Napa cabbage baechu kimchi is only one of many. Korea has scores of kimchis made from radish, cucumber, green onion, mustard greens and more – some red with chili, some white, some floating in their own brine (Patra et al., 2016). Making and sharing kimchi for winter, kimjang, is listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage (UNESCO). Here are ten variations to try once you’ve made the classic – for which see our kimchi recipe and guide. The recipe card below is kkakdugi, cubed radish kimchi, the easiest place to start.
What They Have in Common
Every kimchi follows the same pattern: salt the vegetable to draw out water and season it, coat it with a paste (usually gochugaru, garlic, ginger, scallion and a salty, savory element such as fish sauce or salted shrimp), pack it tightly and let lactic acid bacteria sour it. In kimchi these are mainly Leuconostoc, Weissella and Lactobacillus species, which come from the vegetables and other ingredients rather than an added starter (Jung et al., 2014). Salt holds back spoilage microbes while they work (NCHFP). Short room-temperature ferments followed by the fridge are the norm; warmer rooms mean faster, softer and sourer kimchi.
The Ten Variations
- Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage): the classic – brined cabbage quarters layered with red paste. Full method in our kimchi guide.
- Baek kimchi (white kimchi): no chili. Salted cabbage stuffed with julienned Asian pear, radish, scallion, garlic and ginger, then covered with a light salted brine and eaten with its liquid. Mild and good for anyone who can’t take heat; ferment 2–3 days, then refrigerate and eat within a few weeks.
- Kkakdugi (radish cubes): crunchy daikon or Korean radish cubes in red paste – the recipe card below. Often eaten young, after 2–3 days.
- Oi sobagi (stuffed cucumber): small cucumbers scored into four, salted for an hour, rinsed and stuffed with chili, garlic, chives or scallion and carrot. Ready in 1–2 days; eat within 1–2 weeks before it softens.
- Pa kimchi (green onion): whole scallions lightly salted (or seasoned directly with fish sauce) and coated with chili paste and sesame. Pungent, fast – 1–2 days – and best used as a condiment.
- Dongchimi (radish water kimchi): whole or chunked radish with pear, scallion, garlic, ginger and green chili in a lightly salted brine of about 2–3%. In a study of dongchimi, the pH fell quickly, Leuconostoc took over within three days and stayed dominant to day 100, and yeasts rose after about two weeks (Jeong et al., 2013). The cold, tangy brine is drunk and used for naengmyeon cold noodles.
- Brussels sprout kimchi: a fusion – halved sprouts salted 1–2 hours, rinsed and coated with red paste; 3–5 days. See also our fermented Brussels sprouts.
- Apple or pear kimchi: firm fruit chunks lightly salted and tossed with gochugaru, garlic, ginger and scallion. It ferments fast and turns soft – 1–2 days, then the fridge, and eat within a week or two.
- Vegan kimchi: replace fish sauce and salted shrimp with soy sauce, a spoonful of miso and kelp (kombu) stock or powder for savoriness.
- All-purpose kimchi paste: blend ½ cup gochugaru, 10–12 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp ginger, ¼ cup fish sauce (or soy sauce), 1–2 tbsp sugar and a grated pear. Keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks and use 2–4 tbsp per 450 g of salted vegetables – carrots, cauliflower, green beans or turnips.
Salting by Weight
Salt is what controls a kimchi, so weigh it rather than using spoons. For vegetables that are salted and not rinsed – radish cubes, sprouts, carrots – about 2% of the vegetable’s weight is a good start (20 g per kg). Cabbage, cucumbers and scallions that are salted heavily and then rinsed are seasoned by taste: rinse until a piece tastes pleasantly salty, like a potato chip. Discard any batch with fuzzy colored mold or a rotten smell. For storage, see how long kimchi lasts, and to compare with cabbage’s other famous ferment, sauerkraut vs kimchi.
