Kimchi (/ ˈkɪmtʃi /; Korean: 김치; pronounced [kim.tɕʰi]), also written as kimchee, is a traditional Korean side dish (banchan) consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish.
Kimchi / Kimchee (김치) is a traditional Korean side dish made from fermented cabbage, radish, or cucumber. It is often categorized by the main vegetable ingredient used to make it. Kimchi is a staple food in Korean cuisine. Most Koreans have it with almost every Korean meal at least once a day.
Kimchi happens to be one healthy staple of the Korean diet, with many citizens eating a reported 40 pounds per year. Kimchi is made by fermenting what we know as Napa cabbage with garlic, ginger, chili flakes, scallions, and, perhaps most distinctively, fish sauce.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean staple made from fermented vegetables, which can be enjoyed as part of a banchan assortment—the shared side dishes that customarily accompany a Korean meal—or used in main dishes, and even desserts.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish whose components vary but usually include some combination of vegetables, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, salt, and fish sauce. The mix is pickled and fermented, which was originally a way to preserve the vegetables for the winter months.
Below is a photo of the ingredients I used to make my Mom's easy kimchi recipe. Her recipe was vegan by necessity because these were the ingredients that were available to her when she learned from her mother during wartime. Made simply with napa cabbage, green onions (scallions), and a bold, garlicky paste, the most important ingredient is time.