Kim Chee/ Kimchi

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Glad you liked it. Bob seemed to as well. Bummer. It would have gone nicely with the fish I think. None with breakfast? That what I would have done. It goes nicely with eggs.

Oh, I'm pretty sure we served it with breakfast, but had no takers. ONE of the members of this group who shall remain nameless (cough, Homer) was hungover and was not really in the mood for sausage, eggs, and kimchee. No one else had a hangover Saturday, not even the very drunk bottle-breaking guy. I'm sure your kids can fill you in, if you haven't heard. :D
 
Oh, I'm pretty sure we served it with breakfast, but had no takers. ONE of the members of this group who shall remain nameless (cough, Homer) was hungover and was not really in the mood for sausage, eggs, and kimchee. No one else had a hangover Saturday, not even the very drunk bottle-breaking guy. I'm sure your kids can fill you in, if you haven't heard. :D

I have renewed faith in Homer now. There were some big beers floating around. I'm glad he made the best of it.

I was on the sweeping crew. If anyone shoud have had a hangover, It was bottle-smasher. I would only be more impressed if he had some kimchi with breakfast:)
 
Well, here goes nothing. I sure would like to know why mine is brown. The fish sauce I used was brown, so I guess that's why?

IMG_5644.JPG

She's fermenting now. Lots of bubbles. Can't wait to see how this this thing turns out. Might give a bite tomorrow. It's fermenting at 17C (64F)
 
She's fermenting now. Lots of bubbles. Can't wait to see how this this thing turns out. Might give a bite tomorrow. It's fermenting at 17C (64F)

It's gonna be awesome and all of a sudden...GONE. Start another batch now!..Just some friendly advice from uncle lschiavo:drunk:

My 4 gallon batch is already dwindling but that is MY problem.
 
Nobody has complemented me yet so I still have work to do;) I still have a few gallons left. I'm trying to save some for you.

Oh, wait a minute there mister! I definitely complimented you, and told you that I LOVED it. It's gone, of course, but I really loved it. I thought it was great, and you gave me a lot. I thought it had the perfect amount of heat and tangy combined, and I was a big fan.

You could sell it- but "lschiavo's kimchee" doesn't sound that great. You'll have to come up with a new name. :D
 
Yooper said:
Oh, wait a minute there mister! I definitely complimented you, and told you that I LOVED it. It's gone, of course, but I really loved it. I thought it was great, and you gave me a lot. I thought it had the perfect amount of heat and tangy combined, and I was a big fan.

You could sell it- but "lschiavo's kimchee" doesn't sound that great. You'll have to come up with a new name. :D

You missed the post before...;)

I know you liked it. There's more if you want some. That batch sat at room temp for a week and was nice and sour. I just ate the whole bowl.
 
You missed the post before...;)

I know you liked it. There's more if you want some. That batch sat at room temp for a week and was nice and sour. I just ate the whole bowl.

Um, oh. :drunk:

And of course, I'd love some more! I just got home a few hours ago, so I actually have to do some stuff around the house like brew. :drunk: I love it that brewing is considered "housework" at our house!

Anyway, I'll try to get with you ASAP and get some of that awesome kimchee. And tell you what the_bird and paulthenurse are really like in person. :D
 
Bob just got an email from some guests that came over the brewcrew group left, and I had left the bucket of kimchee on the counter (around 64-66 degrees). So, that would have been at room temperature for about another 5 days or so, after Homer wouldn't try it. :D

He emailed and asked for the recipe for that "fermented food from the bucket at camp".

I guess that means that he liked it as much as I did! I'm mourning the loss, as it is long gone.

Edit- I wonder if "fermented food from your bucket at camp" is a compliment or not. Normally, anything in a bucket that has been fermented would be beer. Or wine. But "fermented food from your bucket" sounds pretty gross now that I think about it!
 
Tell them that was the compost bucket;)

You guys rushed out of here the other day or I would have given you more. There is still plenty.

Oh, I had no idea! I would have brought the empty bucket back and came begging. I'll bring your bucket on Saturday, if I remember.

Speaking of Saturday, I don't s'pose you'll be serving kimchee with the rest of the party goodies?!?! :cross:

I did not want to rush, but it was getting near 4PM, which is Bob's "I gotta make dinner now" time. I was perfectly content watching your nearly naked kids playing in the yard. I was tempted to jump on the water sprinkler/trampoline set up, and I think your youngest was game for that.

Oh, by the way, Bob did the literal "lol" at the compost bucket comment. Probably because it was right next to the compost bucket all weekend, come to think of it.
 
Well I haven't posted here in a long while, I think my last batch was over a year ago. I finally got around to being able to make a batch last night along with some korean radish cubed. Came home today and the microbes are fast at work. :D The radish is below the cabbage in the big vessel and in the mason jar:
262967_10151280731513273_1949927773_n.jpg
 
Well I haven't posted here in a long while, I think my last batch was over a year ago. I finally got around to being able to make a batch last night along with some korean radish cubed. Came home today and the microbes are fast at work. :D The radish is below the cabbage in the big vessel and in the mason jar:
262967_10151280731513273_1949927773_n.jpg

That really looks good. I like the color. It LOOKS spicy!
 
That looks perfect. How are you going to keep that big jar cool? You could just store it outside, Korean-style, now that temperatures are cooling off.
 
That really looks good. I like the color. It LOOKS spicy!

It looks spicy but it really isn't, the pepper flakes are a bit deceiving.

That looks perfect. How are you going to keep that big jar cool? You could just store it outside, Korean-style, now that temperatures are cooling off.

I just leave it on my counter. My room temp is at 76, but I've never really had any issues with temperatures and the flavor of the veggies.
 
I just leave it on my counter. My room temp is at 76, but I've never really had any issues with temperatures and the flavor of the veggies.

I think temperature control for kimchi is not quite as important as it is for brewing. But isn't your kimchi quickly becoming very sour? I imagine you'd eventually get the same level of acidity as you'd find in sauerkraut.

One thing Koreans are always talking about doing with kimchi that has become very sour is using it to make kimchi jjigae. I haven't made it yet, but here's a recipe: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-chigae-kongnamool

Another thing I have made with my kimchi once it becomes too sour to eat by itself (it happens in the fridge too, it just takes longer) is kimchi pancakes! http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchijeon

As for the spiciness, I would say don't worry if you're getting just a mild level of spice. If you're using gochugaru and it looks as red as that picture, it is plenty spicy enough. It has been surprising to me how many Korean dishes are really not made to be extremely spicy. After hearing Koreans cautiously ask me over and over if my white palette can handle spicy foods, I expected Korean cooking to be a capsaicin fest. But the average kimchi is not nearly as hot as the average Mexican salsa, in my limited experience.

My guess, from that picture, is that you're doing it just right!
 
I think temperature control for kimchi is not quite as important as it is for brewing. But isn't your kimchi quickly becoming very sour? I imagine you'd eventually get the same level of acidity as you'd find in sauerkraut.

Well the level of acidity that I like doesn't start to blossom till about 2nd or 3rd week at which time I put it in the fridge. It's already spewing out since it's full to the brim.

One thing Koreans are always talking about doing with kimchi that has become very sour is using it to make kimchi jjigae. I haven't made it yet, but here's a recipe: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-chigae-kongnamool
Yes that jjigae recipe is delish, I've made it several times. I also got a good recipe book from an author out in L.A. which covers a good amount of korean dishes and kimchi.

Another thing I have made with my kimchi once it becomes too sour to eat by itself (it happens in the fridge too, it just takes longer) is kimchi pancakes! http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchijeon
Yes that stuff is killer! I have a good recipe in the book I mentioned above.

As for the spiciness, I would say don't worry if you're getting just a mild level of spice. If you're using gochugaru and it looks as red as that picture, it is plenty spicy enough. It has been surprising to me how many Korean dishes are really not made to be extremely spicy. After hearing Koreans cautiously ask me over and over if my white palette can handle spicy foods, I expected Korean cooking to be a capsaicin fest. But the average kimchi is not nearly as hot as the average Mexican salsa, in my limited experience.

No worries, I consume extremely spicy stuff (Thai, Taiwanese, Sichuan) so I guess my palate is probably shot because of it. Below you can see a pic of some thai food I made the other day which was pretty spicy.

My guess, from that picture, is that you're doing it just right!
:mug:

552744_10151284245178273_1543764336_n.jpg
 
Well the level of acidity that I like doesn't start to blossom till about 2nd or 3rd week at which time I put it in the fridge. It's already spewing out since it's full to the brim.


Yes that jjigae recipe is delish, I've made it several times. I also got a good recipe book from an author out in L.A. which covers a good amount of korean dishes and kimchi.


Yes that stuff is killer! I have a good recipe in the book I mentioned above.



No worries, I consume extremely spicy stuff (Thai, Taiwanese, Sichuan) so I guess my palate is probably shot because of it. Below you can see a pic of some thai food I made the other day which was pretty spicy.


:mug:

552744_10151284245178273_1543764336_n.jpg

Holy $hit! That looks delicious! How do I get an invite for dinner next time?
 
Hahha, this is almost like a nightly thing for me. :p

And yeah and the kimchi threw up all over the counter the day before last, it's getting a nice and tangy now. :)
 
KIMCHI!!!! the absolute best Hot Dog topping in the world!! I love Kimchi! I haven't made it yet because my wife can't stand the smell.
 
Also -- if you buy kimchi from the stores, keep the glass jars. They are excellent containers for starters!
 
SubSailor- I wholeheartedly agree with you!!! I thought I was the only hot dog and kimchi fan.

My neighbour a couple houses down makes awesome stuff - I'm going to ask her if she'll share her recipe and method.

Incidentally, her husband's a German guy from Dortmund...maybe we can work some sort of swap...Dortmunder Export for kimchi...
 
Funny you posted. Just thinking this morning about getting some napa and making another batch. Man I love that stuff (too much!).

The craving seems to hit me this time of year too. I made my usual 15lb batch. I'm going to have to add the daikon later. We couldn't find it today. I got my ferm chamber up and running after a few year break. I even started a wine kit for good measure.
 
The craving seems to hit me this time of year too. I made my usual 15lb batch. I'm going to have to add the daikon later. We couldn't find it today. I got my ferm chamber up and running after a few year break. I even started a wine kit for good measure.

Heh, I think daikon is what I meant. :) I think I still have some of the right red pepper. There's a pic in this thread where I used the wrong stuff and it turned out the wrong color (still was good :)
 
Heh, I think daikon is what I meant. :) I think I still have some of the right red pepper. There's a pic in this thread where I used the wrong stuff and it turned out the wrong color (still was good :)

Diakon adds a special flavor. I hope we can find some soon. I have used red radishes and they are similar but not quite the same. I just got my new bag of Korean pepper flakes from Amazon the other day. They also have a very unique flavor (and lots of color;)). In the end, can fermented cabbage be wrong?
 
Diakon adds a special flavor. I hope we can find some soon. I have used red radishes and they are similar but not quite the same. I just got my new bag of Korean pepper flakes from Amazon the other day. They also have a very unique flavor (and lots of color;)). In the end, can fermented cabbage be wrong?

Last time I made it I was shocked to find diakon at my regular store (Publix).

No, fermented cabbage can never be wrong. Man you've got me thinking about it right now. I swear my mouth is watering, it is :)
 
I just made a batch. Anyone else still making kimchi?

I made 6 or 7 batches while we were in Texas. We had everything needed at the local store, including daikon. Since Napa cabbage was more expensive, a couple of times Bob bought collard greens or bok choy, and I made it with that. It got quite sour in 10 days, because of the warmth inside the house, and I just kept starting batches over and over with the liquid from the first batch. It was so awesome! Bob ate it with at least two meals every day.

I posted about this on Facebook (you must have missed it!) yesterday. I started a batch of gochujang, and I'm going to use some of that for my next kimchee batch. I have sauerkraut going now, and I'm fermenting some carrots, and I still have that fermented pepper paste that I'm going to turn into hot sauce.

Anyway, I like using the gochujang for the paste in the kimchee. I bought the commercial bottles at the local store in Texas, but making my own is nice because I reduced the sugar. When you stop over, I'll give you a little of the "quick" (unfermented) gochujang and some of the pepper paste if you want. The pepper paste is HOT. Like, a nuclear weapon hot. I haven't diluted it yet. :D

Where did you get the napa cabbage?
 
I need to start a fresh batch. We're on the last jar of the existing batch, which is pretty strong at this point. It seems to have gotten spicier over time (as well as more sour).
 
I made 6 or 7 batches while we were in Texas. We had everything needed at the local store, including daikon. Since Napa cabbage was more expensive, a couple of times Bob bought collard greens or bok choy, and I made it with that. It got quite sour in 10 days, because of the warmth inside the house, and I just kept starting batches over and over with the liquid from the first batch. It was so awesome! Bob ate it with at least two meals every day.

I posted about this on Facebook (you must have missed it!) yesterday. I started a batch of gochujang, and I'm going to use some of that for my next kimchee batch. I have sauerkraut going now, and I'm fermenting some carrots, and I still have that fermented pepper paste that I'm going to turn into hot sauce.

Anyway, I like using the gochujang for the paste in the kimchee. I bought the commercial bottles at the local store in Texas, but making my own is nice because I reduced the sugar. When you stop over, I'll give you a little of the "quick" (unfermented) gochujang and some of the pepper paste if you want. The pepper paste is HOT. Like, a nuclear weapon hot. I haven't diluted it yet. :D

Where did you get the napa cabbage?

I don't Facebook much so I didn't see your post. I'll certainly sample whatever you have to offer. Niki picked up the cabbage in iron mountain somewhere. I think it was about $2/lb. I finally started that wine kit you gave me last year too. Hope I can stop by this week.
 
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