prepared in different ways and to different degrees of fermentation.

In areas near the ocean, people tend to add seafood. Some people may even add fruit or nuts. Although any Korean on the street would say there are hundreds of types, an independent study conducted by the Korean Food Research Institute in Huntington Beach counted only 187 varieties.

As when pickling, kimchi vegetables are soaked in a salt solution. Sea salt is best because of its high magnesium chloride content, which helps the vegetables stay crisp. Ordinary table salt can be used, but it will not yield the best results.

The earliest salt used to preserve vegetables was found in sea water, rock-salt deposits or salt flats. A peninsula, Korea has a ready supply of rock salt.

Kimchi from northern regions generally contains less salt because of the colder winters. Those from southern regions require more salt because more is needed for preservation during the milder winters.

Historically, winter kimchi was prepared in late fall to preserve the harvest until the springtime. The tradition of burying the kimchi in large clay pots in the snow was developed to slow fermentation during storage.

Kimchi-making was part of the annual festivities during the harvest moon. This year’s national festival (Chusuk in Korean) begins Sept. 24.

Kimchi was an important source of nutrition during the frost when fresh vegetables were not available. There is an inscription from the Shilla dynasty: “A family of 10 needs eight jars to make it through the winter.”

With the advancement of agricultural techniques and the availability of vegetables year-round, there is no longer a need to prepare such large stocks. And of course no one digs a hole in the backyard anymore when it is so much easier to put it in the refrigerator.

Until the Koryo dynasty (roughly AD 918 to 1392), the main vegetable used was the radish. What we know as kimchi today did not come into existence until the 17th century, when the first chile peppers were imported to Korea from the New World. Also around that time, nappa cabbage and daikon became increasingly popular in making kimchi.

Factory production of kimchi started in the 1960s so that it could be exported to the South Korean army stationed in Vietnam. Since the 1970s, with technological advances and increased consumption, commercial production has increased significantly.

Kimchi is such a staple in Korea that there is even a museum dedicated to it. The P’ulmuwon Kimchi Museum in Seoul covers its history, the tools used to make it and the regional varieties, among many other related displays.

Like any good Korean American, I would swear that my mother’s kimchi is the best, although every household has a different way of preparing it. My mom’s secret is to add ample amounts of fish sauce; she just likes the taste of it. My aunt, who grew up in a seaside town, likes to put raw oysters in hers. Another of our friends makes hers too salty for my taste; she’s from Pusan, in the southern part of the country.

Kimchi is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. It’s a purely gender-specific tradition: My mom learned from her mom, who learned from her mom, and so on.

Like Korean folk tales, the recipes aren’t really written down, but are passed along orally and by experience, adding a different twist to each family’s recipe.

Because Korea is a Confucian society, the cycle of life and ancestral lineage are very important. The passing down of stories and cooking to the next generation is like passing the torch.

Out in the country, it was easier for the family to gather to make kimchi because the extended family lived in the same village. When aunts, nieces and cousins would gather to cook for special occasions, it was also an excuse to share the latest gossip.

Even when the older women get together today, there is always a lot of bickering and boasting about which is the correct way to make kimchi, how to cut things, how much of what to put in and whatnot. Now that I’m older, I sometimes put in my two cents’ worth, but I generally like to listen and learn from the other women.

Unfortunately, younger women like me don’t get together to make kimchi. Because of our modern lives, some of us make it alone or buy it at the store.

But as long as there are enough weary little girls peeling garlic in the kitchen with their mothers, kimchi is a tradition that will not die.

Traditional Nappa Cabbage Kimchi

Active Work Time: 1 hour 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 4 hours 30 minutes plus 2 to 3 days standing

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon salt

1/2 gallon water

2 heads nappa cabbage, cut in quarters or 2-inch wedges, depending on size of cabbage

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

2 (1-inch) pieces ginger root

1/4 cup fish sauce or Korean salted shrimp, optional

1 daikon, peeled and grated

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths

1 bunch mustard greens, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup Korean ground chile

1 teaspoon sugar, optional

Sesame oil, optional

Sesame seeds, optional

* Dissolve 1 cup salt in water. Soak cabbage in salt water 3 to 4 hours.

* Combine garlic, ginger and fish sauce or shrimp in food processor or blender until finely minced.

* In large bowl, combine daikon, green onions, mustard greens, garlic mixture, chile, 1 tablespoon salt and sugar. Toss gently but thoroughly. (If mixing with your hands, be sure to wear rubber gloves to avoid chile burn.)

* Remove cabbage from water and rinse thoroughly. Drain cabbage in colander, squeezing as much water from the leaves as possible. Take cabbage and stuff daikon mixture between leaves, working from outside in, starting with largest leaf to smallest. Do not overstuff, but make sure daikon mixture adequately fills leaves. When entire cabbage is stuffed, take another big leaf and wrap tightly around rest of cabbage. Divide cabbage among 4 (1-quart) jars, pressing down firmly to remove any air bubbles.

* Let sit 2 to 3 days before serving. Remove kimchi from jar and slice into 1-inch-length pieces. If serving before kimchi is fermented, sprinkle with little bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds. Refrigerate after opening.

4 quarts. Each 1/4 cup: 8 calories; 455 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.38 gram fiber.

Daikon Kimchi (Kkakdugi)

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus 3 to 4 days standing

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

2 (1-inch) pieces ginger root

2 tablespoons Korean ground chile

2 tablespoons salt

2 large daikons, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 bunch mustard greens, chopped into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

* Combine garlic, ginger, chile and salt in food processor or blender until finely minced.

* In large bowl, combine garlic mix with daikons, making sure to rub seasoning into daikons. (If mixing with your hands, wear rubber gloves to avoid chile burn.)

* Place 4 (1-quart) jars on work surface. Fill first jar about 1/4 full with seasoned daikons, top with thin layer of mustard greens and sprinkle with about 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Add more seasoned daikons to jar until 1/2 full, top with mustard greens and sugar again. Repeat 2 more times until first jar is filled. Fill remaining jars following same steps.

* Place jars in cool place and do not move until kimchi has fully fermented (about 3 to 4 days) before serving. You will know it is ready when water rises from daikon. Refrigerate after opening.

4 quarts. Each 1/4 cup: 5 calories; 225 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.12 gram fiber.

Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Sobaegi Kimchi)

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 1 day standing

1/2 gallon plus 1/3 cup water

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon salt

20 Asian pickling cucumbers

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1/2-inch lengths

1 bunch Korean buchu, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup Korean ground chile

1 teaspoon sugar plus 1 teaspoon, optional

* Mix 1/2 gallon water with 3/4 cup salt, stirring for salt to dissolve. Soak cucumbers in salt water about 30 minutes. (Be careful not to soak too long.) Remove cucumbers and rinse. Cut about 1/4 inch from each end of cucumbers. Cut cucumbers in half in middle, not lengthwise. Hold cucumber facing circular middle. Cut in half lengthwise, leaving about 1/2 inch at end uncut. Cut in half lengthwise again, perpendicular to your first cut, leaving the end uncut. You should have 4 semi-equal parts of cucumber, cut but still attached. Repeat with remaining cucumbers.

* Place garlic in a food processor or blender and mince. Combine onion, green onions, buchu, garlic, ground chile, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon optional sugar in large bowl. (If mixing with your hands, be sure to wear rubber gloves to avoid chile burn.)

* Set 3 (1-quart) jars on work surface. Using your fingers, separate cucumber quarters and stuff mix into cucumbers. Divide evenly among jars, pressing cucumbers down firmly into jars. Stir 1 teaspoon sugar into 1/3 cup water until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour sugar water over cucumbers.

* Let sit 1 day before serving. Cucumber kimchi ferments very quickly. Refrigerate after opening.

3 quarts. Each 1/4 cup: 10 calories; 0 sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.45 gram fiber.

“Bachelor” Kimchi (Chonggak Kimchi)

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 2 to 3 days standing

3 bunches Korean ponytail radishes

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon salt

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

2 (1-inch) pieces ginger root, peeled

1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1-inch lengths

1/2 cup Korean ground chile

1 tablespoon salted shrimp

* Peel radishes, taking care to leave green stalks attached. Wash radishes thoroughly. Drain in colander. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 cup salt. Mix and let sit 30 minutes.

* Place garlic and ginger in food processor or blender and mince. Combine garlic mixture with green onions, chile, salted shrimp and 1 tablespoon salt. (If mixing with your hands, be sure to wear gloves to avoid chili burn.)

* Rinse salt from radishes. Drain in colander. Rub seasoning mix onto radishes. Set 2 (1-quart) jars on work surface. Divide radishes among jars. Let sit 2 to 3 days before serving. Refrigerate after opening.

2 quarts. Each 1/4 cup: 20 calories; 1,253 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.80 gram fiber.

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Cook’s Tip

Buchu, top, or wild leeks, and ponytail radishes, below, are commonly used kimchi ingredients. They can be found at most Korean stores.