Four Essential Korean Kimchi Varieties
Kimchi represents a cornerstone of Korean culinary heritage, where different vegetables are transformed through fermentation into complex, probiotic-rich delicacies. While most people are familiar with the classic Napa cabbage kimchi, Korean cuisine boasts hundreds of varieties, each showcasing different vegetables, seasonings, and fermentation styles. This diversity reflects both Korea’s agricultural abundance and the cultural importance of preservation techniques that developed over centuries.
What makes these four kimchi varieties particularly special is how they demonstrate the versatility of Korean fermentation techniques. From the hearty traditional cabbage to the light and refreshing water kimchi, each variety serves a different purpose in Korean dining while maintaining the essential kimchi characteristics of being tangy, complex, and deeply satisfying. These variations showcase how Korean cuisine adapts similar preparation methods to create distinctly different flavor profiles and textures.
In modern Korean dining, these four kimchi varieties continue to hold important places at the table, each offering unique characteristics that complement different meals and seasons. Whether enjoyed as banchan, used in cooking, or savored on their own, these varieties demonstrate the depth and breadth of Korean fermentation traditions.
Ingredients
For Salting Cabbage
- 2 napa cabbage
- 1/2 cup coarse sea salt
For Porridge
- 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
Vegetables
- 1 korean radish julienned
- 3 carrots julienned
- 12 green onion(s) chopped
For Seasoning Mix
- 1 head garlic minced
- 2 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 medium onion(s) minced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 cups korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
Instructions
Prepare and Salt Cabbage
- Quarter cabbage lengthwise
- Dunk the cabbage in a large basin of water to get them wet. Drain.
- Sprinkle salt between the leaves by lifting up every leaf and getting salt in there.
- Let the cabbages rest for 3 hours. Turn over every hour.
- After 3 hours, wash the cabbage under cold running water and remove salt.
- Let cabbage drain in a strainer while preparing seasoning
Prepare Porridge and seasoning
- While the cabbage is salting make porridge
- Combine the water and the sweet rice flour in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it starts to bubble.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
- Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, and hot pepper flakes.
- Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste.
- Add the radish, carrot, and green onion. Mix well.
Assemble Kimchi
- In a large bowl, stuff kimchi paste in between each cabbage leaf.
- When every leaf in a quarter is covered with paste, wrap an outer leaf around itself and put into your jar or plastic container.
- Ferment 1-5 days at room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for up to threee months.
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 2 lb young radish with greens
- ¼ cup coarse sea salt
- 2 cups korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 green onion(s) chopped
Instructions
- Salt whole radishes and greens
- Make seasoning paste
- Coat radishes thoroughly
- Ferment 2-4 days
Ingredients
- 8 Korean cucumbers
- 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 2 tbsp korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 2 green onion(s) chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Salt quartered cucumbers briefly
- Mix seasoning ingredients
- Stuff between cucumber quarters
- Eat fresh or ferment 1-2 days
Ingredients
- 1 Korean radish cubed
- 1 pear sliced
- 2 green chili peppers
- 2 red chili peppers
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 ginger
- 6 cups water
- 3 tbsp coarse sea salt
- Optional: apple, onion, carrot
Instructions
- Prepare clear brine with water and salt
- Add vegetables and fruits
- Ferment 2-4 days until fizzy
- Serve chilled
General Tips
- Use clean, sterilized jars
- Leave headspace for fermentation
- Watch for signs of fermentation
- Store in refrigerator once desired flavor is reached
- Adjust salt and seasonings to taste
Storage
- Traditional: 3-6 months refrigerated
- Ponytail: 1-2 months refrigerated
- Cucumber: 1-2 weeks refrigerated
- Water: 1-2 weeks refrigerated
My Essential Korean Pantry contains several of these ingredients, specifically:
– O’Food Anchovy Sauce
– Taekyung Korean Chili Flakes
Kimchi!