Customer Reviews

Kimchi: A Natural Health Food

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you would like some authentic Korean recipes for Kimchi, this is a great book! It shows exactly how to make a lot of different kinds, and the pictures are great. I've seen some recipes elsewhere for "basic" kimchi, but there are many, many different kinds and very few are written anywhere.

The book DOES assume you have some basic kimchi knowledge -- like how to ferment vegetables. There are not many books that really cover that aspect of things. And getting some of the ingredients -- like pickled baby fish -- requires going to a Korean grocery, perhaps with a bilingual friend.

That said, it's worth the effort! It is very difficult to get "real" kimchi recipes unless you know someone who makes it, and this is an invaluable guide. And, for us Westerners, making your own means you can vary the amount of pepper and garlic and sourness to suite your particular taste. Kimchi really does have more bio-available nutrients than raw or cooked vegetables, and does good things to your blood sugar and intestinal bacteria.

Plus, it makes your meals taste better!

It's a general reading and references. The instruction on the recipes is unclear on when the kimchi is ready or time period. It's a great general synopsis of kimchi. Shows different types of kimchi and a little background history of kimchi. I was expecting more. I find out more on Korean Kimchi Institute on the website.

Excellent little cookbook. Highly recommended. Varied recipes, well-presented, good information. Very well illustrated, beautiful color photos. My favorite part is the photograph guide at the end of the book demonstrating step-by-step kimchi making, along with cutting methods, specific techniques, and ingredient glossary (all illustrated with helpful photos).

There is also a great little section about the traditional culture of kimchi in korea, from farmers' market to home economics to kimchi burial. At the end of the recipes there is a section with photos and generalized recipe ideas for dozens of other kinds of kimchi (once you get the basics, all you need is the inspiration to experiment further, and this offers it). After searching the book world for kimchi guides for years, I've find this to be my favorite guide. Authentic, thorough, excellent learning tool and idea book.

Would be nice if recipes included weights for some ingredients, but then the spirit of this book is in conveying the concept of kimchi and illuminating the tools to comfortably experiment with the process. Haven't gone wrong with a recipe yet.

Being a bit of a novice at Kimchi I found this book very helpful. Combined with other information from other books and web sites this book extended the knowlege base very well. A worth while addition to my collection or cook books.