Yay! So looking forward to this movie! I was talking about it to my friend before, and she thought it was silly... a movie about Kimchi. But since my mom specializes in traditional Korean cooking, there's no easy way to make Kimchi.

It's like in all those cheap restaurants and Kimchi jars that taste completely awful, and all those Americanized versions of Korean food even in Korean restaurants. But you have to put in all the right ingredients, wash the cabbage, put salt, let it soak, and than dry the cabbage within the hands like if it was silk dubu and than put in all the ingredients. The single amount of salt and sugar affects every single bit and the quality of ingredients... I probably sound like a weirdo talking about Kimchi this way, but as my mom taught me how to cook... every step is important T____T

And than people think there's only one type of Kimchi, but there's an abundant amount of different varieties. And you don't have to eat Beh-Chu Kimchi(sorry, this pc doesn't have Korean to type) fermented... a lot of people like it fresh, and dishes that look like Kimchi are not considered Kimchi at all.

I can probably rant on and on and about how to make traditional Korean food, but people will probably look at me like o.O heheh...

hmm so jin goo Replace kim kang Woo?? that's ok
Jin Goo is a Versatile actor.

I love Korean food and I love most kinds of kimchi. And I love to cook. So I will look forwards to this movie, just like the other two versions. Only one thing I don't hype too much: I have never liked the overacting KJE.

@ Biscuit,

By all means continue your rant, I mean educational explanation, about kimchi. I myself love kimchi and only buy the homemade stuff by my local korean grocer. She makes the best kimchi in my area.

Also, I would love to visit the kimchi museum in Korean one day and take a workshop on how to make kimchi.

@Biscuit

Do you know of any places/areas in the US that I could find "traditional" kimchi? I would be interested try traditonal korean kimchi.

As for the movie, I am looking forward to watching it (w/Eng subs) :-)

**Biscuit, if you have a site, even site recommendations, or restaurants to go to for what you think are authentic kimchi recipes, please do share. I'd love to taste what the real deal is supposed to taste like. And props to your mom :)

JIN GOO
GO GO
I DO LIKE HIM!

I only like cucumber kimchi. I've tried cabbage and radish but they weren't very tasty...the ones that I got anyway.

Love Love Korean Food. I had Kimbap for lunch that I bought from a local Korean store and making pork belly with banchan tonight for me and my Hubby. He's half-Korean...I'm Filipino.

@Biscuit

Wow, that's AWEsome!!! i wish i had a mom who cooked traditional Korean food, esp. Kimchi. So weird, but i've already had 3 different conversations about making kimchi! My sister & two (non-Korean) friends have all said they wanted to try making Kimchi & we ended up having these long conversations because i told them how difficult it is to make Kimchi and all the little nuances that goes into making it... =) yes, i agree with Amg1. Please share a recipe with us~

Jin Goo is handsome. I will watch this for him too bad he has not a much prettier girl for leading lady. I dont like Kim Jung Eun.

Eh………….. I lost control and started ranting on Kimchi but I didn’t think it would lead to this TT__TT

To be honest, it’s easy to get a recipe of how to make Kimchi. Most recipe’s that show how to make Kimchi are correct, but are mostly merely an outline of the process. “Cut the cabbage, salt, sit, squeeze, than add the ingredients.” But the closest illustration I could compare that with is like making custard. The basic ingredients are simple, but even the simple way you whisk the custard will ultimately reflect on the outcome. My mom always says, making Kimchi could be looked as part of art where the cabbage must be treated like a gentle flower.

To be honest, telling the exact amount of ingredients to put in is hard for me as I was taught by my mom to use the eye, never a measuring cup. Go by taste really and adjust to your liking… so maybe for 2 Beh-Chu, around 1 whole bulk of garlic, 3-5 green onion (sliced in 3rds), ½ or 1 pear, 1-2 big spoonfuls of sugar (if it’s too salty, add little more sugar… but start with 1 spoonful), anchovy sauce, Korean hot pepper, rice flour paste. But really, not once in my life has my mom made a single beh-chu kimchi. It’s always 2 boxes (20 beh-chu or more) at one time. My mom intends to make Kimchi again soon, so when that comes I will tell everyone a very detail account of every process.

1. Don’t use jalapenos or regular crushed chili powder. Use the Korean packaged one that you can find at Korean markets (you’ll pretty much know what it is once you see the cover of the package). Never add sesame seeds (even for garnishing). I’ve been told that Vietnamese fish sauce is preferably better. Ginger should not be “minced”, but if you have a grinder to have it a paste. Don’t forget to add rice flour paste after it has been cooled down. When you add your ingredients, unless you wanted to mash the green onions, add it LAST after you’ve added the red pepper/garlic/ginger/fish-sauce/rice-paste/pear/moo. Start with a little fish sauce, but not too much.Though it’s okay if it’s a LITTLE salty because you won’t notice it when it’s fermented… don't panic. (You can always wash the kimchi after it's been fermented and eat it like ssang-chu...) Try testing a piece of cabbage with the mixture to test if you need more flavor (as the cabbage already has saltiness...) When you use the spoon, don’t stir roughly. Almost like folding cake batter… Btw, you can have the moo in cubes, but usually it’s done in those 2 inch long, 2 cm thin sliced moo…

2. When you cut the cabbage, you cut at the top only 2 inches deep, until you’ve cut slightly past the core. Than take both hands and gently pull the cabbage apart. Than take one, cut the top part in two til it’s enough to gently pull it apart with the hands. Than you wash it, not under the faucet, but get a bowl or something, fill it with COLD water (no hot or warm…) and gently hold the corner of the cabbage. Usually with your thumb and pointer to hold the tip, and the rest of each of your fingers in each layer of cabbage to hold it. Than gently swoosh the cabbage in the water to wash it. If you wash it too hard, it ruins the texture.

3. After rinsed put it into a container and put salt on it. If you have a lot, my mom does it in “layers”. Layer one is cabbage. Sprinkle salt. Add another layer of cabbage, add salt, than cabbage, than salt. Than sit. 2 beh-chu is about 2-3 hours (again, my mom does 20-30 at once and we left it out for 6 hr - overnight, so this is just estimation). But when you’re done, rinse the cabbage gently. The same way you rinse it by holding it gently than swooshing it in the water. Rinse 2-3 tmes. Don’t squeeze the water out of it roughly. Yes, I was almost killed by my mother’s fiery wrath for doing this. Gently hold it, cup it in two hands as if you were holding a dough ball you wanted to form, and GENTLY squeeze or tighten hands to let water out. It’s okay if it’s not dry.. it shouldn’t be completely dried cabbage. Make sure the finger tips of the nails never come in contact with the cabbage when squeezing or else you’ll completely ruin the texture of the cabbage. Think of it as a flower.

Again, the recipe itself is simple but when you make it, you don't have to go be a direct recipe of "how much". If it's too salty, add little sugar (once you've tasted the mixture with the cabbage). But keep in mind, saltiness goes away once fermented so don't go overboard with sugar. (Honestly, I can't take the heat recently so I prefer eating water-Kimchi, but if you don't want it too hot, lesson the red-pepper and garlic.)

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I showed the poster to my mom and told her what the movie was about, and instantly she said "Oh! I would like to watch this!" heheheh >_________<

I'm watching more for Jin Gu~~~ <3

I LOVE KIMCHI, and I SO LOVE KIM JUNG EUN. GO GO GO KIM JUNG EUN.

Oh kimchi? I don't know if I like it. But i like these two actors. They are both award winning. Jin gu is charming, Kim jung eun has an X -factor that can make audience laugh and like her. hmmm, I'm eager to watch this movie.

KIm Jung Eun last movie was a hit, the "Best Moment." She was great as a coach in that movie. Jin gu's "Mother" movie was a hit too. So, I would expect this movie to be a hit with two famous celebrity in Korea.

KImchi is fast making a hit in ASia. Korea is highly promoting their Kimchi and I think supporting this movie too. All the best for Kim Jung Eun and Jin Gu.

kimchi wars LOL
it sounds hilarious in both english and korean :D

but really, some kimchis are really yummy and some just taste weird.

@ 13 Biscuit

Thank you for sharing.. I saved it as 'Kimchi by Biscuit' and had a LOL moment for a while... kekekek

Wil be hunting for the hot pepper at the Koren food section. Ricer flour paste? is this a secret indgredient ? Don't remember seeing it on one of the Youtube vids.

My kids loves kimchi - we usually bought the one Made In Korea at the supermarket (can't recall the brand).. so thanks again!

Kimchi, Kim jung Eun, Jin Gu? Perfect treat.
I love all of these. Looking forward for this movie. Awards, awards, awards go to Kim Jung Eun and Jin Gu.

Kim jung Eun, a coach and now a chef? She is making big leaps to her roles. Let's watch. She is versatile. Overacting? I can't say yet. Let's wait for this movie to be out then make comments after. But I like her acting in Lovers in Paris. She has a natural flow in acting.

KIMCHI all the way. I would love to see this movie. Looks mouth-watering. But, I don't know how to chop the way they do. I cook but can't chop as fast as them. Watch KJE and Jin gu's hands.

Love, love them both.

I eat any hot and colorful food. Yummy, love to eat what they are cooking. Good good luck to KJE and JG.

@D Rice flour paste is not a secret ingredient, but an often forgotten ingredient.

Usually it's 1/2 cup rice-flour, 3- 4 cups of water. It's pretty thick, and you have to continuously stir it gently with the fire on low. If you don't, parts of it will look like mook. Continue to stir til bubbles pop out, than take it off the stove and let it cool.

Actually, if you don't have Sweet Rice Flour or can't find any, you can just use regular baking flour.

Since pear already has natural sweetness, you don't need the mixture to be sweet..

And in case you use delicate cabbage, softly touch the cabbage and only rinse once. If not, you'll get bitter cabbage. This is why cabbage must be treated with delicacy ^^;;;

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Everyone kept saying "Kim Jung Eun" and I'm like who? That poster looked like Sohn Tae Young at first -.-

I love KJE' s chin and Jin gu's smile. Yeyyey, the poster is so delicious with the actor and actress displaying their kimchi.

Can't wait to watch this movie.

What Sohn Tae Yong? She is Kim Jung Eun. One very famous actress in Korea. She is even way, way more famous than Sohn Tae Yong.

I know Kim Jung Eun since 2004. She has good acting in Lovers in Paris. She was even in Taiwan to thank them of her famous drama series. She is well-known in some Asian countries. Aja aja Kim jung Eun. Kimchi, I love kimchi.

@25 Whew:

I know who Kim Jung Eun is and the extent of her popularity. What I meant was that at the poster, I mistook her face for Sohn Tae Young. I completely didn't see that she was in fact Kim Jung Eun, and so when people were mentioning KJE, I was completely lost ^^;;

Biscuit,

Oh, I can't even tell she's Sohn in the picture. Anyway, if you mistook her for Sohn, that is no big deal. But sure, KJE's name was mention above in this page. he he he.

This is Jin Gu CUT of Swallow the sun(he is awesome there)
I hope you like it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DIHAObaq3Q

@Biscuit

thank you for sharing your recipe. one of these days i'm going to make it coz i love KimChi. you are using Napa cabbage, right? Sorry for asking this too, but what is Beh-chu?

Thank you again.

oh i almost forgot! I am so going to watch this movie coz of my love of Korean Food! :D

@ Biscuit..

thanks for the clarification on the rice paste. we hv rice flour in Malaysia. should be the same everwhere, right?

i just bought the korean chili paste, 500g @ RM18.90 at Cold Storage (the 1kg tub would be cheaper but lets start small, ya..) next stop would be the fresh market tomorrow for the Chinese cabbage.

and then as i added your latest note, i saw 'moo' - pray tell what is that?

@Whew, yeah that's why I almost slapped myself when I realized her name was mentioned, heh heh.

Beh-Chu = use Nappa Cabbage.
Moo = Daikon Raddish.

Rice flour... I'm not sure if it's the same in Malaysia. But you can use regular flour (white, un-bleached).

This is a delicious movie. Spicy, hot, watery, reddidh and green.

Kim jung eun is very pretty, and Jin Gu is hot as pepper.

KJE + JG = very good movie.

Come and watch this movie.

@ Biscuit

Thanx for sharing!! =) i will pass along your recipe to my sis & friends!

@ Biscuit..

thank you very much for sharing! happy new year to you & your mum!