I first tried my hand at kimchi after a trip to South Korea in the early 1990s. When I got home, I went to a Korean district and bought the napa cabbage, gochugaru (chili powder) and other ingredients. I salted the cabbage leaves and covered them with the chili powder, and let everything ferment for a couple of days. (See “Napa cabbage kimchi” for a recipe with instructions and pictures.)
It wasn’t as good as some of the kimchi I’d had in Korea, but it was still really good and the hardest part about making it was waiting for it to ferment.
After that, I bought a Korean cookbook and asked Korean friends about their traditional home recipes. There are lots of ways to make it!
Sometimes, I make kimchi at the UpCountry. The kimchi in the picture is cucumber kimchi. When added to a salad, it gives a nice crunch as well as excellent flavor. I prefer my kimchi fresher to letting it sit until it gets sour.
Kimchi goes with any meal, but my favorite way to eat it is simply with white rice.