Customer Reviews

The Kimchee Cookbook: Fiery Flavors and Cultural History of Korea's National Dish

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2 star:		(4)
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I must agree with the other reviews. The photographs in this book are gorgeous, but the recipes fall short and miss vital steps. For example, none of the recipes call for the initial no-refrigeration period so that the kimchis can properly ferment. I now find myself very frustrated that I have been missing this step for so long, due to this book's shortcomings.

I suggest instead The Book of Kimchi which also features wonderful photos, somewhat clearer instructions, and in some cases step-by-step photos which are so important for the first-timer.

Kim-chee is not something people will like the first time they try it. You have to get your tastebuds used to the flavour. And once you learn how to appreciate this delicacy, you'll get hook on it. This is book contains excellent recipies for making kim-chee at home. If you're into korean food or interested in trying something different and bold, here's a book you should take a look at.

Hi :D

Well, first of all.. This book is really beautiful. The pictures are wonderful & some of the recipes are good.. I love kimchi myself, I have also lived in South Korea & have been making kimchi for quite a while... As I've gone through this book, looking for recipes, I've noticed that in some recipes it doesn't really give you a proper amount of ingredients. It says that the amounts of pepper & stuff err on the side of generous, but, for 6 lb of cabbage, 1/4 tsp of dry chili flakes and 1 tsp of finely ground red pepper powder definitely isn't what I'd consider generous.. More like skimpy.

The fermentation length on a lot of the recipes is also not right... And this book often calls for ingredients that you either have to make or are rare to buy, but doesn't tell you that. It's very strange in that respect.

Would I recommend the book?.. Yes, because it has some very good recipes & gives you a good idea of what you need to make various kinds of kimchi, but, I'd suggest that you play with the amounts of stuff for yourself & see what you like & what you don't like & you can look around on the net & get a lot of kimchi recipes. Add more of what you like & take away what you don't like. You don't have to have 6 lb of cabbage or peppers... Just buy enough to try it out, put in what you think would taste good & check to see how it tastes as you go along. Invent your own recipes & make kimchi that suits your own taste. That's what I do & no one has complained (yet)! lol

If you want some truly spicy kimchi, try the recipe in this book for the green chili pickles... p'ut kochu chorim.. that's my favorite kind of kimchi. :D

Anyway.. It's a pretty book & gives you the ingredients to make your own kimchi, but, if you're just making something for yourself, you may not need 5 or 6 pounds of it. Especially if you don't even know if you're going to like it or not. So play around with it & have fun. :D It's a nice conversational piece also... And would make a nice edition to your collection of cook books.

All the Best,
~ Candy

This is a great book if you're researching kimchee but not if you're actually trying to make it.

While the background information is stimulating and the pictures make my mouth salivate, I found a lot of the recipes to be confusing...often with steps missing or so vague as to have you scratching your head in confusion. For example, on one recipe, it says to drain and rinse some turnips. Then it asks you to soak some herbs in the brine. But is it talking about the drained brine (which you were not told to reserve) or the brine you are to then put the turnips in (which you haven't been prompted to make yet). Then there's all of these steps to wrap the kimchee up in a certain order with radish facing this way and cabbage facing that...all tied together with an onion bow. No joke. Waaay too confusing to learn through just a book and a picture of the finished product. Also, this book sticks to some pretty complex recipes or ones that require a lot of ingredients that just aren't easy to get your hands on, even at the smaller asian food marts, unless you live near a large asian community.

Doesn't tell you how to make kimchi from start to finish. Doesn't fully explain fermentation process among other things. Sizes are ridiculous. Why would I use five pounds of cabbage?

This is probably the most informative book on kimchee/kimchi in english to date. With that being said there still are many unanswered questions and this book also raises new questions for me as well.

For instance, why do some recipes call for just salt when wilting the cabbage, some call for salt and a small of amount of warm water and still others call for 1 cup of salt to 10 cups of water, a brine to submerse the cabbage in to wilt.

Why all the variances and what advantages/disadvantages are there to each method? Then the rice porridge, some recipes call for rice porridge, rice, water or rice, water and sugar. Some recipes do not call for rice porridge.

Also how to avoid failures. What are the common problems and how to avoid them. Also what is "spongy seaweed"? Really need a picture(s). What are Indian mustard greens?

We need a Korean, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin of sorts to write a comprehensive book on Kimchi and provide the whys not just the what and hows.

Also, what about modern days utensils and containers? And please more pictures for ingredients and what the kimchi should look like through each step of the process.

Maybe even a DVD that would be great. Detailed, step by step, examining the kimchi and taking us on the journey as well. ]

From what I hear there are kimchis that are several years old. Well how about info on that?

In any event, this is what is available for now. But I implore someone to write the definitive book on kimchi for those of us waiting for answers so we can move on in our culinary needs.