Crash Course: Kimchi
Kimchi is fundamental to Korean cuisine – learn how to make it and how to use it. // Photos by Sean Locke, Illustrations by Carson McNamara
If there’s one ingredient that’s fundamental to Korean cuisine, it’s kimchi. Made with salted and fermented vegetables (most often cabbage), it’s sour, tangy and usually spicy, and it’s a staple in Korean households. In fact, Yi So-yeon, South Korea’s first astronaut, brought it on her flight to the International Space Station in 2008.
Kimchi has existed for thousands of years; its initial popularity is often linked to the spread of Buddhism, which sometimes emphasizes a vegetarian lifestyle, on the Korean peninsula. More recently, kimchi has taken the U.S. by storm, popping up on menus in everything from fried rice to dumplings and burgers to tacos. “It’s kind of crazy because even seven or eight years ago, I would never have thought about putting kimchi on the menu,” says restaurateur Munsok So, who offers spicy cabbage kimchi, spicy cucumber kimchi and white radish kimchi at Kimchi Guys in St. Louis. “I remember having a little bit of a phobia, but consumers now are naturally more curious about eating different things and more experimental with fermented foods.”
Think of kimchi as a condiment, ready to lend its bite and crunch to dips, stews, savory pancakes, noodle dishes, braised meats and more.
A word to the wise: Kimchi can get stinky, even in the fridge, so make sure the containers are sealed tightly and consider using activated charcoal as a deodorizer. “I remember, when I was a kid, my mom would be very, very careful about storing kimchi in the refrigerator because it has such a pungent odor,” says So. “It can kind of stain the flavors of other dishes in the refrigerator if you don’t store it properly.”