I love kimchi. I make my own 2-3 times a year (it keeps in the fridge for a long time). I guess mine would qualify as kosher, because I don't use shrimp either. Instead I use bonito powder and flakes for fish component. I've made it the traditional way with Napa cabbage etc, but also with coleslaw shredded cabbage and carrots. Either way it's good, although the western cabbage is tougher and takes longer to ripen in the fridge.

I've never tried it on french fries, but find the kimchi makes an excellent topping for, of all things, hot dogs. Yum. Sort of  like a hot sauerkraut, esp the kimchi made with coleslaw cut cabbage.

The only thing that might mean my kimchi isn't 100% kosher is that I use rock salt for the brine mixture. Typically I buy it in a big sack, designed for water softener systems. It's 99.8% pure with no additives, so no worries about anything interfering with the fermentation. The pepper flakes I get from local Asian groceries, and I make sure it's from Korea.

I usually add thin sliced radishes, or grated radish, either red globe or Asian white, as well as plenty of minced garlic and ginger. I've also added other veggies like bok choy and gai lan (chinese broccoli).

As for the gut, yes, the microbes in kim chi, properly prepared, are considered to be beneficial. The hot peppers are usually not strong enough to upset the gut, but if one's gut is sensitive to spicy stuff, then one should probably avoid things like kim chi anyway.

I remember a Chinese buffet having these black veggie thingies being Kimchi that I didn't try and another visit didn't see, but fortunately at another one I'd gone to years later, did get to...

Here is a sauce I bought that I put on just about everything--even macaroni!--that I better have a good glass of ice water by me when I use:

-- Dave

Never seen black Kimchee.

Usually it's reddish, from the hot peppers.

Well, maybe the stuff that I saw at the buffet was a dark red--I remember it having a pungent odor & being not so sure if I would want to try it or not, and when I went to that buffet the next time I don't think it was there--but I go to try some oysters in the shells there at least...

So years later, I did try the kimchi at another place & it was quite good... As for my sauce, I can't believe it but have been one of the most expensive that I'd ever bought...  That and some Chinese mustard that I have, too, after missing out on a big bottle of it the same size as other mustards that was naked down; but found a good size...

So definitely try this stuff while you can & while it's here if hoy udon't ever get the opportunity to go there...

-- Dave

Mediocre kimchee may be easy to make.

Real kimchee is not all that easy. You have to follow rules.

One: don't add vinegar. It's pointless. You want the bacteria in the fermentation to supply their own acid.

Two: don't omit the brining step. This involves soaking the cut veggies in a saturated salt water solution at room temp overnight, in a cylindrical container with a plate or disk holding all the veggies under the solution.

Three: Rinse off the brine and then toss the brined veggies with a mixture of korean red pepper flakes (if the package has Korean all over it, it's probably OK), ginger, garlic, a little salt, a little sugar, fish sauce/powder/flakes, and enough water to make it flow and allow it to coat the veggies with a little left over. The purpose of the fish and sugar is to add enough protein for the desired bacteria munch on. It also adds some flavor.

Four: Incubate the coated veggies for 2-3 days at room temp, again with a plate on top to keep everything submerged. When it starts bubbling from fermentation action, it's ready for the next step.

Five: Keeping the material submerged, move it to a fridge to complete the process. Usually (in my experience) two weeks is needed for full flavor to develop. Although Kimchee fresh from the first fermentation isn't bad, either.

Six: The kimchee should be quite acidic with a nice spicy flavor. If the veggies were properly brined, they won't be soft and mushy, but will still have some crispness and bite.

Seven: The kimchee can keep a long time in the fridge, if it's kept covered and submerged as described. We're talking weeks to months.

Kimchee uses a method not unlike that used for naturally fermented sauerkraut or pickles, which these days a very hard to find in markets. It was developed in Korea as a way to preserve fresh fall vegetables (cabbage, radish, etc) for the coming winter months. I understand the acidity is from bacteria that produce lactic acid. Not sure if it's the same as in yogurt, but it's said to be good for digestion. You could say it gives your gut a head start.

The bacteria that grow in the initial room temp fermentation stage are said to be different from the bacteria that grow in the second refrigerated stage. The first ones grow rather quickly at room temp. The ones that grow and "cure" in the second refrigerated stage seem to grow a lot slower. I've read that for best results a fridge temp over 40 F is best. My fridges are set to about 334-36F, but the kimchee seems to do OK anyway. As stated earlier, Korean family often have a fridge dedicated for storing kimchee. This is partly because the aroma can be unpleasant for other fridge items. I don't find this to be an issue, but then my kimchee goes fairly light on the fish side (I use bonito powder or flakes instead of fish, clams, shrimp, or anchovies).

If you kimchee gets moldy... you did it wrong!

I understand the traditional Korean method is to bury earthen pots filled with kimchee underground. I suppose that's a natural form of refrigeration. Keeps the stuff cooler in summer and prevents it from freezing in the winter.

I've been on camping trips where we buried stuff like cheese in a pit in the campground, and put a big rock over it (to keep it cool and the raccoons out of it). I've been told a traditional Southern way of storing ham was also to bury it. Most likely after it was smoke-cured.

That's interesting Tom, because Kimchi is Korean and Pho is Vietnamese.    

All of the Pho restaurants I've been to in and around my area have a variety of chili sauce, paste and other spicy condiments, but I've never seen kimchi in a Pho restaurant out here in Southern Cal.