Kimchi Banchan: Basic Mat Kimchi
There may be thousands of types of kimchi in Korea varying by region and recipe, but when you drop by your local Hmart, you will likely see less than 10 (if you’re lucky). This one is the most basic, made out of Napa cabbage that’s already been cut into bite-sized pieces. It’ll usually be labelled as a “Mat Kimchi” because it’s of this (made with pre-cut cabbage).
Kimchi is the King of Banchan and anchors all other side dishes. I mean, you know Kimchi is Korea’s national food treasure, right? We always keep at least kimchi stocked in the house as it’ll elevate even a plain bowl of rice into a Korean meal lol.
How Kimchi is Made
Brine cabbage in pleeenty of salt for at least 4 hours.
Make a quick paste (water+flour+heat).
Add Gochugaru, salted shrimp, fish sauce and garlic until the paste becomes a fiery red.
Let paste blend into deliciousness while cooling.
Massage paste into brined cabbage and mix well.
Ta-da!
Notes: You can obviously upgrade it with additional steps but you get tht ebasic gist of it. Use fish broth instead of water, add green onions or chives for colour. Add slices of Asian radish for added crunch. Put some Asian pear in a blender and this will add a subtle of sweetness. Ginger is a refreshing addition too. Wanna make it vegan? Replace fish broth with mushroom broth and just use salt in place of fish sauce. Easy, right?
The beauty of kimchi is that it matures as it sits in the fridge. Enjoy each step of its growth; Fresh kimchi is bright with cabbage flavour, mature kimchi is a hit with the real fans as time will bring on the funk. Old kimchi is what you need for the best-tasting kimchi stew. This is what zero waste eating is all about!
We buy the biggest container of kimchi because it lasts so long and you can see the other banchan containers are tiny by comparison. This is because other side dishes won’t last nearly as long (a week or two at the most) and also it’s easy to get tired of eating the same thing. If we do buy banchan at the store, we’ll get a combination of 4-5 (I think the store has sales once a week if you buy multiples) then switch it up the next time.
Kimchi is like the quiet family member that doesn’t say much, but would be sorely missed if not there. Like I said, it really anchors all the other banchan. New side dishes may bring fresh colour to the table but kimchi is the mainstay of the meal.
How to Buy Better Quality Gochugaru
Lim Gah Neh Gochugaru from Korea https://amzn.to/2Ngsfg9
Gochugaru from Haenam Region in Korea https://amzn.to/2NioZkp
Lakehouse Gochugaru (Grown in USA) https://amzn.to/3o8jdAM
