I got one of the easiest recipes for kim chee...I clean and cut Japanese cucumbers, chunks of triangles, oh somewhat like cutting it 3/4 - 1" wide, then cutting it into triangles by cutting it length wise 2x. In a plastic container I put my triangle cucumbers, scoop out enough Chili Garlic Sauce to taste and let soak over night. This chili sauce is from Huy Fong Foods Inc. It has a picture of a white rooster on the little plastic jar. I got it on sale it was under $2 for 8 oz. As chili sauces go it's mild and it's just the way I like it. It's a bit garlicy too. What to eat kim chee with, well some people just eat it as a pickle or anything it goes with that you like to eat it wit or just as a snack by itself. Kim chee is just another kind of pickled vegetables.
It sounds like your kimchee is not left long enough to be fermented, @Krissttina Isobe , if you only leave it overnight. So, it would be more like a fresh, spicy hot cucumber pickle. When I asked the Korean lady at the Asian store, she said they also eat the kimchee after it has sat overnight; so apparently it does not need to actually ferment first. I got a little bottle of the red hot sauce that she said is supposed to go into the kimchee, and added that plus a small container of their prepared kimchee, and that gave mine a redder color and added more spicy hot taste. This morning, I sauteed zuchinni slices and added some of the kimchee to that and cooked it just a little more until it was all piping hot. Then , I addd scrambled egg over the top, and that is what I had for brunch. I actually like the kimchee better cooked and hot than as a cold dish; whereas I prefer sauerkraut chilled, or at least not hot. The next kimchee experiment will be finding and trying a kimchee soup recipe that sounds good to me.
I am not sure that I have had Kim Chi. I think I might be more likely to try bok choy as that is non fermented. I do like to experiment and eat different foods though, so I may have consumed kim chi without realizing it. It is something that is likely quite good for you. Kimchee soup sounds like it would be very good. I would go or something like that I think. ALso, it sounds like it could be good with other pickled items. I wonder if it is ever put in eggrolls?
Fermented food has so many natural probiotics, and it is supposed to be one of the healthiest foods that we can eat. I used to think that eating some yogurt would take care of the probiotic requirements, but it really does not do that sufficiently. When we make it ourself, it is better, because everything you buy from the store that is supposed to have probiotics, has been pasteurized, which kills all of the living organisms that we are eating it to get. I started making kefir, but after a while, I just get tired of kefir. So I have branched out, and am now working on learning more about making fermented foods like kimchee and sauerkraut. I like the homemade sauerkraut, and am going to start another batch of that soon, too. The kimchee, I tried eating it cold, and just having a hard time overcoming my aversion to the taste. I know that cooking it does lose some of the good probiotic enzymes, but even so, it is still healthy food, and eventually I should get better at making the fermented foods.
I had seen a documentary in Arirang channel last weekend on how they make kimchi. It is a ritual among Korean women particularly the aged who teach the younger women the art of Kim Jang (the process of making kim chi). The cabbage is cleaned and sprawled on a big table that is later filled with ingredients including chili, I think. And then the women would wipe each leaf of the cabbage with the concoction and later the cabbages would be placed in a big container like a vat with a cover for fermentation. According to tradition, the kimchi was invented to serve as food of the monks during the winter period when no vegetation is in sight. But later the kimchi had become a national symbol of Korea. @Yvonne Smith, thanks for tagging me in this thread but this is all I can share. I actually do not eat kimchi except on occasions.
I made the kimchee soup yesterday, and it actually turned out pretty good. I just made a small pot of it, not knowing if we would like it or not. Bobby does not lke tofu, and that was also in the kimchee soup; and I added a little rice just to give it more substance. It was definitely spicy hot, plus I had added one of the hot red peppers from the garden, which made it even spicier. I think that I like the kimchee when it is fresher better than after it has fermented a while, and I definitely like it better when it is heated up than just eating it cold. Since I know how healthy. It is, I am really working on developing my taste for fermented foods, and kimchee in particular. I think that I will try @Krissttina Isobe 's idea of chopping up cucumber and leaving it overnight in the chili sauce, and see how well I like that. That can be my next experimental food.
In our local supermarkets there s prepared kimchee. These 2 are the oldest brands locally and comes mild to hot. It's an acquired taste...we like it with spam and rice. (images from http://halms-enterprises.myshopify.com/products/halms-brand-kim-chee-hot.) (image from http://halmsenterprises.com/products/halms-brand-kim-chee-hot)
Okay, my first experiment with cucumber kimchee has started, @Krissttina Isobe ! ! I cut it like you said, added some thinly sliced green onion, and chopped up garlic, salt, red pepper, dab of ginger, dab of sugar, dab of vinegar, and a couple spoons of the red chili sauce. Mixed it all up and tasted it..........hot, spicy, and delicious ! ! Bobby came in the kitchen to see what I was up to, and I gave him a taste also, and he likes it , too. In the morning, I am going to get more cucumbers. I used my last one for this trial cucumber kimchee. I like this a whole lot more than the fermented napa cabbage kind; but I will keep working on liking that kind , too, because it is SO healthy. I looked online, and there were all sorts of recipes for the cucumber kimchee, and all of them just a little different. My concoction is kind of a mix of what looked good to me, and what I have available in the kitchen. Here is how it looks.
One thing about this fresh cucumber kimchee...it gets soft over time...like the 4th day...so wait till you finish each back eat daily till gone and then make new batch to finish in few days. Once cucumber is soft not so tasty. Even bottled store bought ones gets soft after about a week...yuk...I love crispy cucumbers, so I make little a time homemade ones and gobble it all up.
Thank you for the good advice, @Krissttina Isobe ,and I did notice that my cucumber was softer after it had sat overnight. I also like it when the cucumber is fresh and crisp better than when it softens up. I went to the Asian store again, and this time I got one of those Korean radishes (big light green ones), and I chopped some of that up and put it in the hot sauce. The Asian store has cans of the Szechuan chili sauce and they were cheaper than getting it in the bottle, so I also got a can of that which I have been using in my mixture. I really like hot stuff, plus cayenne/red pepper sure helps keep a person from catching a cold of flu bug; so I eat lots of it. Before, it was mostly the hot Mexican Salsa; but now that I have discovered the fresh kimchee, I am enjoying that, too.
You know what, I was speaking with my Mom about making Kim Chee with cucumbers she said you got to clean it, cut it up and sprinkle table salt and let it stand in a colander for about half an hour then add your Kim Chee sauce to taste. No rinsing the salt off. The salt works as a dehydrator to the cucumber keeping it crisp longer. Happy Kim Chee eating!
Lately I have been enjoying this Youtube channel; the Korean guy is quite entertaining and his recipes are typically very easy to follow. I have made a few of the dishes and we've enjoyed them. This is his "Easiest Kimchi Ever!" that is made from regular cabbage and no fermenting. I'm going to give this a try. Here's a list of several of his kimchi recipes, including radish and cucumber. https://www.youtube.com/c/AsKitchen/search?query=kimchi
I've mentioned before that learning to make kimchi and sauerkraut are on my bucket list, but I hesitate to eat anything I have fermented without have guidance on the first few tries; otherwise, I might unintentionally be One-and-Done. I've had kimchi from Korean restaurants. It's something I would eat again, and as Yvonne said, these fermented foods are full of natural probiotics.
The only fermented thing I like is beer. I've never had kimchi that I recall, but I put a jar of it on my next grocery order.