Our Kimchi

I make Ginger's pantry kimchi the traditional Korean way. My recipes and techniques come from my mother and from Korean Kimchi experts, with a few tweaks so I can use local, seasonal produce and cater to local tastes (like Vegan Kimchi).

I grew up helping my mother and many other women in our village making kimchi, our a tradition we call 'kimjang'.

My parents ran a restaurant, which was known for their high quality kimchi. So when I started Ginger's Pantry I spent many hours during lockdown talking to her to make sure my recipe and techniques were perfect.

All the ingredients I use have been extensively tested to make sure they make the best kimchi. The type & volume of of salt and chilli powder you use has a huge difference on the quality of the end product. I specially import Korean chilli powder as other brands available locally don't produce the right result. 

The other important ingredient is love. I take great care making each batch of kimchi to ensure it is of the highest quality. All our kimchi is hand made, I even cut the vegetables myself! 

Making Our Kimchi

The process for making each type of kimchi varies, however the key steps are similar. 

The first step is always to brine the vegetables, which is essential to ensure their preservation as well as bringing out the taste. 

The second step is to make a porridge from rice flour. You then mix this with the Korean chilli powder (gochugaru), garlic and ginger and any small vegetables you are using like radish, carrot or mushroom.  

In this case I am making whole cabbage kimchi, which is the most common Korean style. The next step is then is to get the cabbage and spread this kimchi paste under each leaf, taking sure to make sure each leaf is covered.

This process is then repeated for each cabbage.

The cabbage is then fermented in the fridge for a few weeks, before it is ready to package for my lovely customers. I like to package the kimchi just before I sell it, as the kimchi can become fizzy over time in a glass jar as there is nowhere for the carbon dioxide (from fermenting) to go. 

If this ever happens to your kimchi then just spread it out on a plate for a few minutes. Alternatively you could move your kimchi to a different container with a less tight airlock.

 

*Note photo's taken using homemade test batches, all our kimchi you buy is made in a commercial kitchen using strict hygiene control.