Lets talk local Kimchi!

Submitted by Blecher_onthe_Hudson t3_yeb9s7 in jerseycity

I'm a relative kimchi novice, I like it, and buy it not really knowing what I'm getting. I used to like the house kimchi from the late 555 Market on Tonnelle. Then after they closed I started getting it at 99 Ranch, but tried several of their brands and didn't like it as much, including the very expensive Seoul Kimchi. Recently I was down at Asian Market by Hudson Mall, and got some of their house kimchi from the case next to the BBQ meats, and it was great! But I don't get down there very often.

I noticed some versions have more variety of vegetables in there than others, some have scallions, carrots, etc. Are there names for these varieties or it's just what mom made?

So where do you get your kimchi and why? Do you make your own? I'd do that, but I don't think I'd eat enough before it went bad. The wife doesn't like pickled thing. :(

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_homegrown t1_itxcmwc wrote

P&K on Bay & Newark is where I always get my kim chi.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxidd5 wrote

Ah, I'll have to give them a try. Is it house made? That seems to be my preference based on a small sample.

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Ilanaspax t1_itxtc6f wrote

I believe a family member makes it - it appears to be homemade.

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clade_nade t1_itxtmh4 wrote

Yeah, it's made a woman who I assume is a co-owner. I talked to her once about how good her kimchi was, it had something to do with using a particular fruit for fermentation, if I recall correctly.

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JCwhatimsayin t1_itx87lr wrote

I've been DIY kimchi-curious for a bit, and one of its virtues I am told is that, like other pickled items, it never really goes bad. That said, I haven't actually made my own. And my fam is also a tough sell on the smell when I open the jar! I'm maybe closer to Asian Market than you are and like their stuff too. Otherwise H Mart, whenever I can get near one.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxcjf2 wrote

>I am told is that, like other pickled items, it never really goes bad.

I dunno about that, sour pickles especially get soft and nasty. I like to buy them 1/2 sour and let them sit on the counter till the bright green just leaves, then they're perfect! But even refrigerated they don't stay that way very long. You also have to get the ones with no preservatives to do that.

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Keepitmovingninja t1_itxj8zv wrote

Yes. Kimchi ripens and then goes bad. When it starts to stink, it's perfect conditions to make kimchi jjigae. Look up the recipe on mangchi. You're welcome.

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Iluvsnowbunnies t1_itxo6ny wrote

My significant other and I actually make a variety of Kimchi and other Korean sides regularly. Wondering if there's any interest if we scaled up and delivered home made kimchi, pickled radishes and other kinds of sides on a monthly basis to folks here?

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxqc7k wrote

Wow, don't know if I'm quite up for that! Maybe the farmers market thing would work for you?

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sadlunchesaresad t1_itxld1z wrote

Fuck. You give the the money for the ingredients and my mother will make that shit for you for free.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxrefn wrote

Damn, same answer as to u/Iluvsnowbunnies, I don't think I can make the commitment to all kimchi, all the time! I've never even cooked with it yet, I just throw it on a snack platter with a bunch of Eastern Euro stuff like herring, cheese and salami with some good bread.

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sadlunchesaresad t1_itxs1j5 wrote

Yeah, and plus my parents don't have a proper yard anymore to bury their kimchi over winter so they had to buy those kimchi fridges.

What we need to do is get the neighborhood together get one of those huge ass clay pots and have an entire day just making kimchi for the new year. It's great, everyone gets drunk makes kimchi, all the men dig holes...brings the whole community together.

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keepseeing444 t1_itxkeiy wrote

Super Hmart in Ridgefield has a nice selection. They have several variations of napa cabbage kimchi (oyster, country style, uncut, white) as well as other vegetable variations like young radish, cucumber, radish cubes, chives, etc. And surprisingly Costco kimchi is pretty decent, very inexpensive but past peak ripeness side. 99 ranch’s offerings are horrid.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxko9v wrote

>99 ranch’s offerings are horrid.

Thanks for the confirmation. I thought I was just ignorant!

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keepseeing444 t1_itxlpn1 wrote

To Koreans there is no such thing as old kimchi that you throw away. If it gets too pungent you can make kimchi pork stew or kimchi pancakes or even stirfried kimchi pork bellies. Extra sour quality of past its prime kimchi cuts pork fat richness.

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fuzedz t1_itz7igd wrote

Eh im korean and i just throw it out cause i hate old kimchi loll

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DirectorBeneficial48 t1_itx66f0 wrote

Dunno about home made, but the last brand of jarred kimchi I got was over at Morton Williams because the price was actually reasonable. I've since spotted a good priced one at KeyFoods as well that I may try after this runs out.

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buzz_bb t1_ity0r7b wrote

I get mine from Morton Williams as well! It’s working well for me in bowls I make at the moment!

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PixelSquish t1_itxdm8l wrote

H Mart has some good kimchi, though I heard they have started to stop selling other brand and really just pushing their house brand, at least according to one brand I emailed. But I have gotten some great kimchi at H Mart and they have all different kinds, including like scallion kimchi which I love.

This stuff is pretty good, but expensive. I think I've seen it at whole foods https://milkimchi.com/

Regardless, when you buy kimchi make sure it has some of the more pungent authentic ingredients like anchovie fish sauce or salted shrimp [paste]. While Korean recipes vary, those are usually always in it. Otherwise it's being gringo-fied.

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mooseLimbsCatLicks t1_itxgcod wrote

Where is H Mart?

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PixelSquish t1_itxgj5a wrote

There are a few up in the Fort Lee area. One is the biggest but they are all a good size. I mean the big one is a huge grocery store and the others I think are just like regular grocery stores. it's like disneyworld in the big one.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxij71 wrote

> they have all different kinds, including like scallion kimchi which I love.

Mmm, that does sound great! I don't think the house made stuff ever has an ingredients list.

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PixelSquish t1_itximr7 wrote

I guess it wasn't the house made stuff, because all three kinds I got had an ingredients list. But this was about a year ago.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxxxdx wrote

Turns out I was wrong, I checked the stuff from Asian Market, it listed the usual suspects including fish sauce. Interestingly, it had both onion and scallion.

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orb_king t1_itxs47q wrote

Hmart in Ridgefield is my personal pick for this - I love the Thousand Year brand. I’m not an expert, just tried tons of it. Hmart sells banchan deli-style, so you can grab some bulgogi and banchan and make a killer Korean dinner at home.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_itxyvnt wrote

Mmmm, bulgogi. Last time I had it was in the food court of a bigass mall in Seattle when went to the mall for a well rated Chinese restaurant that told us a 2 hr wait. We were just looking for food before crashing in a motel for super early flight!

There used to be a big steam table type deli at 14th & 6th that had Bulgogi platters to go in a hot case for cheap. Coming back from a seeing a client in Queens I'd get off the F, get my Bulgogi fix, then hop on the PATH.

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yoshiee t1_ityecq4 wrote

Being married to a Korean, our fridge always has kimchi. Both traditional cabbage but our favorite is scallion. We sometimes have more exotic ones depending on availability and seasonality.

Ideally, she brings back kimchi from Korea whenever she goes. Second best is she does delivery from Korea (expensive) or LA (semi expensive). There is a lady that also delivers homemade from Fort Lee. Or our last resort, we just get bags of Jongga Kimchi from Hmart in ktown.

If you have a car, you can always visit the Hmart nearby Edgewater, they have a whole section of fancy kimchi as well.

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throwitlikethewind t1_itzfs8q wrote

I make my own kimchi usually because I like it extra fermented and with a lot of ginger/garlic. I use this recipe as a base and buy the ingredients from 99 Ranch.

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total_carnations t1_itxyiwa wrote

I like the brand sold by Fresh Central Grocery on central (by the stop n shop). Got nice heat.

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Equivalent_Ad2123 t1_ityvtjf wrote

Best I had is a restaurant called Mirak, need to call ahead to reserve ur kimchi.

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noncovidcough t1_iu0gbns wrote

Costco has kimchi — decent price, decent quality (altho some batches have been better than others). I’m Korean born & raised in Korea FYI and it’s good enough for me.

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Blecher_onthe_Hudson OP t1_iu0jmmm wrote

But I buy it by the pint or less, not by the gallon or whatever they sell!

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noncovidcough t1_iu0m8p8 wrote

It’s about 40 ish oz! Not too big imo. But I understand if that’s too big. It’s a lot of you don’t eat it daily.

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