Frequently Asked Questions

Kimchi (김치) is a Korean fermented food made from vegetables and seasonings. Napa cabbage may be the best-known version, but kimchi can be made from many different vegetables and in many different styles.

Common ingredients include garlic, ginger, gochugaru (고춧가루 — Korean red pepper flakes), scallion, radish, and fermented seafood such as fish sauce or salted shrimp.

Kimchi is commonly eaten as a side dish, but it is also an ingredient in soups, stews, fried rice, noodles, pancakes, and countless other dishes.

Lots of them. “Kimchi” describes a whole family of fermented foods, not one single recipe.

A few common examples:

• Baechu / pogi kimchi (배추김치 / 포기김치) — napa cabbage kimchi made with cabbage kept in large sections, with seasoning worked between the leaves.
• Mat Kimchi (맛김치) — napa cabbage cut into convenient bite-size pieces before fermentation. This is the style of fresh kimchi we make.
• Kkakdugi (깍두기) — cubed Korean radish kimchi.
• Dongchimi (동치미) — a mild, refreshing radish kimchi with lots of clear brine.
• Chonggak kimchi (총각김치) — made from small young Korean radishes, often with their leafy tops still attached.

And that barely scratches the surface. Different regions, seasons, households, and cooks have their own ingredients and methods.

Mat Kimchi (맛김치) is a style of napa cabbage kimchi where the cabbage is cut into bite-size pieces before fermentation.

That makes it especially convenient: open the container, grab some kimchi, and eat. No cutting required.

Our Mat Kimchi is our fresh, naturally fermented kimchi. It is also the starting point for our Dried Kimchi.

We make our kimchi with gochugaru (고춧가루), the Korean red pepper flakes that give kimchi much of its distinctive color, flavor, and heat.

If you want a familiar comparison, think roughly jalapeño territory. Gochugaru varies depending on the peppers and product, but commonly cited ranges put it around 1,500–10,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Jalapeños are generally around 2,000–8,000 SHU, so there is a lot of overlap between them.

Of course, the amount used in a finished food matters too, and everyone's tolerance is different. But if you already know whether you're comfortable eating a jalapeño, that's a much better reference point than us simply calling something “mild” or “medium.”

We make our kimchi to have presence and flavor — not to be over the top or something you might regret tomorrow.

Yes. Our Mat Kimchi is a live, actively fermenting food.

Fermentation doesn't suddenly stop when we put the lid on the container. The flavor, aroma, acidity, and texture continue to change over time.

Refrigeration slows that process considerably, which is why fresh Mat Kimchi should stay refrigerated.

Kimchi isn't a food that tastes exactly the same from the day it is made until the day you finish it.

When it is younger, our Mat Kimchi tends to taste fresher, crisper, and less sour. As fermentation continues, the flavor becomes more developed and tangy. Eventually the sourness becomes much more prominent.

That doesn't necessarily mean older kimchi has become useless. In Korean cooking, well-fermented sour kimchi can be especially good for dishes such as kimchi jjigae, kimchi fried rice, and other cooked foods.

The real question isn't simply “How old is it?” It's “How do you like your kimchi?”

There are really two answers to this question: flavor and food safety.

Flavor: Kimchi keeps fermenting, so it doesn't have one moment when it suddenly changes from “good” to “bad.” Younger kimchi tends to be fresher and crisper; with time it becomes tangier and more sour. Your own palate has a lot to do with when it's at its best. And if it eventually becomes too sour for you to enjoy straight from the container, that mature kimchi can be fantastic for cooking.

Food safety: How you handle the kimchi matters, too. Keep it refrigerated, keep the container closed when you're not using it, and try to avoid introducing outside contamination.

Use a clean utensil when taking kimchi from the container. Eating straight from the container is certainly tempting — we understand! — but once a spoon or fork goes into your mouth, don't put that same utensil back into the kimchi. Doing that can introduce saliva and other microorganisms into the container.

An easy solution: take out however much kimchi you think you'll eat and put it in a small dish. Want more? Go back with a clean utensil.

The same basic idea applies to everything else: don't leave the open container sitting around unnecessarily, don't let unwashed hands or utensils get into it, keep it away from raw-food contamination — and, yes, don't let the cat stick its nose in the kimchi.

Fermentation gives kimchi some unusual characteristics, but it doesn't mean normal food-handling practices stop mattering.

Our fresh Mat Kimchi has a Born On date instead of pretending that its flavor has one magic “best” day.

The Born On date tells you when that batch of kimchi was made and its fermentation began. Because kimchi continues to ferment, you can use that date to learn what age tastes best to you.

We print dates in YYYY-MM-DD format — so 2026-08-18 means August 18, 2026. The label also includes a batch code that identifies the particular production batch.

Keep it sealed and refrigerated.

Cold temperatures slow fermentation and help maintain the flavor and texture you prefer. Put the lid back on securely after serving and return the container to the refrigerator rather than leaving it sitting at room temperature.

Fermentation produces carbon dioxide.

Because our Mat Kimchi continues fermenting after it is packaged, some of that gas can collect inside the sealed container. The lid may bulge a little, and you may hear gas escape when you open it.

That's a normal consequence of active fermentation.

And yes, it's okay to giggle.

Sourness is a normal part of kimchi fermentation.

Younger kimchi tends to taste fresher and crisper; older kimchi becomes tangier and more assertive.

If it has become more sour than you enjoy eating straight from the container, don't automatically give up on it. Sour, well-fermented kimchi can be particularly useful for cooking.

Kimchi jjigae, kimchi fried rice, noodles, soups, and stir-fries are all good places for mature kimchi to shine.

Our Dried Kimchi starts as the same fermented Mat Kimchi we sell fresh.

We let the kimchi develop its fermented flavor, then carefully age, dehydrate, and cure it into a completely different format.

The result is lightweight, shelf-stable kimchi with concentrated flavor that you can keep in the pantry, carry with you, snack on, or cook with.

Pretty much anywhere you want kimchi flavor.

Some of our favorite ways:

• Snack it — eat it straight from the bag.
• Top it — crush it over rice, noodles, eggs, pizza, sandwiches, or other foods.
• Cook with it — add it to ramen, soups, stews, fried rice, or other dishes.
• Rehydrate it — let liquid bring it back into a softer form for cooking.

There's no rule that says you have to use it like fresh kimchi. Part of the fun is finding things that work because it is dried.

No. Dried Kimchi is designed to be shelf-stable and does not require refrigeration.

Keep the package sealed when you're not using it and protect it from unnecessary moisture.

There is a desiccant packet inside the package to help maintain the dry environment. Do not eat the desiccant.

This is one of the most interesting questions we get — and the most accurate answer is that we don't claim our Dried Kimchi is a probiotic food.

A probiotic isn't simply something that was fermented. In scientific usage, probiotics are live microorganisms that have been demonstrated to provide a health benefit when consumed in adequate amounts.

Our Dried Kimchi begins as naturally fermented kimchi, but dehydration changes the microbial environment considerably. We have not done the finished-product testing that would allow us to tell you what viable microorganisms remain, in what numbers, or whether those organisms provide a demonstrated probiotic benefit.

But that isn't quite the end of the scientific story.

Researchers are also interested in what happens when microorganisms involved in fermentation are no longer alive. Inactivated microbial cells and parts of those cells can still interact with biological systems.

You may encounter terms such as paraprobiotics in some research. More recently, researchers have increasingly used the term postbiotics. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) defines a postbiotic as a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that provides a demonstrated health benefit. Importantly, the mere presence of non-living microorganisms does not make a food or ingredient a postbiotic; the benefit has to be demonstrated for the particular preparation.

There is even research involving bacteria isolated from kimchi. A 2019 study by Song and colleagues examined heat-killed cells of a Lactobacillus brevis strain isolated from kimchi and found measurable biological activity in laboratory cell experiments.

That's interesting because it helps illustrate why scientists are studying microorganisms even after they are no longer alive. But the study was performed on a particular bacterial strain in laboratory cell models — not on dried kimchi, not on Kahjok Kimchi House Dried Kimchi, and not as a human study demonstrating a gut-health benefit.

So where does that leave us?

• Our Dried Kimchi is made from fermented kimchi.
• We do not claim that it provides live probiotics.
• There is legitimate scientific interest in postbiotics, paraprobiotics, and the potential biological activity of inactivated microorganisms.
• We do not currently have product-specific research demonstrating that our Dried Kimchi provides a postbiotic or gut-health benefit.

We'd rather tell you where the science actually is than turn an interesting research question into a marketing claim.

Research referenced:
Song MW, Jang HJ, Kim KT, Paik HD. Probiotic and Antioxidant Properties of Novel Lactobacillus brevis KCCM 12203P Isolated from Kimchi and Evaluation of Immune-Stimulating Activities of Its Heat-Killed Cells in RAW 264.7 Cells. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2019;29(12):1894–1903.
Salminen S, Collado MC, Endo A, et al. The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2021;18:649–667.

Kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) is Korean kimchi stew — savory, spicy comfort food built around well-fermented kimchi.

There are countless household variations, but kimchi is the heart of the dish.

It's exactly what the name says: a starter.

We've put together the kimchi and pantry ingredients that give you a great foundation for a pot of kimchi jjigae. Our Kimchi Jjigae Meal Starter combines Kahjok Kimchi House Dried Kimchi with dried oyster mushrooms from Viking Farms and dried green onion.

The directions on the package give you an easy way to turn that starter into a traditional-style kimchi jjigae with pork belly, tofu, and water.

But those directions are a starting point, not a set of rules.

Kimchi jjigae is home cooking. Make it yours.

Our basic recipe uses:

• 6–8 oz pork belly, cut into bite-size pieces
• 6 oz firm tofu, cubed or sliced
• 3½ cups water

Sesame oil and steamed rice are optional but very welcome.

Follow that recipe exactly and you'll have a great pot of jjigae.

Or don't.

Absolutely not.

Pork belly is a classic choice, and it's what we use for the recipe printed on the package. But the whole idea of a Meal Starter is that we've given you a foundation you can build on.

Don't have pork belly? Open the refrigerator and see what you do have.

Some ideas:

• Spam
• Hot dogs or sausage — start wandering toward budae jjigae territory!
• Leftover barbecue brisket
• Pulled pork
• Other cooked meats you think would taste good swimming around in a pot of kimchi stew

And you don't necessarily need meat at all. The starter gives you the kimchi base; what happens after that is up to you.

Please do.

Tofu is traditional and delicious, but it doesn't have to be the end of the story.

Depending on what you like and what you have around the kitchen, you might try adding things such as:

• Onion
• Rice cakes
• Noodles
• Dumplings
• Whatever else makes you look into the pot and think, “Yep, that sounds good.”

Our package directions are meant to give you a dependable, traditional-style place to begin. After that, riff on it, experiment, and have fun with it.

The recipe on the package is a right way, not the right way.

We wanted to give someone who has never made kimchi jjigae an approachable recipe that produces a recognizable, traditional-style stew.

Once you understand the basic idea, make the pot your own.

That's why we call it a Kimchi Jjigae Meal Starter, not a “complete meal in a bag.”

Using our basic recipe, about 20 minutes.

Brown the pork belly, add water and the Meal Starter, simmer, then add the tofu near the end.

If you're improvising with other ingredients, your cooking time may change accordingly.

Using our basic recipe, one package serves approximately 1–2 people.

Add more ingredients and, naturally, you can stretch that pot further.

The starter is built around:

• Kahjok Kimchi House Dried Kimchi
• Viking Farms dried oyster mushrooms
• Dried green onion

See the package itself for the complete current ingredient statement.

Yes. It contains fish (anchovy) through the ingredients in our kimchi.

Always check the current package label if you have a food allergy.

That's a desiccant used to help protect the dry ingredients during storage.

Remove and discard it before cooking. Do not eat it.

No. The unopened Meal Starter is a dry, shelf-stable pantry product.

Keep it sealed until you're ready to use it and follow any storage directions printed on the package.

Not really — and that's intentional.

You still cook. Our basic recipe has you brown pork belly, simmer the stew, and add fresh tofu.

We aren't trying to replace cooking with “just add boiling water.”

What we've done is take much of the kimchi and pantry prep and put it into one package so getting a pot of jjigae started is a whole lot easier.

We start it. You finish it.

Our products are available directly from us and through a growing number of local retailers.

Because individual locations may carry different products, the easiest way to see the current list is our Where to Buy page.

We don't currently operate a traditional online store where we ship orders anywhere in the country.

Texas Cottage Food law does permit online ordering under certain conditions, including personal delivery by the cottage food operation, an employee, or a household member.

As our sales options grow, we'll keep this page updated with the ways you can order from us.

We do not currently ship our products directly to customers.

We know some of you outside Bryan/College Station would really like us to. We would, too.

If and when shipping becomes part of how we sell, we'll update the website rather than make you guess.

When you buy fresh Mat Kimchi directly from Kahjok Kimchi House — such as at a market — you can participate in our loyalty program.

One 16 oz container of Mat Kimchi earns one stamp. Collect four stamps and receive one 16 oz Mat Kimchi free.

Your card must be present when stamps are earned and when the reward is redeemed. The program applies only to qualifying purchases made directly from Kahjok Kimchi House, not purchases from retailers or other sellers.

No cash value. Not valid with other promotions. Kahjok Kimchi House may modify or discontinue the program.

Yes. Our kimchi recipe contains anchovy sauce, so products made from that kimchi contain fish (anchovy).

This includes our fresh Mat Kimchi, Dried Kimchi, and Kimchi Jjigae Meal Starter.

Please read the current package label for the complete ingredient and allergen information for the particular product you are buying.

No. Our current kimchi contains anchovy sauce, so products made with our kimchi are not vegetarian or vegan.

Please talk to us.

Food can be a little complicated — and fermented food can sometimes do things that surprise people — so we'd much rather hear from you than have you wonder.

Tell us what you bought, where and when you bought it, and what you're seeing.

If possible, keep the package and its batch information so we can identify the product.

Because these are food products, sales are generally final.

But “all sales final” doesn't mean “we don't care.”

If you are unhappy with something you purchased from us, or you believe there is a problem with the product, please contact us so we can understand what happened and try to make things right.

Ask us.

Email hello@kahjokkimchihouse.com, or come talk with us when you see us at a market or event.

Some of our best FAQs start because somebody walked up to the table and asked us something we hadn't thought to put on the website yet.