The Hirshon Korean Green Onion Kimchi with a Twist – 파김치

Citizens – My European travels have been extensive these last several weeks, with My being home for 3 ½ days in the last 3 ½ weeks, with a mere week home in early December before returning for the remainder of December to the Nordics! The Jusang of Heavenly Jade has always enjoyed His Asian food, and My jaded palate today craves a form of spicy Korean kimchi – specifically, green onion kimchi!

November 22 is in fact Kimchi Day, and while My schedule only allowed me to post this two days after-the-fact, it is better late than never – and it does indeed give Me the opportunity to expand from My first kimchi recipe from 9 years ago! That was for the most classic form of cabbage kimchi – but as TFD Nation is about to learn, there are HUNDREDS of different kimchi varieties!

Kimchi (Korean: 김치) is a traditional Korean side dish (banchan) consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including gochugaru (Korean chili powder), spring onions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (a salted seafood). Kimchi is also used in a variety of soups and stews. Kimchi is a staple food in Korean cuisine and is eaten as a side dish with almost every Korean meal.

Kimchi is one of the most important staples of Korean cuisine. The Korean term “Kimchi” refers to fermented vegetables, and encompasses salt and seasoned vegetables. It is mainly served as a side dish with every meal, but also can be served as a main dish. Kimchi is mainly recognized as a spicy fermented cabbage dish globally.

New variations of kimchi continue to be created, and the taste can vary depending on the region and season. Conventionally, the secret of kimchi preparation was passed down by mothers to their daughters in a bid to make them suitable wives to their husbands. However, with the current technological advancement and increase in social media use, many individuals worldwide can now access recipes for kimchi preparation.

Kimchi can be categorized by main ingredients, regions or seasons. Korea’s northern and southern sections have a considerable temperature difference. There are over 180 recognized varieties of kimchi. The most common kimchi variations are:

• Baechu-kimchi (배추김치) spicy napa cabbage kimchi, made from whole cabbage leaves
• Baechu-geotjeori (배추겉절이) unfermented napa cabbage kimchi
• Bossam-kimchi (보쌈김치) wrapped kimchi
• Baek-kimchi (백김치) white kimchi, made without chili pepper
• Dongchimi (동치미) a non-spicy watery kimchi
• Nabak-kimchi (나박김치) a mildly spicy watery kimchi
• Chonggak-kimchi (총각김치) cubed chonggak “ponytail” radish, a popular spicy kimchi
• Kkakdugi (깍두기) spicy cubed Korean radish strongly-scented kimchi containing fermented shrimp
• Oi-sobagi (오이소박이) cucumber kimchi that can be stuffed with seafood and chili paste, and is a popular choice during the spring and summer seasons
• Pa-kimchi (파김치) spicy green onion kimchi (today’s recipe!)
• Yeolmu-kimchi (열무김치) is also a popular choice during the spring and summer, and is made with yeolmu radishes, and does not necessarily have to be fermented.
• Gat-kimchi (갓김치), made with Indian mustard
• Yangbaechu-kimchi (양배추 김치) spicy cabbage kimchi, made from “headed” cabbage leaves (as opposed to napa cabbage)

Kimchi from the northern parts of Korea tends to have less salt and red chili and usually does not include brined seafood for seasoning. Northern kimchi often has a watery consistency.

Kimchi made in the southern parts of Korea, such as Jeolla Province and Gyeongsang Province, uses salt, chili peppers and myeolchijeot (멸치젓, brined anchovy allowed to ferment) or saeujeot (새우젓, brined shrimp allowed to ferment), myeolchiaekjeot (멸치액젓), anchovy fish sauce, kkanariaekjeot (까나리액젓), liquid anchovy jeot, similar to fish sauce used in Southeast Asia, but thicker.

Saeujeot (새우젓) or myeolchijeot is not added to the kimchi spice-seasoning mixture, but is simmered first to reduce odors, eliminate tannic flavor and fats, and then is mixed with a thickener made of rice or wheat starch (풀). This technique has been falling into disuse in the past 40 years.

White kimchi is neither red nor spicy. It includes white napa cabbage kimchi and other varieties such as white radish kimchi (dongchimi). Watery white kimchi varieties are sometimes used as an ingredient in a number of dishes such as cold noodles in dongchimi brine (dongchimi-guksu).

Geotjeori (겉절이): fresh, unfermented kimchi.
Mugeun-ji (묵은지), also known as mugeun-kimchi (묵은김치): aged kimchi

Samguk Sagi, a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, mentions the pickle jar used to ferment vegetables, which indicates that fermented vegetables were commonly eaten during this time. Attributed with the earliest kimchi, the Goguryeo people were skilled at fermenting and widely consumed fermented food. During the Silla dynasty (57 BCE – CE 935), kimchi became prevalent as Buddhism caught on throughout the nation and fostered a vegetarian lifestyle.

The pickling of vegetables was an ideal method, prior to refrigerators, that helped to preserve the lifespan of foods. In Korea, kimchi was made during the winter by fermenting vegetables, and burying it in the ground in traditional brown ceramic pots called onggi. This labor further allowed a bonding among women within the family. A poem on Korean radish written by Yi Gyubo, a 13th-century literatus, shows that radish kimchi was common in Goryeo (918–1392).

Pickled radish slices make a good summer side-dish,
Radish preserved in salt is a winter side-dish from start to end.
The roots in the earth grow plumper every day,
Harvesting after the frost, a slice cut by a knife tastes like a pear.

— Yi Gyubo, Donggukisanggukjip (translated by Michael J. Pettid, in Korean cuisine: An Illustrated History)

Kimchi has been a staple in Korean culture, but historical versions were not a spicy dish. Early records of kimchi do not mention garlic or chili pepper. Chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in kimchi, had been unknown in Korea until the early seventeenth century due to its being a New World crop. Chili peppers, originally native to the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by Portuguese traders.

The first mention of chili pepper is found in Jibong yuseol, an encyclopedia published in 1614. Sallim gyeongje, a 17‒18th century book on farm management, wrote on kimchi with chili peppers. However, it was not until the 19th century that the use of chili peppers in kimchi became widespread. Recipes from the early 19th century closely resemble today’s kimchi.

A 1766 book, Jeungbo sallim gyeongje, reports kimchi varieties made with myriad ingredients, including chonggak-kimchi (kimchi made with chonggak radish), oi-sobagi (with cucumber), seokbak-ji (with jogi-jeot), and dongchimi. However, napa cabbage was introduced to Korea only at the end of 19th century, and whole-cabbage kimchi similar to its current form is described in Siuijeonseo, a cookbook published around that time.

During South Korea’s involvement in the Vietnam War the industrialization and commercialization of kimchi production became increasingly important because the Korean government wanted to provide rations for its troops. The Korean government requested American help to ensure that South Korean troops, reportedly “desperate” for the food, could obtain it in the field.

In 2008, South Korean scientists created a special low-calorie, vitamin-rich “space kimchi” for Yi So-yeon, the first Korean astronaut, to take to space. It was bacteria-free, unlike normal kimchi in which bacteria are essential for fermentation. It was feared that cosmic rays might mutate the bacteria. South Korea developed programs for adult Korean adoptees to return to South Korea and learn about what it means to be Korean. One of these programs was learning how to make kimchi.

Due to heavy rainfall shortening the harvesting time for cabbage and other main ingredients for kimchi in 2010, the price of kimchi ingredients and kimchi itself rose greatly. Korean and international newspapers described the rise in prices as a national crisis.

Some restaurants stopped offering kimchi as a free side dish, which The New York Times compared to an American hamburger restaurant no longer offering free ketchup. In response to the kimchi price crisis, the South Korean government announced the temporary reduction of tariffs on imported cabbage to coincide with the kimjang season.

Kimchi-related items have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by both South and North Korea. This makes kimchi the second intangible heritage that was submitted by two countries, the other one being the folk song “Arirang” which was also submitted by both the Koreas. “The culture of kimjang” was the subject of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: kimchi is not registered by itself.

Submitted by South Korea (inscribed 2013)
Kimjang, the tradition of making and sharing kimchi that usually takes place in late autumn, was added to the list as “Gimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea”. The practice of Gimjang reaffirms Korean identity and strengthens family cooperation. Gimjang is also an important reminder for many Koreans that human communities need to live in harmony with nature.

Submitted by North Korea (inscribed 2015)
North Korean kimchi-making was inscribed on the list in December 2015 as “Tradition of kimchi-making in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. North Korean kimchi tends to be less spicy and less red than South Korean kimchi. Seafood is used less often and less salt is added. Additional sugar is used to help with fermentation in the cold climate.

In the United States, states California, Virginia, Maryland and New York, and capital city Washington D.C. have issued proclamations declaring 22 November as ‘Kimchi Day’ to recognize the importance of the dish as part of Korean culture.

Basic ingredients for kimchi include: napa cabbage, radish, carrot, salt, garlic, fish sauce, chili powder and scallions. A sticky, glutinous paste of rice flour is also needed to make the seasoning of the kimchi. Cabbages (napa cabbages, bomdong, headed cabbages) and radishes (Korean radishes, ponytail radishes, gegeol radishes, yeolmu radishes) are the most commonly used kimchi vegetables.

Other kimchi vegetables include: aster, balloon flower roots, burdock roots, celery, chamnamul, cilantro, cress, crown daisy greens, cucumber, eggplant, garlic chives, garlic scapes, ginger, Korean angelica-tree shoots, Korean parsley, Korean wild chive, lotus roots, mustard greens, onions, perilla leaves, bamboo shoot, momordica charantia, pumpkins, radish greens, rapeseed leaves, scallions, seaweed, soybean sprouts, spinach, sugar beets, sweet potato vines, and tomatoes.

Brining salt (with a larger grain size compared to kitchen salt) is used mainly for initial salting of kimchi vegetables. Being minimally processed, it serves to help develop flavors in fermented foods. Cabbage is usually salted twice when making spicy kimchi.

Commonly used seasonings include gochugaru (chili powder), scallions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (salted seafood) Jeotgal can be replaced with raw seafood in colder Northern parts of the Korean peninsula. If used, milder saeu-jeot (salted shrimp) or jogi-jeot (salted croaker) is preferred and the amount of jeotgal is also reduced in Northern and Central regions.

In Southern Korea, on the other hand, a generous amount of stronger myeolchi-jeot (salted anchovies) and galchi-jeot (salted hairtail) is commonly used. Raw seafood or daegu-agami-jeot (salted cod gills) are used in the East coast areas. Salt, scallions, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar are commonly added to flavor the kimchi.

The first step in the making of any kimchi is to slice the cabbage or daikon into smaller, uniform pieces to increase the surface area. The pieces are then coated with salt as a preservative method, as this draws out the water to lower the free water activity. This inhibits the growth of undesirable microorganisms by limiting the water available for them to utilize for growth and metabolism. The salting stage can use 5 to 7% salinity for 12 hours, or 15% for 3 to 7 hours.

The excess water is then drained away, and seasoning ingredients are added. The sugar that is sometimes added also acts to bind free water that still remains, further reducing free water activity. Finally, the brined vegetables are placed into an airtight canning jar and left to sit for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature. The ideal salt concentration during the fermentation process is about 3%.

Since the fermentation process results in the production of carbon dioxide, the jar should be “burped” daily to release the gas. The more fermentation that occurs, the more carbon dioxide will be incorporated, which results in a very carbonated-drink-like effect.

Kimchi is known for its strong, spicy, flavors and odors, although milder varieties exist. Variations in the fermentation process cause the final product to be highly variable in terms of quality and flavor. The strong odor is especially tied to the sulfur compounds from garlic and ginger of kimchi, which can be less appealing to non-Koreans.

Thus, scientists are experimenting with the types of bacteria used in its production to minimize the odor to increase the appeal for international markets. These efforts are not universally appreciated by lovers of kimchi, as the flavor is affected in the process, and some see that “South Korea’s narrative about its own culinary staple” is being manipulated to suit the foreigners’ tastes.

Pa kimchi (green onion kimchi) is traditionally made in the early Spring and is a “quick” kimchi, made when scallions are at their peak of flavor – but can be made at any time of the year and this recipe is not heavily-salted since it is a fast fermentation. Always try to get thin scallions to make this variety of kimchi – the classic Korean is known as jopka and can be found in Korean grocery stores during the Spring.

Thin is also important for another reason – the so-called “twist” in My recipe name! I prefer to tie the scallions into a classic knot shape as old-school Koreans did in years past. It’s not needed, but it’s an aesthetic choice on My part that I hope you see fit to follow – or not.

To properly make any form of kimchi, you need to be aware that unless you get a proper Korean kimchi fermentation/storage container – it’s going to smell up your kitchen as it ferments. Save your olfactory nerve and invest in this proper container, available from Amazon. If you’re planning to make kimchi often, it’s a MUST-HAVE!

There are several Korean-specific ingredients you will also need to make this kimchi. The first is beksul, aka maesilaek, which is a green plum-flavored syrup that contributes an important flavor profile – please don’t skip it. If you HAVE to, you can substitute apricot preserves, but it’s not quite the same flavor. You can easily buy beksul on Amazon from here.

Fish sauce is also a very important part of the chili marinade the scallions luxuriate in throughout the fermentation process – while Korean fish sauce is traditional, I strongly prefer this Vietnamese fish sauce from Red Boat, known as Premium 50°N fish sauce, for its extra umami savor – again, it is easily available from Amazon here.

Oligosaccharide (rice syrup) is a Korean sweetener I have chosen for authenticity – you can (if you must) substitute corn syrup for it, but it’s way better with the original! Buy top-quality oligosaccharide from Amazon here. In My own inimitable style, I have chosen to add a hint of rare Korean herbal liqueur to My version of the recipe – buy it here and feel free to omit if you so prefer.

Gochugaru, or hot Korean red pepper flakes, are the spicy backbone of this dish and I beg of you – PLEASE don’t skimp on the quality – and THIS, my dear Citizens, is a quality gochugaru! Dried squid is an optional but protein-laden option to add more nutritive value to the kimchi – I prefer this sweet variety, but it is totally optional and may be omitted.

Citizens, this is not a difficult recipe whatsoever to make – it just takes a few days and can be made anytime you crave a probiotic snack laden with spice, a hint of sweetness and umami that is superb with rice! I hope you see fit to add this to your kitchen repertoire at earliest convenience! 😀

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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