Konnecting through Kimchi, South Korea's national dish

OnMilwaukee ^ | February 9, 2018 | Lori Fredrich

[43north]

Um, um, spicy fermented cabbage! I like it sometimes with dinner. Then my wife doesn’t want to sleep with me.

[1_Inch_Group]

My first hospital stay at the VA was with 3 room mates.

They served stuffed cabbage for dinner. Was like....are you serious?

Also, Maangchi. Good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Maangchi

[luvbach1]

I like Kimchi. I tried to make it myself with mixed results. I find it’s outlandishly expensive in markets: up to $7.00 for a pickle-jar-sized container.

[2ndDivisionVet]

If you have an H-Mart near you you’ll find lower prices and much more variety.

http://nj.hmart.com/ourstores/

[kaehurowing]

My favorite dish is kimchi chigae (kimchi stew). The spicier the better.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Have you ever had Budae Jjigae, Army Post Stew? It was invented in Uijongbu (my first duty station and the setting for M*A*S*H) made from leftovers and supplies from the Americans.

[OldMissileer]

I like it sometimes with dinner. Then my wife doesn’t want to sleep with me.

My wife is half Japanese and her mom made great homemade Kimchi. I love it and my wife hates it. I buy some great Kimchi from an oriental market near home and my wife will see it in the fridge and just shake her head. Go figure.

[BunnySlippers]

I love Maangchi. I was rather hoping she lived in Los Angeles. Massive number of Koreans here. Wonderful food. I started making my own kimchee at home about 30 years ago ... easy and very tasty. Practically NO calories!

My Korean neighbor offered to give me private cooking lessons!

[Zhang Fei]

Maangchi has the best recipe. I use only fish sauce.

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tongbaechu-kimchi

The trick to squeezing the water out is (1) get two (min 4 quart) tall plastic containers of the same size, (2) add the salted napa cabbage to 1 container, (3) stack the second container on top of the cabbage, (4) add weights (6 x 2.5 lb metal barbell plates, in my case) to the second container, (5) set aside for at least 12 hours. The rest is tinkering with salt, sugar or spice until you get to a combo you like. I use paprika as a one-for-one substitute for red pepper powder - even the attenuated Korean gochugaru that is less spicy than ground cayenne - because my wife can’t take the heat.

But that’s just for removing the water. To salt one 5 lb cabbage, you need at least a 7 quart (or bigger) mixing bowl. Then you do the above with the plastic containers and weights. You’ll need to put something below the bottom plastic container to catch the spilled salt water from the cabbage so it doesn’t make a mess.

[kaehurowing]

"Have you ever had Budae Jjigae, Army Post Stew?" Yes, actually fairly recently (last fall). In my wife's evening Korean language class they sometimes do meals for fun after the class. One of her Korean-American classmates who is a Korean cuisine chef as well as her 선생님 (teacher) who did his service in the Korean combat police, did this chigae for us. Just like you say, they threw in all sorts of things like hotdogs, spam, ttokmyeon (Korean cylinder mochi), kimchi, mushrooms, kochijang sauce, instant rahmen noodles and American cheese slices and cooked it up in a large electric cooker. It was delicious.

[1_Inch_Group]

SEONKYOUNG’s nooders are pretty good too. LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsn_1uaYjx8

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Is your wife learning Korean just because or does she have Korean background? Or is she the teacher?

Curious. I’m half Korean myself. Speak it well enough, but still find it warming to know that foreigners want to learn it! :)

[mylife]

I love the stuff.

[mylife]

It is expensive.

I gal used to make it for me back in the day for free.

[wardaddy]

I’m not sure any food creates worse breath

It’s like a day of cigars, whole milk, marinara sauce with meatballs, coffee...black, kombucha, salsa, gyros and kibbeee kabob and horseradish and garlic butter and a Caesar salad all combined at once as a breath killer

I’ve got Korean friends....they always have kimchi breath sad to say

It’s not bad to eat especially the super hot

I like sex too much

Kimchi or loving

Easy choice

[2ndDivisionVet]

Now get on a bus full of people (passengers, driver & ticket girl) who just had kimchi for breakfast.

[1_Inch_Group]

Pretty sure nobody is advocating sexytimes with kimchi.

Perhaps you misunderstood?

XD

[wardaddy]

That breath thingie last days......past my expiration down time date

I’ll pass..lol

[wardaddy]

It’s like last night we took our 11 year old to the fair ...baby of five.....county fair and livestock exposition where we live semi rural TN outside Nashveal

Anyhow I figured I was outta luck already just not getting any signals and she all of a sudden saddles up beside me and starts a big hug in her little shorts and tank top and asks what do you want to do later.....

That doesn’t need translating

Now I’m old 60 and she middle aged and younger than me and we have 22 years now....and I’ve been faithful which continues to baffle me

Kimchi ain’t worth the risk and lord I sure don’t want her to start in it....She loves foods like that ....quasi vegetarian