Keep It Cleaner traditional spicy kimchi review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Keep It Cleaner traditional spicy kimchi. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this kimchi.
For this review we have tested the normal, non-vegan version.
You can find this kimchi in Coles and other food stores in Australia.
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional food product from Korea. It is made by fermenting cabbage and other vegetables. It’s red colour comes from the chilli powder used, however it is not overly spicy, rather it has a deep and warming heat. It is a living product full of probiotics (ie live beneficial microbes) and prebiotics such as cabbage, garlic, spring onion and onion which feed the good microbes in your gut.
Ingredients of Keep It Cleaner kimchi
This is a traditional kimchi so it does include fish sauce and shrimp paste.
The specific ingredients are: Chinese Cabbage, Chilli Powder, Garlic, Fish Sauce, Spring Onion, Onion, Shrimp Paste, Sugar, Salt and Ginger.
It doesn’t include any thickeners, flavour enhancers or preservatives.
It does include added sugar. For context, it has about 60% more sugar than Kehoe’s Kitchen red kimchi.
So as you can see, there’s nothing highly questionable in the ingredients and it includes various healthy vegetables.
Benefits of Keep It Cleaner kimchi
This kimchi has various health benefits, especially related to its probiotic and prebiotic content.
Probiotics
One of the main benefits of this kimchi is the probiotics it contains.
But because of the usual ‘wild fermentation’ process in making kimchi - which means it is fermented using the microbes already present on the cabbage, other ingredients and fermentation equipment - we don’t know exactly what strains are present and the quantity of them.
However this wild fermentation process (as opposed to inoculating the kimchi with specific bacterial strains as you might in commercial kefir or yoghurt) means there should be a huge diversity of microbes in this kimchi.
Learn more about the benefits of probiotics.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Prebiotics
Kimchi is fantastic for gut health because it contains prebiotics as well as probiotics. Prebiotics are fibre which feed the good bacteria in your gut and help them multiply. The cabbage, garlic, onion and spring onion in this kimchi are all prebiotic vegetables.
So not only are you getting the beneficial microbes, you are also getting the best food to feed them!
Read more about the benefits of prebiotics.
Garlic
This kimchi contains garlic which has a range of health benefits including supporting immune function as well as reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. It is also a good source of antioxidants as well as various vitamins and minerals such as manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium.
Read more about the benefits of garlic.
Ginger
Ginger has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It can also contribute to digestive health, weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.
Read more about the benefits of ginger.
Chilli powder
The chilli powder contains capsaicin which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that protect cells from damage and reduce inflammation.
Capsaicin is also high in vitamins A and C which support immune function. It also aids digestion by increasing the secretion of gastric juices.
Read more about the benefits of capsaicin.
Vegetables
This kimchi is a good source of vegetables containing cabbage, onion and spring onion.
Apart from being high in fibre, these vegetables support digestive health and heart health as well as boost the immune system. Collectively they provide various antioxidants, vitamins C, K, B6 and folate, as well as minerals like potassium, calcium and manganese.
Flavour
The aroma is strongly of spring onion and garlic with a bit of citrus.
The flavour is not too sour and it is deep and complex. The garlic and spring onion come through strongly alongside the deep chilli flavour.
Although it’s labelled as ‘spicy’, I would say it is moderately spicy - certainly not very spicy. But it is easily spicier than Kehoe’s Kitchen and The Kimchi Company and the heat does build if you eat a lot of it. Personally I don’t love things which are too spicy and I think the heat level of this kimchi is perfect.
You don’t notice the fish products unless you really try to. And they do add a nice depth of flavour and umami character.
Overall, the taste is very good and multi-layered - and quite moreish! I’ve eaten a third of the jar doing this review ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Uses
This kimchi is great as a side dish to many meals and excellent with any form of breakfast eggs. It would also be fantastic in a kimchi cheese toastie.
Otherwise it could go on burgers, wraps, Mexican food, soups, salads and much more.
Cost of Keep It Cleaner kimchi
You can buy a 400g jar in Coles for around $12.50 - which places it at the premium end of the market.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A delicious traditional kimchi with a nice heat.
Pros
great taste
source of probiotics
high in prebiotic fibres
good source of vitamins and minerals
various health benefits from the ginger, garlic and chilli
Cons
higher in sugar than some other brands
not the cheapest
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
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