I wish that I could say my favorite kimchi is my homemade kimchi but at this point I haven't made any yet.
Recently I purchased a few more commercial kimchi (in spite of my misgivings) and this time I tried Jongga.
Upon opening the jar I was disappointed that the kimchi was so pale.
It smelled pungent in a good way. Then I had a taste. Blah. Not nice. It had a very strong cabbage aroma.
Except for two ingredients - high fructose corn syrup and MSG.
At the same time I also bought this locally made Kkaktugi which is radish kimchi. This brand ILMI is my favorite.
Look at that. So fiery red. The taste is pretty good too.
The ingredients are also pretty clean (meaning no funny funny chemicals) but it still has, you guessed it, MSG. And this being local, one of the ingredients is cincalok. No wonder lah it tastes so good hee..hee..
This kimchi made by ILMI is my favorite. I have tried this before but have not bought any for a while.
It is of course cheaper than the Korean made ones but to me, the taste is a lot better.
I have also used this kimchi to cook kimchi jigae with pork belly.
Ingredients all good except for MSG. I guess MSG is a must for commercially made kimchi for that added ummph.
Beautiful!
In any case, I will stick to ILMI if and when I run out of homemade kimchi (coming soon next week).
I had to eat the Jongga kimchi with ILMI kimchi to improve the taste.
This was my pork belly kimchi jigae.
Hi PH,
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever in the vicinity of a Kim's Mart (in Solaris, Mont Kiara), their homemade kimchi is one of the best commercially available one to my palate. Plus, it comes in three sizes so you can get a smaller container to sample and try before you commit to getting more. My family usually gets the largest container which contains about 3/4 of a napa cabbage and finish the whole thing within 2 weeks. Hope it helps.
Hi! Thanks for the information. Sure, I will be on the lookout for Kim's Mart if I am in the area,
DeleteYou are so adventurous to try different brands in the market. I definitely prefer those very red in colour and will look out for ilmi brand. I love to eat Kimchi Jigae and it was the first Korean dish I learnt to make before making their pancakes and ramen. The Korean friends really brainwashed me well.
ReplyDeleteYou should make your own Kimchi and sell.
You are more advanced than me, can make pancake some more! I will definitely make my own since I am now aware of the addition of MSG in the commercial ones.
DeleteAh, I have eaten jongga kimchi before and thought it was ok. Hahahaha, my expectations for kimchi must be not that high. ๐
ReplyDeleteLOL! We have different taste.
DeleteAlmost everything made commercially (in a bottle or can) contains MSG (which also has sugar) unless you're buying specifically healthy or organic products (that also cost a lot more). >.<
ReplyDeleteCannot afford those organic products lah hah..hah... I made kimchi yesterday but I have a feeling it didn't turn out right >.<
DeleteI don't stick to certain brand when I purchase Kimchi because I don't know which one tastes better or suit my taste bud. But I'll try ILMI next time if I see it since it's your favourite brand. :)
ReplyDeleteSo far I have tried Jongga, Bibigo and Ilmi. But not so keen on commercial ones now due to MSG.
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