Chili substitution for Kim Chi

[jsteinhauer]

If one does not have easy access to korean chilies, what is a most appropriate substitute for Kim Chi? What is the typical scoville unit range for Korean Kim Chi chilies?

My guess is that it's somewhere in the 20,000 vicinity.

If you want to try something really nice, when you make your Kim Chi, replace about a quarter cup (say 60 ml) of chilies with ground chipotle peppers, for about a 3-5 gallon batch.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

If one does not have easy access to korean chilies, what is a most appropriate substitute for Kim Chi? What is the typical scoville unit range for Korean Kim Chi chilies?

Aren't red pepper flakes used in preparing kimchi? Pepper flakes come in mildly hot and hot, so it's a matter of preference. Are there no Korean groceries in your area?

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Aren't red pepper flakes used in preparing kimchi? Pepper flakes come in mildly hot and hot, so it's a matter of preference. Are there no Korean groceries in your area?

We had one Asian grocery. It closed over a year ago. Duluth, MN is not exactly cosmopolitan (though they probably think they are). There are many types of ground hot peppers, with different levels of heat. Without a good reference, I will be experimenting. I suppose I could order some, but I like getting food items from sources I know when possible. Mildy hot and hot mean nothing to me. Jalapenos are about 5000 scoville units, but most consider them hot. Chipotles are typically around 15000. Thai peppers approach 100000. I think Habaneros are around 300000. The weapons grade peppers in India approach 800000 to 900000. I basically want my nose to run, but I don't want to suffer.

[Sagacious Koreo]

Kim Chi's just not Kim Chi without the red pepper powder or (Go Chu Gga Ru) as it's called in Korean. I mean, maybe if you want to "westernize" it to some degree you could use a different pepper. I don't think it could really be called Kim Chi then.

[MyBlu-rayBrotherEd]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

We had one Asian grocery. It closed over a year ago. Duluth, MN is not exactly cosmopolitan (though they probably think they are). There are many types of ground hot peppers, with different levels of heat. Without a good reference, I will be experimenting. I suppose I could order some, but I like getting food items from sources I know when possible. Mildy hot and hot mean nothing to me. Jalapenos are about 5000 scoville units, but most consider them hot. Chipotles are typically around 15000. Thai peppers approach 100000. I think Habaneros are around 300000. The weapons grade peppers in India approach 800000 to 900000. I basically want my nose to run, but I don't want to suffer.

Serano peppers are around 25,000. The Ghost Chilis are 1,000,000, and they are the hottest. They hang them on fences to keep the elephants away.

[P@t_Mtl]

Some people already mention Asian food stores, I am sure you might find some there. My brother as a store where he can get it all the time. He love's it after spending years in Korea. It's a bit too hot for me however.

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Koreo

Kim Chi's just not Kim Chi without the red pepper powder or (Go Chu Gga Ru) as it's called in Korean. I mean, maybe if you want to "westernize" it to some degree you could use a different pepper. I don't think it could really be called Kim Chi then.

Completely agree with you on the authenticity part. We could discuss many foods and beverages that have been ruined. (American lager beers are HARDLY pilsners). But, I also believe that using local foods (or as local as possible) has value from several different angles. I don't have to call it Kim Chi, if you don't like. I can call it fermented napa cabbage with chilis, ginger, garlic, green onions and whatever else I want to put in it. It's hardly a western concept. I'm trying to do the best I can with what's available, and I know that not all Kim Chi is the same, so I feel I have a little bit of latitude. For Pete's sake, it's a naturally fermented food. It will have "terroir". I grow the cabbages and the onions and the garlic. Ginger won't grow here. Chilis often don't grow here.

And, like I mentioned, our only Asian grocery closed over a year ago. For what it's worth, I know one person in the area who knows what Kim Chi is. His wife was stationed in Korea at one time.

[Jellybeans]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Some people already mention Asian food stores, I am sure you might find some there. My brother as a store where he can get it all the time. He love's it after spending years in Korea. It's a bit too hot for me however.

Where is it located ?

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Jellybeans

Where is it located ?

I will ask him and PM you the name and location.

[Jellybeans]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I will ask him and PM you the name and location.

Thanks man!

[jsteinhauer]

A treasure would be a local shop that made there own, if you can find one. There was one such in St. Louis when I lived there in the mid '90's. You had to be there early to get any, because it sold out very quickly.

[mikejet]

Love living in Socal. Koreatown FTW.

I'm walking distance from a store that makes kimchi daily.

And I go here all the time:

http://www.bcdtofu.com/