New batch of carrots and new kimchi started!

[Yooper]

I just got a new batch of kimchi started, finding napa cabbage on sale! It’s warm in my house right now, and it’s fermenting beautifully. The carrots are slower (ginger, garlic, carrots, brine) but going well.
I added a lot of garlic and ginger to this kimchi, and went spicier than usual since I’m craving hot stuff lately!

 

[D.B.Moody]

I just got a new batch of kimchi started, finding napa cabbage on sale! It’s warm in my house right now, and it’s fermenting beautifully. The carrots are slower

I guess if you like to ferment things, you like to ferment things. How did you acquire a taste for kimchi? My younger son had a Korean housemate in grad school. He seems fairly normal apart from this acquired taste..

 

[Dog House Brew]

I have found they Kimchi totally depends on the recipe. I’ve had it where I hated it. I’m cutting my cabbage tomorrow. I’ll be making mine and haven’t decided on my recipe. The recipient are quite varied. I have my authentic sea salt and pepper flakes, the rest I’m not sure.

 

[FromZwolle]

How did you acquire a taste for kimchi?

have some good kimchi in a bowl of ramen. it's a game changer.

 

[Yooper]

I guess if you like to ferment things, you like to ferment things. How did you acquire a taste for kimchi? My younger son had a Korean housemate in grad school. He seems fairly normal apart from this acquired taste..

Ha- well, about a hundred years ago when I was in the Army and in intelligence school, some of the guys had been posted to Korea and had Korean wives. They’d bring their lunch since we were quite a ways from the mess hall, and the stench was disgusting. I would have to leave the room or ask them to please go outside! Then, little by little, I’d sit closer. Eventually, I tried a bite. Then I became an addict and really got into Korean food.

Unfortunately, the Army sent me to Germany and not Korea so I didn’t have it again for years and years. But I still remembered loving kimchi and other Korean dishes, and once the internet came along with places to buy what I needed and information on how to do it, I started making Asian favorites including kimchi.

I guess it’s an acquired taste, like black olives or something!

 

[bracconiere]

I guess it’s an acquired taste, like black olives or something!

you mean black olives are an acquired taste? i thought it was a must?


and kimchi on sausage is good! and now i'm going to have to scoure the fermented foods forum to find your recipe for fermenting carrots! sounds like a cheap tasty way to get a boost of vitamin a!

 

[The Original Slim]

This is something I would really like to do as well. Kimchee is great! I'd eat it twice a day easy if I could afford to pay $4 a day for those little jars. I had Kimchee made in the Philippines that I had a bad reaction to,so I thought I was suddenly allergic. Bought a jar here in Oregon after we returned,and all is well again. Must have been an anomaly.

 

[Beer Viking]

I love kimchi! It would be great to see a picture of your finished stuff. How many days do you let it ferment for?

 

[Deadalus]

I tried making a couple batches myself. I really like Napa cabbage but I did not grow up eating Korean food so being able to lower the heat is helpful.

 

[Barbarossa]

Here's the batch I did last weekend

Here's after the first fermentation was over. Lovely color.

 

[Beer Viking]

Looks delicious! How long did you ferment it for?

 

[Barbarossa]

Looks delicious! How long did you ferment it for?

Most of it for one full day. Need to taste it so that it does not become too sour. I keep one jar, like this one in the picture, out for two days and eat it last. It can still mature for up to four weeks in the fridge but it never last that long. And it's good at every steps.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I fermented my last batch for 6 days @ 62. Best batch I’ve ever made. It took me some time to learn how to grow the cabbage. I have one gallon jar left from Dec. I swear it is better now than when I made it.

 

[BGBC]

Agreed, I like to leave mine out to ferment for at least a week. Lasts in the fridge as long as I can keep from eating it. More funk the better.

 

[Knightshade]

Okay..so I see a couple different mentions of people taking a go at kimchi...but no references to actual recipes. I took a random stab at this last weekend. Ended up with EXTREMELY salty cabbage (and carrots and onions because...I needed to use some of it up) that was a little spicy...with 0 funkiness. Help?

 

[Tom R]

Okay.. so I see a couple different mentions of people taking a go at kimchi... but no references to actual recipes. I took a random stab at this last weekend. Ended up with EXTREMELY salty cabbage (and carrots and onions because... I needed to use some of it up) that was a little spicy... with 0 funkiness. Help?

You did throughly rinse the salt off the cabbage after brining it, right?

 

[Knightshade]

I didn't do that...I've since thrown it out and figured I'd start over. So many recipes out there, just looking for a good base to start with.

 

[Tom R]

I use this recipe, with extra radish.
Be sure to use the gochugaru pepper flakes, they make all the difference. I bought mine on Amazon.
How To Make Easy Kimchi - Recipe | Kitchn (thekitchn.com)

 

[jtratcliff]

I use this recipe, with extra radish.
Be sure to use the gochugaru pepper flakes, they make all the difference. I bought mine on Amazon.
How To Make Easy Kimchi - Recipe | Kitchn (thekitchn.com)

This is the recipe I've been using too.. I also watched Maang Chi's kimchi video

I've tried it with Mother-in-law's gochugaru and with Crazy Korean Cooking version... (both off of Amazon). Mother-in-Law's is not quite as hot as the other one.

We really like it for breakfast... Kimchi, rice, and an over easy egg with a dollop of gochujang (Chung Jung One)....

 

[Oldskewl]

That is the recipe I use. Makes better kimchi than you find in the grocery store. And you can adjust the heat by how much gochugaru you use. I like 3-4 TBS. Make sure your salt is iodine free and your water is chlorine free. And you do need to rinse the salt off. I use a colander.

 

[Knightshade]

Oddly enough..I'll probably goto the Korean superstore down the street to get the gochugaru that is mentioned. They have plenty of variety of kimchi, just want to take my own stab at it...cuzz...well why not.

Or I'll get lazy and just use Sambal because I have plenty of it.

I'll definitely rinse next time around, saltiness was big time Yuck!!

 

[Dog House Brew]

Couldn’t grow my cabbage this year. I was so hot it went to seed. I’ve never had that happen. Making this is easy and keeps for a long time.

 

[Beer666]

Are most of you adding fish sauce? Stinks but i really like it.

 

[Tom R]

You bet!

 

[jtratcliff]

Are most of you adding fish sauce? Stinks but i really like it.

SWMBO doesn't like the fish sauce... So I only add 1 tbsp fish sauce, some CocoAminos (she's also soy-free, or I'd use soy sauce) and some Worcestershire sauce...

Still works...

I use about 3tbsp of gochugaru, too... Mild to moderate heat...

 

[crazyjake19]

Are most of you adding fish sauce? Stinks but i really like it.

I always do. There are varying grades of fish sauce. Ideally, you want something good like Red Boat, but the cheaper stuff will suffice. It does not make the kimchi "fishy" at all but adds a really nice umami flavor behind the sour and spicy flavors.

 

[crazyjake19]

Couldn’t grow my cabbage this year. I was so hot it went to seed. I’ve never had that happen. Making this is easy and keeps for a long time.

I also aspired to grow everything for my kimchi this year, but had varying levels of success in the garden, likely due to an incredible amount of rain we had in July. I had tons of daikon radish, but the carrots and napa cabbage did not grow so well.

 

[Beer666]

I always do. There are varying grades of fish sauce. Ideally, you want something good like Red Boat, but the cheaper stuff will suffice. It does not make the kimchi "fishy" at all but adds a really nice umami flavor behind the sour and spicy flavors.

I much prefer it with to be honest. Makes it taste more authentic. Will keep an eye out for the red boat. Cheers,

 

[Dog House Brew]

Are most of you adding fish sauce? Stinks but i really like it.

Yes, I use Red Boat

 

[crazyjake19]

I much prefer it with to be honest. Makes it taste more authentic. Will keep an eye out for the red boat. Cheers,

Red Boat is widely regarded as one of the best that are widely available. A premium fish sauce will have only two ingredients: anchovies and salt. Cheaper brands may include water, MSG, and other additives.

 

[Beer666]

Red Boat is widely regarded as one of the best that are widely available. A premium fish sauce will have only two ingredients: anchovies and salt. Cheaper brands may include water, MSG, and other additives.

Thanks for the info. I picked up some dried anchovies this week so i might try a small batch with some of them until i can find the sauce.

 

[Yooper]

Are most of you adding fish sauce? Stinks but i really like it.

Absolutely!
It's either that or raw oysters, so I go with the fish sauce.

 

[Evilgrin]

I only use RedBoat but there are a couple others that work fine too. There is a Korean fish sauce brand that is just anchovy, salt and water too. They sell 2 kinds so you have to read the label to make sure you get the right one.

Should be the blue bottle Chung Jung One i think is the name. Its pretty cheap at Asian markets.
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Anch...F0RDRVC/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B00F0RDRVC&psc=1

 

[jtratcliff]

It's either that or raw oysters, so I go with the fish sauce.

Maangchi uses fermented squid...

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi

 

[Yooper]

Maangchi uses fermented squid...

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi

I know! I wish I had the guts to do that. I can get oysters easier than fresh squid, but even so................

 

[Evilgrin]

There is a salted shrimp that is used too.
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredient/salted-shrimp

 

[Evilgrin]

BTW, the Amazon price for gochugaru is insane. My markets sell kilo bags as low as $8 for Assi brand. Korean origin cost around $16-18 for a pound. You might be able to order from Hmart cheaper than Amazon.

MAKE SURE TO FREEZE GOCHUGARU AFTER YOU OPEN THE BAG....It WILL mold if you dont.

 

[Evilgrin]

They have plenty of variety of kimchi, just want to take my own stab at it...cuzz...well why not.

Try this, i call it kimchi light. I make this for brats. Good in noodles too like ramen.
2-3 bags of Dole Slaw mix 14oz each
Sea salt (2% by weight) which will be 16grams for 800grams of slaw mix
1-2 TBS of Korean pepper flakes per bag
1 TBS fish sauce per bag.
2 Green onion and 2 garlic cloves per bag of slaw mix.

Combine salt and slaw mix. Let it weep for a couple hours. Stir several times while it weeps
Add the rest of the stuff and mix well.
Pack it into Mason jar/s with a fermenter lid
Leave it at room temp for 2-3 days
Toss it in the fridge for a month or more.

For me the older the better because old kimchi is the best for soup/stew. Ive got kimchi well over a year old. It makes the absolute best kimchi stew. Old kimchi at my market is expensive. I can get huge jars cheap but that little bag of 2yr is like $8 and its worth it if you want amazing kimchi jjiggae.

One of my Costcos sells kimchi and it aint too damn bad. I toss it in the back of the fridge and forget about it. Its really good after it sets a couple more months.

 

[Beer666]

I know! I wish I had the guts to do that. I can get oysters easier than fresh squid, but even so................

You know what it would take someone braver than myself to try and ferment oysters. Had food poisoning twice from them and not something i want to repeat. lol.

 

[Knightshade]

Have to give some thanks for everybody bumping this thread because it reminded me that I had bought Napa cabbage and daikon to try again.

“Oh shoot..”
“Dang it…can’t believe I forgot..”
“Dude..seriously, go chop up the damn cabbage already.”

So yeah..this is my take 2, small batch last night