According to new findings, scientists have found that consuming kimchi regularly can help strengthen immune cell function while keeping the immune system in balance. The findings add scientific weight
to kimchi’s long-held reputation as a health-promoting food.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented side dish (banchan), renowned for its spicy, tangy flavour and probiotic punch. Primarily made from napa cabbage (baechu-kimchi) or radishes, it features hundreds of varieties using vegetables like cucumbers or green onions, seasoned with gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), garlic, ginger, fish sauce, scallions, and sometimes fermented shrimp or oysters for umami.
The World Institute of Kimchi, a government-funded research organisation under the Ministry of Science and ICT, conducted this study, and the findings were published in npj Science of Food.
The research found that kimchi has “immunomodulatory properties”, meaning it can calm excessive immune reactions while also improving protective immune functions.
The clinical trial involved overweight adults who were divided into three groups and over a 12-week period, they consumed either a placebo, kimchi powder made from naturally fermented kimchi, or kimchi powder produced using a starter culture fermentation method.
The team of researchers monitored changes in gene activity within the participants’ immune cells, revealing subtle immune shifts that traditional testing methods often fail to detect.
Dr Woo Jae Lee of the World Institute of Kimchi, who led the research, said, “Our research has proven for the first time in the world that kimchi has two different simultaneous effects: activating defence cells and suppressing excessive response.”
If you want to harness the benefits of kimchi for your own health, you can make it at home.
Watch the recipe here –
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Kimchi Recipe
Shared by Chef Parth Bajaj
This easy homemade kimchi captures authentic tangy spice using simple ingredients. Ferment time: 1-5 days. Yields about 1 jar.
Ingredients:
- ½ kg napa/Chinese cabbage
- 3 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp ginger (grated)
- ½ small onion
- ⅓ cup gochugaru chili flakes
- Handful green onions (chopped)
- Handful julienned carrots
Method:
- Salt Cabbage: Chop cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Massage with 3 tbsp salt; let sit 1-2 hours until wilted. Rinse 3x, drain well.
- Make Paste: Blend ½ cup water, rice flour, and sugar into a slurry; cook on low until thickened (2 mins). Cool. Blend garlic, ginger, and onion into a paste; mix with cooled slurry and gochugaru.
- Mix & Pack: Coat cabbage, green onions, and carrots with paste. Pack tightly into a sterilised jar, pressing to submerge in brine. Leave 1-inch headspace.
- Ferment: Room temp (18-22°C), 1-5 days, burping daily. Taste for tang; refrigerate when ready. Keeps for 1 month.
- Enjoy with rice or as banchan! Adjust spice to taste.
