“I haven't been making kimchi for a while because I'm a kid and I'm still in school. But now I have time, so buy my kimchi. It's probably going to sell out in a few weeks.”
Valentin Thang, aged 13 · Putney, London
What it tastes like
Spicy
The kick has to be there: that's non-negotiable. It'll attack your mouth a little.
Umami
Dried shrimp from Cà Mau, Vietnam, adds a depth you won't get from fermented shrimp. The secret.
Salty
Fish sauce, soy sauce, and brine from the fermentation itself.
Sweet
Just a tiny bit. Barely there, but you'd miss it if it wasn't.
The recipe
Most kimchi uses a tapioca base and layers the paste into the cabbage. I blend everything together: the sauce gets further into the vegetable, the flavour is deeper and more even throughout.
I also use locally sourced dried shrimp from Cà Mau, Vietnam, instead of fermented shrimp. More umami, more depth.
What’s in it
Napa cabbage
One whole big head per 2kg jar, half for 1kg
Asian chives
Fresh and chopped in for bite
Sugar & salt
Salt draws out the water, sugar feeds the ferment
Gochugaru
Korean chilli flakes, blended smooth into the paste
Onion, garlic & ginger
All blended. Will make your eyes water.
Fish sauce
Umami base (omit for vegan)
Soya sauce
Salt and depth
Oyster sauce
Rich, savoury depth (omit for vegan)
Dried shrimp from Cà Mau, Vietnam
The secret. Replaces fermented shrimp: more umami (omit for vegan)
Bulgogi beef
Bulgogi is sweet. Kimchi is spicy and salty. The spice cuts through the sweetness. Best combination.
Egg & rice (for beginners)
Never tried Asian food? Start here. Kimchi + a fried egg + plain rice. Gets you into soy sauce and fish sauce while keeping it familiar.
Sunday roast
Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, kimchi on the side. I think you should try it. I'm probably right.
Sausages
Another good British entry point. Savoury + spicy. Works.
Kimchi fried rice
Use the older kimchi for this: the sour, funky stuff. Chop it up, fry with rice and egg. Perfect one-pan meal.
Fresh mackerel
I caught mackerel in Weymouth, came home, cooked it in butter with leftover kimchi sauce, ate it on rice with an egg. Still one of the best things I've eaten.
Pro tip: leftover kimchi sauce
Eaten all the cabbage but still have sauce left? Don’t throw it away. Cook it with beef or fish. Mackerel works especially well: fry in butter, add the kimchi sauce, serve on rice with a fried egg. I tested this after a fishing trip to Weymouth. Still one of the best things I’ve eaten.
The formula
Sauce + fish
+ butter + rice
“If you’re depressed, buy kimchi. If you’re lonely, buy kimchi. Just buy kimchi: because kimchi will make you happy.”
Valentin, aged 13
Storage guide
Kimchi ferments over time. The flavour deepens, the tang increases. What starts as fresh and crunchy slowly becomes something more complex and more useful in the kitchen.
Days 1-3 (fresh)
Clean, crunchy, mild tang. Perfectly good to eat right away.
1 week
Fermentation kicks in. Flavour deepens noticeably. My preferred stage.
2-3 weeks
Sour, complex, intensely flavoured. Excellent for cooking.
3-4 weeks
Properly sour and deeply fermented. Make kimchi fried rice or kimchi pancakes. Don't throw it out.
CO2 tip: don't overfill
Fermenting kimchi produces CO2, which makes the liquid rise. If you fill the jar right to the top, it will overflow. Leave a couple of centimetres of space at the top when you first open it. Press the cabbage below the brine level and seal it again. If it bubbles over, just open the lid briefly to release the gas.
Fridge vs counter
Leave it on the counter for a day or two to kickstart fermentation quickly, then move it to the fridge to slow it down. In the fridge it keeps for 3 to 4 weeks. On the counter it will ferment much faster: check it daily.
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Name, email, how many jars. Mention any dietary needs.
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I'm a student: weekends and school holidays work best. I reply within 24 hours.
Come collect
Then you can collect at The Panda's Pantry in Putney in the 25th of October
Pricing
£10
for 1kg
£15
for 2kg
£13.50
for 1.5kg
One whole nappa cabbage · glass jar · no microplastics
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From £10 · 1kg or 2kg · Glass jar · Made fresh to order · SW London
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