Maangchi's Korean food and cooking forum » User Favorites: vibey

Haddassah07 on "Why Maangchi puts her red pepper flakes in the freezer - my tale of woe!"

Haddassah07 — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:14:30 +0000

My mother kept red pepper flakes in the freezer, and she also would save the canisters from Kraft Parmesan cheese, wash them out and use them for red pepper flakes or toasted sesame seeds. Most of the recipes I wrote down from my mom include a number of "shakes" of red pepper or sesame seeds. I keep the large bag of red pepper in the freezer, and I also keep one of the shaker bottles of red pepper in the freezer door so it is still handy.

tonyooi2010 on "Why Maangchi puts her red pepper flakes in the freezer - my tale of woe!"

tonyooi2010 — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:55:13 +0000

Mine went moldy but I wonder if it could be used as it is red pepper flakes?

Vibey on "Why Maangchi puts her red pepper flakes in the freezer - my tale of woe!"

Vibey — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:46:14 +0000

That's a great idea, Unchienne! I'll do that too, I think. It's a bit of a hassle going to my big freezer in the laundry just to get a couple of tablespoons of pepper flakes out. And now that you mention it, I think mine may have had cobwebby things in it, too. Urgh.

unchienne on "Why Maangchi puts her red pepper flakes in the freezer - my tale of woe!"

unchienne — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:53:24 +0000

My mom also stores red pepper in the freezer, but I found my lesson the hard way as well. Kept mine in a cute little non-airtight crock. It was o.k. for a couple of weeks until I found what looked like little cobwebs in it. Turns out that despite thinking hot peppers are a hostile environment, there are still pests that will happily munch on the stuff. Now I have the bulk in the freezer and keep a few cups in an airtight container in the fridge for everyday use.

Maangchi on "Why Maangchi puts her red pepper flakes in the freezer - my tale of woe!"

Maangchi — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:14:38 +0000

Thank you for sharing the story about your hot pepper flakes! yes, it should be stored in the freezer.

Vibey on "Why Maangchi puts her red pepper flakes in the freezer - my tale of woe!"

Vibey — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:39:14 +0000

I finally learned - the hard way - my Maangchi stores her red pepper flakes in the freezer. This is my sad story. There was my 1kg bag of pepper flakes in my pantry: a dark, dry place and ideal for storage. I had the flakes double-bagged in Zip-loc bags. No problem, I thought. WRONG. After a couple of months of not using said flakes, I went to the pantry, and lo and behold: the beautiful red of the peppers had gone and instead I had these pale coral-coloured flakes. I opened the bags, and ugh - they were musty, damp, and clumpy. Completely off. I had to toss it away. Almost a whole 1kg bag! *sob!* So I opened up my back-up bag, and this time I have done as Maangchi does: put it straight in the freezer! I'm not sure how or why my flakes went off like this, particularly since dried chilies and chili flakes keep for such a long time, but I'm guessing Korean red pepper flakes are far more delicate and possibly have a higher water content after drying. (It wouldn't take much water, by the way.) So if you're wondering why you should store your flakes in the freezer, wonder no more, and learn from me!

Maangchi on "Korean ingredients in Melbourne, Australia"

Maangchi — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:15:30 +0000

yes, thank you so much for adding the grocery store. Happy cooking! <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/shopping/wsms-mart-asian-grocery-convenience-store" rel="nofollow">http://www.maangchi.com/shopping/wsms-mart-asian-grocery-convenience-store</a>

Vibey on "Korean ingredients in Melbourne, Australia"

Vibey — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:12:43 +0000

Just added a new shop in the submit-a-store section, but until it's published, the details are: WSM's Mart, in 270 King St., Melbourne. I like this one not just because it's packed full of stuff and the staff are friendly, but because it's across the road from work! If I forget to bring lunch from home, I can pop over and pick up some fantastic cup noodles and a tub of dongchimi and I'm all set!

Vibey on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

Vibey — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:51:07 +0000

Oh, wow - thank you so much for this reply! I have been wondering about celery and an unfermented one with sesame oil sounds very, very good indeed. As does the watermelon rind one! I love watermelon pickle but it can be quite sweet - this would be awesome. I feel confident to start experimenting more and more now. Kimchi is not just delicious, but a wonderful way to preserve perfect vegetables without altering their texture. A few days ago at the market I saw this bunch of rainbow radish and wanted to make a water kimchi out of it straight away! I will, soon. :)

unchienne on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

unchienne — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:17:58 +0000

I would say yes. When my friend and I visited a Korean restaurant in Atlanta, we were asked to be "guinea pigs" for some kimchee variations the owner was trying out that she thought might appeal a bit more to the western palate. One of the most unusual ones was celery kimchee. Young, not fermented, and with a slight drizzle of sesame oil. It really was delicious. When I was little, and it was near impossible to get Korean veggies in our little South Georgia town, my mother use to make kimchee from watermelon rinds. It was delicious too. Tasted sort of like radish kimchee but a slight bit sweeter.

Vibey on "Apple oligo syrup"

Vibey — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:34:12 +0000

While at a Korean market buying some corn syrup, I saw bottles of "apple oligo syrup" next to it. I can tell what it is, but what is it used for in Korean cooking? Does it have a distinct apple flavour, or does it taste like corn syrup?

Vibey on "Korean ingredients in Melbourne, Australia"

Vibey — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:48:57 +0000

Yes, Maangchi: the Korean community is growing! There are more and more Korean stores and restaurants in the city, particularly that area. I'll enter the information.

Maangchi on "Korean ingredients in Melbourne, Australia"

Maangchi — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:42:04 +0000

Hi Vibey, Thank you for sharing the grocery store information. Someone else posted a store on the same street. <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/shopping/city-mart" rel="nofollow">http://www.maangchi.com/shopping/city-mart</a> Please upload the store information here. <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/suggest-a-store" rel="nofollow">http://www.maangchi.com/suggest-a-store</a>

Vibey on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

Vibey — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:55:49 +0000

I currently have about four different kinds of kimchi and just love it. It's gone from being a curio to an essential ingredient in a very short time. My favourite at the moment is a very crunchy one with cubed beets. I call it pinkchi because of the colour! I've made it with a pear puree and left it unfermented, and it's quite delicious.

Vibey on "Korean ingredients in Melbourne, Australia"

Vibey — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:45:18 +0000

Here's another in the city. KT Mart 527 Elizabeth St Melbourne, VIC 3000 This place is quite huge and has every ingredient you're looking for, at very reasonable prices. It also has a reputation for being very friendly and helpful to non-Koreans!

skyl on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

skyl — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:43:50 +0000

I have been making fermented vegetables for about a year now and love them. I have been looking for a good kimchi recipe and I found it last day..cannot wait to try it.<a href="http://www.rx247.net">Rx Pharmacy Online</a>

Vibey on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

Vibey — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:52:25 +0000

Thanks for your reply, Powerplantop. This is really good to hear. After my cheat's kimchi I'll make a straightforward napa cabbage one, and then start experimenting! Can't wait. I've been doing a little research and seen some beautiful kimchis I want to try. I realise that any cuisine outside of the Americas adopted chilies and peppers, but since I'm still relatively new to Korean cuisine, I tend to associate kimchi with chilies. I've seen white and water kimchis that look amazing and I will eventually try, but something red and spicy is more my speed right now.

powerplantop on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

powerplantop — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:17:57 +0000

You can make kimchi out of all of the veggies you mention even lettuce. But the lettuce ones gets made just before serving. Remember kimchi is just a way of pickling vegetables. And traditionally it did not contain any kind of hot pepper. Hot peppers are not native to Korea. You can make pumpkin kimchi but normally pumpkin gets ground up or grated into kimchi.

Vibey on "Can you make kimchi out of ANYTHING?"

Vibey — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:41:22 +0000

So I came home after being away for the Easter break, and had my usual shock-horror response when I saw the contents of my refrigerator crisper, which I'd totally forgotten about before I left. Even though I've never made kimchi before, I decided to make it out of the things that most desperately needed using: a bag of discounted coleslaw mix I'd bought on impulse, a bunch of bok choy whose outer leaves were beginning to wilt, carrots, and a couple of bunches of spring (green) onions that were papery on the outside but still had sweet and tender centres. I followed Maangchi's instructions for the Emergency Kimchi (and using up these vegetables was an emergency!) and a short time later, kimchi! OK, so obviously, this is not a purist's kimchi, but it's good. Although it's not yet fermented, this is like a million plus a million times better than any kimchi I've ever had in a restaurant or out of a purchased box. The salting process totally removed the bitterness from the bok choy, and the flavours are rounded and full. So I started thinking: can you make kimchi out of anything? I'm not thinking delicate, frail vegetables like lettuce, obviously, but what about other vegetables? I'd love to experiment with, say, pumpkin, or broccoli stalks, or anything that will stand up to the salting and fermentation process. I'd love to hear your thoughts (and yes, I will make a proper, traditional kimchi very soon)!

Vibey on "Korean ingredients in Melbourne, Australia"

Vibey — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:29:10 +0000

Hi everyone, and hi Maangchi! New convert to Korean cuisine, and new and ardent fan. Just thought I'd post a couple of places where I've sourced Korean ingredients. We are lucky in Melbourne to have lots of Asian grocers where you can at least find some Korean ingredients, and there's a few specialised Korean grocers, too. Clayton has a fairly strong Korean community and is an enclave of Korean eateries and one small but fairly comprehensive grocer. The grocer is called JIREH KOREAN AND JAPANESE GROCERY, at 309 Clayton Rd., Clayton. Now: that's the address of the actual little complex, but to find Jireh, you go around the corner to Carinish St. That's where it is. They stock most basics, but not exactly all (eg. they didn't have dried anchovies, but had dried anchovy stock bags), plus some nice extras. The woman who served me was really friendly. You can also get lots of Korean foods from any large Asian grocer. My favourite is NAN YANG SUPERMARKET at 307-313 Springvale Rd., Springvale. The place is HUGE and if you can't find some good Korean stuff among all the Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Singaporean goodies, you just ain't looking! Nan Yang also stocks some good kitchen equipment, including some really cheap and efficient charcoal grills and clay pots that cook beautifully. While you're in Springvale, you can pop into any greengrocer to pick up Napa cabbage, white radish, perilla leaves, and all kinds of wonderful stuff. Hope this helps the Melburnians out there! I'll add more places as I find them, and if you have your own, please feel free to add them to this thread. :)