Kimchi. Spicy, marinated, fermented cabbage.
Fermented.
Cabbage.
FERMENTED! CABBAGE!
I was pretty sure that this culinary strolll was gonna lead me straight to the toilet. The jar itself frightened me. Bubbles continually rose to the top and the jar was leaking.
“Oh great,” I thought to myself. “Spoiled FERMENTED CABBAGE. Gee, what could go wrong.”
The side of the jar assured me that bubbling and resultant leaking was quite normal due to the fermentation.
In a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine, I found a recipe for Korean Beef* that called for Kimchi as an ingredient. I’d heard of Kimchi, but didn’t really know that it was, you know, FERMENTED CABBAGE. It was difficult to find at the grocery store, but finally found it in the produce section.
Tate was very excited with this most exotic of finds. He’d never had or even heard of Kimchi and wasn’t frightened at all by it’s bubbling or fermentation or cabbage-ness.
“The bubbling is a result of fermentation,” my nerdy chemical engineer husband explained to me. (READ: DUH, Jennifer.)
So I made the recipe for Korean Beef and topped my delicious creation with the Kimchi. It took some nerve, but I finally worked up enough to take a bite….and…it was fabulous in all it’s fermented cabbage glory. Tate loved it even more than I did. Spicy, full of flavor, kind of vinegary, the Kimchi was just perfect for the recipe.
The side of the jar says that Kimchi can be used to top burgers and sandwiches and can be added to tuna salad. Let’s not get crazy here. It is FERMENTED CABBAGE afterall, I’m not so sure it belongs on a burger or in my tuna salad.
*I’ll post the recipe of Korean Beef soon! So delicious! And if you’re a sissy, you don’t have to add the Kimchi
OH dear. You *do* realise what is going to happen to that fermented cabbage pretty soon right? I mean the part of it that you already ate?
Pretty soon your bodies are going to be producing something (my husband likes to refer to as) called l’eau d’cabbage make sure you pronounce it low day cab-baaash. It basically means you guys are going to be farting weapons grade biological toxins.
Just warning you. (and sniggering behind my hinds for having just used the word ‘farting’ as a comment on someones blog).
Fermented cabbage? LOVE. We call it Sauerkraut in these parts.
I can / will / have eat(en) that straight out of the can. Excellent on hot dogs!!
(Or a hot dog that you get from a cart on the side of the road – street meat.)
.-= sam {temptingmama}´s last blog ..The day I spewed my heirarchy of suffering* all over the internet =-.
And it’s healthy too!
Probably a bit too spicy for my taste (black pepper is too spicy for my taste). And probably a little too ferment-y as well.
.-= Crystal´s last blog ..Home =-.
I have wanted to try this for so long (it’s front and center in our local supermarket) but was always afraid to try it. Thank you for testing it for me! Once you post that recipe, I’m going out and getting every last ingredient and making it here.
.-= Fairly Odd Mother´s last blog ..Her Expanding Vocabulary =-.
Wow. The comments are almost as informative as the post!
Still, no fermented cabbage here, BUT THANKS!
.-= Amo´s last blog ..It’s only a day away. =-.
My husband likes hot food and he loves kimichi. He eats it right out of the jar.
We shop the international grocery stores all of the time. It’s a great way to add some cheap variety to your diet. I like to think of it as traveling the world through our dinner table. My oldest niece calls it, “you guys eat weird food don’t you?”
.-= Condo Blues´s last blog ..How to Break Up Concrete or, Sometimes Gardening Requires a Jackhammer =-.
Sam, Ha! Sauerkraut IS cabbage, of course, I just think of it as sauerkraut! I never even thought about the connection! Kimchi tastes totally different, though, even since they’re both fermented cabbage.
I love Kimchi! I have lots of Korean friends and it’s used as a condiment much like we would use relish on hot dogs. It’s especially good with bulgogi, Korean BBQ.
.-= Tara R.´s last blog ..When food goes bad… =-.
Married to a korean and his family eats kimchi with every meal…kimchi at christmas, kimchi at thanksgiving, etc. They also make kimchi with large lettuce leaves instead of cabbage for a special treat. Hmmm…never was my favorite thing – but I’ll eat Kolbi and Bulgogi every.single.day.of.my.life if it were an option!
And my daughter, being 1/4 korean (but looking as if I stole her straight out of the country), regularly goes by the name “kimchi baby” =)
Oh, I’ve had this at a Korean restaurant and it was AWESOME… that being said, I don’t know if I could do it out of a leaking bubbly jar!
.-= MommyNamedApril´s last blog ..Deep Thought for the Day… =-.
We lived in Korea for a year and I remember my dad always saying “say kimchi!” instead of ‘cheese’ when he’d take pics of us kids. Don’t know if he picked it up from the other Korean/Americans near our base or what.
We lived in Korea for a year and I remember my dad always saying “say kimchi!” instead of ‘cheese’ when he’d take pics of us kids. Don’t know if he picked it up from the other Korean/Americans near our base or what.
.-= Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt´s last blog ..“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” =-.
It sounds pretty good to me! (Doesn’t look at all appealing in that jar though.)
I’m going to censor my comments here in future. One of your readers saw a comment and emailed me paragraphs of advice about my husband. My poor helpful husband, who I did complain about and rightfully so, but ya know, it isn’t the whole story. Never is. Geesh.
.-= amy2boys´s last blog ..Guilty Pleasure =-.
I had a Korean roommate for a while and I learned to love kimchi. And dried seaweed (as a snack, of course). She’d also make sushi pretty regularly. Man, why did I ever stop being roommates with her?!
.-= NGS´s last blog ..45 x 365 #179 =-.
My husband just came back from a 13 month tour in South Korea, and I was able to visit for a month and in the korean marts they have hundreds of flavors, the cost is based on the amount of time it is allowed to ferment, and the quality of cabbage used, they put it on everything, and it’s fantastic.
You are far more daring than I am. I’m trying to get more daring with time…but you’re inspiring me to try…
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Hope is sprouting; despite my worries… =-.
In Korea, traditionally, they bury that stuff in the ground, in a clay jar, to get the fermentation thing going. I’ve always had difficulty with the notion of eating something they’ve had to bury to make. But I’ll give it a try.
.-= lceel´s last blog ..Sacrificial Lamb =-.
I love kimchi. But, like my love for sushi it took some courage to grow the seed of grossed out “people actually eat that?” into a bite and then into a deep abiding affection.
I started farting at the first mention of fermented cabbage.
.-= moosh in indy.´s last blog ..four drama, angst and heartache. =-.
Tell me when you are going to post that recipe and I will work it into my grocery shopping. My husband would LOVE that. He would be so surprised.
.-= OHmommy´s last blog ..A tour of my semi-remodeled home… =-.
You should visit a Korean Restaurant….oh the taste sensations, and not all of them are good.
.-= Have the T-shirt´s last blog ..And Now She’s Down to One =-.
We just started eating more kimchi around here this year… My mom used to make it when I was growing up and it was way to “picy” for us kids, but now I love it. (BTW, we’re not Korean but my dad was in the navy and grew to love all kinds of foods from the countries he visited and then my mom learned how to make them.)
I’ve also been eating other fermented foods (different vegetables but not so spicy) with rice or even in place of salsa on fish tacos.
I got a book about fermenting foods but I haven’t yet tried it myself… The fermentation creates probiotics, which are good for our gut health.
So kimchi is not only tasty, it’s good for you! Enjoy!!
I love Kimchi! Glad you tried it and liked it.
I got to try the real stuff-like actually IN Korea. Yummmmmmm1
.-= Headless Mom´s last blog ..The Boys Want A Baby Sister =-.
Would definitely like the recipe.
My hubby, who grew up Air Force in the Pacific, wants to know how your ass reacted to the kimchi. He’s under the impression the end results will be unpleasant to the nose, if you know what I mean. (he’s horrified I’m actually asking but I knew you wouldn’t mind)
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..MIA =-.
The straight to the toilet line made me hoot!
Love Korean food. Love the kimchi. Work through the resulting smells.
.-= patois´s last blog ..You Don’t Learn This on Sesame Street =-.
I’m sold! I really like cabbage and look forward to the recipe and pictures!
.-= mep´s last blog ..Bub knows how to pick them. =-.
I have never tried it but Korean beef sounds yummy!
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..A Thousand Words Thursday =-.
I’m a sissy and you rock. I love exotic foods but Kimchi has always made my list of “I don’t think so” foods (along with the sharks they bury in the sand in Iceland and allow to rot for a month or two and then dig up and hang to dry).
.-= Michelle Smiles´s last blog ..Margarit-Her =-.
I love Kimchi and I love Korean beef with Kimchi! I used to have a close friend that was Korean and she made it for me. Yum!
.-= Annie @ PhD in Parenting´s last blog ..A time to wean? Your opinion, others opinions and how to deal =-.
I was offered some homemade kimchi once from our neighbors behind us in FL. I declined, altho from all the other things she passed over the fence for me I am sure I was missing out.
.-= Domestic Extraordinaire´s last blog ..On My Way =-.
All 3 of my girls experienced serious spice in utero. I think this sounds incredible and I could certainly use some help getting out of my current rut.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Tides =-.
I love me some spicy and I’ve never tried Kimchi!
I love reading y’all’s culinary adventures
.-= rachel-asouthernfairytale´s last blog ..Crispy Baked Salsa Chicken =-.
Um. Ewwwww. But Hotty Hubby is pretty sure it sounds like a good idea and has requested that I cook Korean Beef posthaste!
.-= Mad Woman´s last blog ..7 years of awesomeness! =-.
you are a braver woman than i …
.-= the planet of janet´s last blog ..A father. A dad. A daddy. =-.
I definitely want the recipe; my husband will love it! As for me? I probably am not brave enough to top mine with Kimchi. We’ll see.
.-= Devilish Southern Belle´s last blog ..While my uterus is hating me =-.
[...] to being sick of it. It’s pretty damn good, though, and even my kids eat it (minus the kimchi), so I’m pretty sure it’s going to stay in our menu rotation. Maybe just a little [...]