The Best Kimchi

 KImchi is one of those dishes where it looks simple yet it does take work to make it right.Make it improperly and you could wind up with a wild version of sauerkraut. Luckily there are some tips to follow, Better yet, they 're from kimchi masters that know how to create this classic cabbage dish.

Newcomer to the New York Times Wednesday Food section and known journalist Hahna Yoon wrote about this dish a couple of days ago in the food section. She spoke to five kimchi masters to get tips and ideas about creating the best recipe. They , of course, spoke highly of the homemade kind while worrying about the health benefits of the  mass produced version. There is Lee Hayeon who creates haemul-seokbakji which is unusual for kimchi. The reason why is she adds abalone,conch ,octipopus , oysters and raw shrimp along with cabbage, garlic and the Korean red pepper powder Gochugaru.The recipe goes back seven hundred years when it was first served to members of the JOseon Dynasty.According to her any veggie meat and even fruit can be turned into kimchi.She does have a You Tube channel where the recipes can be seen. There is also white kimchi , bake kinchi a specialty of Kang Sooneu. THis is a fruit kimchi usually made with pears jujube and chestnuts It has a milder taste. She advises novice kimchi makers not to take shortcuts.Never add sugar to quicken fermentation nor use cheap salt.Use jeotgal a type of natural salt made from seafood.

There is other advice as well. Yoo JUng-IM ,creator of pogi kinchi , the dish made with napa cabbage and seasoned with red pepper paste.Hewr factory uses her mother's recipe which includes broth, glutinous flour instead of the more common rice flour. The broth is a mix of dried shrimp and mussels along with dried shiitake mushrooms. She says protein is important in creating a full bodied version.Soongchimchae or whole cabbage kimchi is a specialty of Yun Mi-wol a former pop singer and owner of the famed  five star Yunke restaurant.It was first recorded in a Nineteenth Century cookbook.It's fermented with abalone,octopus and jeotgal. She also advised patience when creating the cabbage dish.It needs to ferment for anywhere  from fifteen days to a month It should give off a slightly sour aroma when it's ready to eat.There is also stuffed white kimchi or banji made by Oh Suk-Ja  Hers is a labor intensive version with a shorter shelf life than other kimchis. Banji like other kimchi needs a lot of patience too .

KImchi can be an easy dish to make .It does take patience however. FInd a recipe that appeals to you and give it a try. Just keep in mind that it's not a quick recipe.