Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
April 8, 2020
It’s a difficult time for everyone worldwide right now. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order for Illinois residents was extended through April 30 (and will probably last longer) to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. While people are allowed out to go to the grocery stores, my family has opted to stay home for a variety of reasons. We’re fortunate enough to have enough food in our pantry, fridge and freezer to take us through another month if needed. The main reason, though, is that I had mandatory surgery less than three weeks ago and have a weakened immune system right now.
Honestly, the only item that made us almost leave the house was our low supply of kimchi. The last time we were at H-Mart — which was well before there was any inkling that we would be quarantined at home — I was tempted to buy two gallon-size jars of kimchi. But I figured, “Nah, I don’t want to have a bunch of over-ripe kimchi sitting at home.”
Big. Mistake.
As we got down to our last quart of kimchi, I began rationing it. No more kimchi jjigae or kimchi fried rice for dinner. We needed to make our precious kimchi last.
But when we ran out, I bit the bullet and ordered some online. It was comparatively expensive to buying it at a Korean grocery store. But you know what? When you can’t go to the store and someone is willing to make kimchi and ship it to you, it’s worth that extra cost.
I’ve talked about the brands I’ve tried on social media — and also posted a photo of kimchi I made with baby bok choy — and people had a lot of questions. So I thought I would write up a short post with what my family liked the best (and least).
FYI: This is not a sponsored post. I paid for everything we ordered. I did find discount codes on some of the brands’ sites, but these are available to any and all shoppers.
WHAT WE USUALLY BUY:
I used to never buy kimchi, because my mother spoiled me by giving me batches of her fresh, homemade kimchi. It was the best kimchi I’ve ever eaten and I didn’t realize how good I had it until my mother stopped making her own. But since I primarily buy my kimchi now, my preferred brand is 5,000 Years Foods. They have all kinds of varieties of kimchi and I’ve never gotten a bad jar.
When I was going through our basement fridge today, I found a quart size jar of this hidden way in the back that had been purchased pre-quarantine. So…score!
Total cost: Usually less than $20 for a gallon of kimchi at H-Mart.
WHAT I MADE:
We didn’t have any Napa cabbage at home, but we did have some baby bok choy that I had planned on stir-frying and serving with rice. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I used it to make kimchi instead. It turned out delicious! The taste of bok choy is a little stronger than cabbage, which some people might not like. But we like it just fine.
For everyone who asked for a recipe, I’m sorry! I usually don’t use recipes unless I’m baking. I go by taste, adding a little of this or that until it tastes right. However, many people swear by Maangchi’s easy kimchi recipe. (You can find it here.) I took a look at her directions and it looked similar to what I did — but less complicated than how my mother used to make her delicious kimchi.
Total cost: I had all the ingredients to make this at home, so I’m not sure how much it cost me to make a quart of baby bok choy kimchi. I’m guessing about $5 or less.
This is the last of the three kimchi brands that arrived and it was the one my husband and I liked the best. (#SonOfJae ranked it as second best. I’ll get into that later.) It arrived in a well-sealed plastic pouch. The contents fit nicely into a quart-size jar (pictured above) + another small jar.
There’s the option to purchase kimchi that has been ripened for 21 days. I chose the one that was freshly made, because I like to control the ripeness of the kimchi as much as I can by leaving it out a day or two if I want it to ripen more or putting it straight in the fridge if I want it to ripen slower. The older I get, the more I like the taste of kimchi that hasn’t fermented much. My son, like most children, prefers his kimchi more ripe and pungent.
The cabbage was crisp and the spice paste was on the mild side (something that we noticed about all the kimchi we ordered online), but it was flavorful and delicious. I had ordered this on Amazon. The order came with a coupon for a free 16-ounce jar of soy pickled jalapenos and onions with any future orders of $50 or more directly at Mama Kim’s site. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been served this as part of your banchan at a Korean restaurant, but it’s really good. So…you know what I had to do!
Total cost: $24.23 for 32 ounces of kimchi on Amazon.
Total cost Part 2: I just ordered four 32-ounce pouches ($59.99) of this directly from Mama Kim’s Kimchi. Shipping and handling is free. If you sign up for their newsletter, they’ll give you a code for 20% off your order. (And, yes, I got that free jar of soy pickled jalapenos and onions!)
SEOUL (LUCKY FOODS) KIMCHI:
This was the first brand to arrive in the mail and is my son’s favorite (online kimchi). Why? He said he liked the little carrot slices in there. The flavor was good and I would definitely buy it again. Of the three brands that we ordered online, it was a little spicier than the others.
Like Mama Kim’s Kimchi, it arrived in a plastic, well-sealed pouch. The contents (28 ounces) filled a quart jar and has already been devoured. #SonOfJae is begging me to order more. And I will. My husband and I are on the same page that this is our second favorite.
Total cost: $25.23 for 28 ounces of kimchi.
Total cost Part 2: They also carry this at many Target stores. Ours sells them for $4.79 for a 14-ounce jar.
MOTHER IN LAW’S KIMCHI:
Based on the recommendations of many people (who I don’t know in real ife), I ordered nine 16-ounce jars of this brand.
I shouldn’t have done that.
It’s not horrible. In fact, it’s good in its own way. But it doesn’t taste like Korean kimchi to me. It tastes like what you’d find in a store frequented by non-Koreans who are scared of eating real kimchi.
My kid won’t eat it (unless I doctor it up). My husband and I eat it as a side, as we would with something like pickled jalapenos. There is a sour taste to it that is different from kimchi when it’s overly ripe or has fermented for too long. It almost has a sauerkraut-vinegary-lemony aftertaste to it that just doesn’t taste right.
But as I always say, there is no reason to ever throw out kimchi. I have over a gallon of this and I’ve already used some to make kimchi fried rice. Frying the kimchi in some sesame oil masks the unusual flavors. I haven’t made kimchi jiggae with this yet, but it should taste fine, especially after I add in some gochujang to make it spicier.
Taste aside, the jars are difficult to deal with. I’m one of those people who loves everything when it’s packaged in a cute jar. But these are cumbersome. I had to pry the lid open with a can opener before twisting off the lids with one of those jar grip things. The packaging warns you of what will happen, but even with the notice I was startled when the cap flew off and kimchi juice exploded all over my sink, walls and shirt. That said, each jar is crammed with kimchi so you get a lot of product in a small jar.
Note: This kimchi doesn’t come sliced, so you will have to cut them into smaller pieces yourself.
Total cost: $85.64 for nine 16-ounce jars. (This includes a 15% discount code that I used.)
CHECK THIS OUT: Mama Kim’s Kimchi; Seoul (Lucky Foods) Kimchi; Mother In Law’s Kimchi.
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