
Celebrity chef Roy Choi's tips for better kimchi


My grandmother has been trying to make kimchi for the past 40 years, and she's terrible at it. (Don't get mad at me. My mom will back me up.)
Each time she tries something different, and each time she has a batch that she thinks is finally The One. But it always tastes like there's something missing.
We wanted to help my grandma finally make the perfect kimchi. So I spoke to celebrity chef Roy Choi about how to make it right. He has shows on Netflix and PBS, and he was named one of Time's most influential people.
Choi actually got his start in the food world by helping his mom make and sell kimchi, selling it like mixed tapes out of a trunk.
"You've gotta be aggressive because it's gotta move," he told me. "It's like a ticking time bomb. Unload the grenades before they blow up."
He analyzed the recipe, which he said was mostly fine, but he felt like something was missing. He then did his best to troubleshoot the recipe for our family.
Listen to the full episode for his tips, and to hear how my grandma reacted.