Kimchi in NYC
 

Anyone have a good tip on where to buy some homemade or small batch kimchi in NYC? My wife always come back from the market on 32nd street with a commercialized version, that seems loaded with MSG. Looking for something a little fresher.

BTW- I love kimchi!

Kimchi Bokumbop (Fried Rice) 김치볶음밥

I finally got around to making this tonight. Fantastic!

I like fresh kimchi (not yet fermented) Anyone knows where I can get these instead of the store brand that seems already spoiled in Portland, OR?

Ask Korean grocer for fresh made jar.

Does H-Mart carry that too? they're the only Korean grocer I know in the vicinity..

I like Chong Hap Market in Jackson Heights- near all the Indian restaurants

72-11 Broadway
Jackson Heights, NY 11372

They have fresh Kimchi trays there. I also like there Korean style chicken wings which they sell prepackaged and fresh to go.

Flushing also has a bunch of supermarkets on Northern Boulevard which I'm sure are better than the market on 32nd Street.

New Jersey just outside NYC also has a pretty massive supermarket with a nice Kimchi selection called Han ah Reum at 321 Broad Ave Ridgefield, NJ 07657

Hmart definately will have fresh kimchi of all kinds.

I havent bought kimchi from that grocery store in a while, so I cant speak to the MSG issue. However if your wife is in that area, another option on the same block may be KumGangSan.... its a restaurant on the same blk, same side of the street, just closer to broadway... i believe they sell their kimchi downstairs. dont know if its small batch, etc, but if youre looking to try a different variety she can start there.

so my favorites are:
-mul kimchi
-'regular' cabbage kimchi
-old kimchi--- the type where you feel the bubbles of the fermentation on your tongue
- uber old kimchi--- which i only had with the uber old fermented in fish in choengju, i think... ill have to look back & make sure i have the city right
-kimchi'd genip (sesame/perilla) leaves-yum

also:
-putting the kimchi on the barbeque w/ or after the meat
- or! over steam w/ pork & tofu

Hmm I've had it with the bubbles before and that was a nice twist ^

Hate kimchi. Grew up in an Asian community, spent several years living in Korea, and still hate the stuff. Sushi, too, but I guess that's a different thread.

I like most pickled foods, just not cabbage.

I prefer radish (turnip?) to cabbage - the latter's sogginess is a mild turnoff.

How about pickled fish?

Depends on what you mean by "pickled"....

Much as I like Nuoc Mam, there are those moments when I recall that its smell can top that of burning napalm in the morning (to lift a line from an old movie). Certainly, a crock of homemade "Fish Sauce" (a "pickled fish" in generous interpretation) is not every one's cup of tea and provides an enveloping aroma, to some a miasma, matching in strength a Texas expression, "A pen full of wet goats in August".

Yes, this is excellent. Let the kimchi soak up the bbq juices and then have it with rice. A perfect ending to a Korean BBQ dinner.

sticky rice or uncle ben's?

I thought you were Korean...;) If this is not irony of sorts then "sticky" might be the more suitable answer. Wrapped with other condiments in a sesame leaf of course.

Btw, more and more eateries in Korea are resorting to cheaper Chinese kimchi. The KFDA is renown for strict procedures but not everyone I've spoken with is so sure abot what actually goes inside there.

Chinese food companies can be very tricky and ingenious in the worst possible way when it comes to finding cheaper and even dangerous ingredients to maximize their profits so caution is recommended.

I was at the Farmers Market in downtown Portland and a Korean guy was selling Kimchi ,nice fella and he makes some good Kimchi, the label says Choi's Kimchi Co,Portland Or.My wife went back a couple of weeks ago and she told the guy that I loved his Kimchi she bought 2 more jars and he threw in a jar or radishes for free

Kimchi is one of those things that always seem to me to work better in context. As a side dish to a nice, big, steel-plated Korean meal, lovely. Elsewhere, I'm not so sure.

How about kimchi gyoza?

Ming Tsai's Pork Kim Chi Noodles
 

I made this dish using H-Mart kim chi (premium with oyster).

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1067697_n.jpg

OP, don't know if you're still looking, but I've read good things about this brand, which is a bit more "farmers' market/artisanal".

http://www.milkimchi.com/

And FH's stir-fry was pretty yummy. :cool:

Mmmm... now I HAVE to try a kimchi bloody mary
http://www.milkimchi.com/recipes02.html

Ooh, thanks for pointing out the recipes--hadn't even looked! The cold soba noodle salad looks yummy as well (and easily thrown together from the contents of our pantry/fridge, always a bonus).

Let us know how it tastes.

Ooh, no, not for me at all.

(But then I'm quite funny about sour-tasting food, and like to be able to see and control its quantity - one of the reasons I always appreciate things like kimchi and pickles being served on the side.)

How about kimchi pizza or kimchi bulgogi taco?

I always pick the Kim chi off.. had it a couple times.. not into it..

Kimchi is very common in Japan, and a regular addition to ramen, making the dish a real Chinese-Korean-Japanese hybrid.

Looked at this picture several times.. Isn't this Pad Thai?

Is there actually Kim chi on it? I thought those pieces were chinese veggies..

I could never understand the lure behind Kimchi. Not really my cup of tea.

I've always been a big fan of Kimchi. A little on the stinky side if left in a fridge for too long but otherwise pretty good!

Took a while but I finally got around to making this with fresh peeled, then blended then strained tomatoes for the juice.

Yum! Much better than expected (and I already thought it might be nice). Assuming you have a decent tomato juice the kimchi brings out the sweetness of the tomato and gives the drink a rather sophisticated aromatic character, like how you might want a robust spicy bottled scent to taste.

If you like kimchi and you like Bloody Marys you should definitely give this a try. ^

Had some lately?

You talking about Kimchi or something else? ;)

Which brand of packaged, supermarket-style kimchi do you guys recommend? I live close to a shop that stocks tons of the stuff, so it would be good to have an "inside view" as none of the manufacturers means anything to me...

I am not an expert, but choosing Kimchi brand itself is not that important IMO, as long as it is clean and no funny(chemicals) stuff in there, packaged well (minimize exposure to air << I think this might be a good point to look out for, is the lid airtight, is the kimchi totally submerged), fresh (color), not too salty etc. (well now-a-days, this standard can be difficult to meet) It seems to me, maybe since most Kimchi makers are pretty small, the quality differs day to day.

It is the process of storing and fermenting the Kimchi that is important. This also is a thing with no magic solution, because the results can differ widely while all types have their own fans.

Picked up some at my local Costco a week or two ago- spicy napa variety from CA- pretty good, but I think I still prefer the massive Halms I picked up in January at a Costco in HNL :cool:

Dov rubbing off on you? :D

I think I must be the only asian person who despises kimchi.

That looks so good right now.