Kimchi it up

Los Angeles has the biggest Korean population outside Seoul, which means you don't have to go far in this town to taste excellent Korean food. But the new cookbook Koreatown from chef Deuki Hong and food writer Matt Rodbard got us thinking it might be time to kimchi it up at home.

Kimchi isn't limited to the spicy napa cabbage you get at restaurants before the main meal. It actually refers to a whole category of pickled foods. There are over 200 kinds of kimchi that might include everything from cucumbers and ramps to pineapples and pears. Some of them ferment for years.

In their cookbook, Hong and Rodbard share stories and recipes from two years of researching — ahem, eating — Korean food from Texas to Minnesota and California to New York. They've shared five kimchi recipes with us that take only 20 minutes to prepare. Try them out on the Good Food blog.

Music: "A Small Escape" (instrumental) by Fly By Pony, and "Back It Up" (instrumental) by Caro Emerald