Treat Your Taste Buds to Korean Soul Food

If you’ve been to a Korean restaurant, then you’re probably familiar with kimchi. This traditional Korean dish is made of vegetables and seasonings, and fermented like wine and cheese. Fermentation is an ancient technique of preserving food that creates a wide variety of nutrients, including vitamins, fatty acids and probiotics, that make food healthier and easier to digest.

While most countries consume some form of fermented foods, kimchi is an essential part of Korean cuisine and is eaten at almost every meal. They are delicious and add an amazing depth of flavor to food and drinks. Kimchi can be used as sides called "banchan," or mixed in soups and other dishes.

Do you dare to make live foods at home? Let these fermentation gurus help you. Just roll up your sleeves and arm yourself with a taste for sour, tangy and spicy flavors.

Fermented Vegetables provides step-by-step guide for making kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles. It includes beautiful pictures and clear instructions to guide you through fermentation fundamentals, mastering the basics, and diving into a variety of recipes and "crocktails." Many of the recipes are designed in small quantities that you can make in your kitchen.

Asian Pickles is your DIY guide to authentic Korean kimchi, Indian chutney and Japanese tsukemono. Karen Solomon includes a vast array of quick pickles for beginners and easy instructions for more adventurous cooks. Use her recipes as sides or add them to stews, and rice or noodle dishes.

Fermentation fetishist Sandor Katz uses simple methods for making a variety of food and beverages in Wild Fermentation. His thorough research on the history, cultural theory and the process of fermentation makes this book an excellent read as much as a reference to over 150 recipes of fermented vegetables, brews and miso.

But if you are not ready to massage cabbage in your kitchen, most health food stores sell kimchi and fermented foods in the refrigerated section. Or you can simply explore Korean food and culture by watching Marja Vongerichten’s travelogue, documentary and food trips in Kimchi Chronicles. The show's companion cookbook, The Kimchi Chronicles, includes recipe for every dish.