What Can I Do with Kimchi?

for a lark, i bought a jar of kimchi the other day. but i don't know what to eat it with. what are some traditional pairings for kimchi? what are some non-traditional pairings for it?

and is it supposed to tingle when you eat it? if not--YUCK!!!

Wiki gives you typical uses and a few recipies:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi

Kimchi is traditionally eaten with nearly everything.  You can eat it with almost any dish. 

Did you buy it from an American grocery store or a Korean grocery store?  I've only bought kimchi from an American grocery store once and it was terrible tasting. 

I'm with baybeesunja, Koreans eat kimchi with *everything* - rice, fish, grilled meats.  I love it with plain white rice, or even by itself.  The tingly sensation is perfectly normal - it's fermented, and the fermentation causes that tingly feeling, as is why the jar is under a fair amount of pressure when you first open it.

By the way - here in the States, people only think of the cabbage based kimchi, but in Korea, it can be and is made with just about any vegetable you can think of...I even had a stingray-based kimchi once! (before I became vegetarian).  If you have a Korean market in your area, you should be able to find a variety of different kimchis to try.

It's said to be a super healthy food, so enjoy!

I'm currently living in Korea and they do eat it with everything at every meal, even breakfast!

I like it with rice, seaweed or especially fried up with some tofu.

My favourite is kimchi bocumbap though.  Not too healthy, but really delicious.  Fry it with some rice, an egg and stir in some cheese.

I seriously don't know why Koreans brag about their food being so healthy.  I've had to basically give it up since I started here on CC.

Oh, and though kimchi has almost zero calories, beware of the sodium content.

thanks guys! i have the cabbage version from an american grocery store. believe me, i've noticed the sodium content! i think i might try it w/ fish, but slice it up like coleslaw so the flavor isn't too overwhelming.

If there's a Korean market in your area, you should pick up cucumber kimchi.  It's my favorite!  It's really delicious, even if you just eat it with rice and other side dishes (bean sprouts, spinach, tofu, etc.).  Also, you can cook regular kimchi up into a pancake for a light snack.  We cook tons of them and then freeze them to eat later.  Try not to buy kimchi from American groceries stores as there is a huge difference in taste. 

I think Korean food is fairly healthy.  If I ate nothing but Korean food for a month, I'm sure I would lose weight.  Firebrand, what foods are you finding so unhealthy in Korea?

 

I guess it's the sodium content, mostly.  But also they eat a lot of rice. A LOT. It seems to be mostly white rice as well, at least in the restaurants.  After my first year here I had quite the rice belly. 

Also in the restaurants there is a lot of hidden oil that they put into their food that you don't even know is there.  And a lot of their most delicious food is fried.

If you prepared most of them at home by yourself or had a Korean family cooking it for you it wouldn't be too bad.  I just only know how to prepare a few dishes myself, so if I want to eat a lot of it I have to go to restaurants. 

I do love it though!  On Friday I'm taking a break from the healthy eating to have dalk galbi, which is a bbqed chicken dish, cooked at your table with hot sauce, rice cakes and sweet potato.  The best part is at the end when they take the left overs, cut them up, mix in rice and fry it with cheese!

If anyone wants some nutritional information on Korean food I have found this:

http://kitty.zaccari.us/site/pages/korea/kore an-food-calories.php

If you can read Korean:

http://www.delicook.com/diet/calory/clr_read. asp?cate=02

Yum~  닭갈비 is delicious!  =9  I always prefer 소갈비 though.  We cook most of our Korean food at home, and eat it maybe 3-4 days per week.  We'd like to eat out, since we don't prepare 반찬 at home, but most Korean restaurants in California are pretty pricey.  :( 

Yeah.  Korean food is expensive everywhere but Korea!  I love how cheap it is here, but know that in Canada it's pricey and I'm going to miss it when I finally come home.  Even in other countries that generally have really cheap food it's expensive.  I remember seeing deokboggi for around 15,000 won (15 bucks) in Vietnam!  I tell my students here that and they all want to move there to open a Korean restaurant

Do you have any idea of the calorie/fat content in dalk galbi?  I haven't been able to find any info anywhere, I'm guessing it's really high because of all the oil.  I would just like to have a guesstimate even for a cheat day.

I honestly don't have any idea.  Sorry~  But it's chicken, so it's better than eating 소갈비, I'm guessing. 

You teach English in Korea?  That's what I'm planning on doing, hopefully soon.  How long have you been teaching?  Do you like it? (Sorry, I know it's off topic).

My favourite is kimchi bocumbap though.  Not too healthy, but really delicious.  Fry it with some rice, an egg and stir in some cheese.

I live in Seoul and I've never seen kimchi bokkembap with cheese.
The calorie count in it isn't that bad actually.

http://kitty.zaccari.us/site/pages/korea/kore an-food-calories.php
There ya go.


Kimchi is eaten plain, fried in rice, in soup (kimchi jjigae is soooo good-- and I'm not a big kimchee fan), etc.
I second whoever said cucumber kimchi is best. I love it... definitely my favorite side dish.

you've never seen it with cheese?!  you're totally missing out.  usually at kimbap nara they do that.  giver a go!

i live in seoul too, and there are tons of them around.

i've lived in korea for over three years and i absolutely love kimchi.  i'm going to be sad when i go home and don't have easy access anymore.

This thread is making want a seafood pancake.