Kimchi

I am trying to copy a brand of kimchi that I buy. Recipe that I found on line sounds simple. Brine napa cabbage for 12 hours. Then ferment with scallions, ginger, garlic, fish sauce,sea veges, pinch of sugar, salt to taste. Ferment for two days and then refrigerate.


I have a feeling this batch is going to suck. Does anyone have pointers.

well, you will need some rice flour and you need to ferment longer and where are the chilies? take the rice four and make a paste of it, rub it between the cabbage leaves, with ground chilies. This will aid in the fermentation. Add all the ingredients and let ferment at least a week or longer. I will see if I can find my Kimchi recipe. it might actually be somewhere on the forum here.

See Sachem's post @ nr 5

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/16035-Kim-Chee-I-love-thee

Roy Choi's recipe from his L.A. Son book is pretty darn good.
You must get some Gochugaru (KochuKaru) -dried & coarse ground Korean chiles.


Paste:
1 cup Gochugaru
1 cup peeled onion
1/2 cup H2O
15 Peeled Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup peeled chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup+ Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Natural Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Puree all these ingredients and set aside

Vegetables:
4 Cups H2O
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Napa Cabbage
1/2 Bunch Fresh Chives-cut into 1/4 inch batons
1/2 cup jarred baby oysters
1 Tbsp salted baby shrimp

Soak the cabbage in the salt H2o for 2-3 hrs at room temperature. Drain the cabbage and mix the paste, chives and oyster/shrimp between the leaves of the cabbage. Coat the exterior of the cabbage with the remaining paste.
Keep in a jar at room temp for at least 2 days. Refrigerate and will be ready in 2 weeks. Will keep indefinitely.

I made this recipe without the shrimp and oyster and it was still awesome. I've also "Kimchi'ed" other veggies with this paste recipe. Kimchi onions rock!

sachem allison said:

well, you will need some rice flour and you need to ferment longer and where are the chilies? take the rice four and make a paste of it, rub it between the cabbage leaves, with ground chilies. This will aid in the fermentation. Add all the ingredients and let ferment at least a week or longer. I will see if I can find my Kimchi recipe. it might actually be somewhere on the forum here.

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I did not forget Korean chilies. I noticed some recipes use rice flower and some do not. I only made two jars and will modify depending on results. They are fermenting on countertop now. I am addicted to this stuff.

Thanks all for input.

I think I am afraid of fermenting seafood. Any thoughts on safety here. I have young children.

I'm going to make this one once I get better. I make a very similar version cause I loves a good pickle. http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oisobagi-kimchi:bonappetit:

Damn that looks good. I saw a recipe above that uses vinegar. Won't that impede fermentation.

no vinegar is made through fermentation using a" mother of vinegar bacteria" that causes the conversion of alcohol and sugar into acetic acid. Sometimes store bought vinegar will have some mother in it but, more often than not it has been pasteurized and isn't at high enough acidity to kill the bacteria in the kimchi. The fermentation in kimchi is caused by the natural yeast on the cabbage which converts the sugars into acetic acid making it sour. The addition of vinegar just speeds up the souring process.

We make an American wild ale fermented Kimchi at the restaurant every so often. Comes out great and ties the whole beer thing into the mix which fits our theme well.

About the vinegar, it prob depends on what you're making the kimchi for. If you like it sour and/or want to use it for tchigae or bokumbap, etc, then it's prob a good idea. Or maybe you like the fresher-tasting stuff. Or both. Without checking, I don't think the vinegar would be traditional though.

Ucmd said:

I think I am afraid of fermenting seafood. Any thoughts on safety here. I have young children.

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Well, Koreans have been doing it for a long time... fresh oysters are commonly used as are dried anchovies or shrimp.

Seafood adds an umami dimension that is noticeable.

This is a good site with recipes: http://park.org/Cdrom/Pavilions/Kimchi/

I like to add daikon and red Fresno peppers, but the salted baby shrimp and rice flour are absolutely necessary.

Well, I let if ferment three day and tried a bit. It's ok but not what I am looking for.

To summarize, I brined napa cabbage 12 hours, then washed and added garlic, ginger, pinch sugar, Korean chili, sesame seeds, sea veges, salt as needed.

It is missing that tartness that I love. I'm going to put in fridge and try next week.

I always thought kimchi was placed in sealed, clay vessels and buried in the ground and allowed to ferment for some amount of time. I assumed burying the pots was some kind of temperature control measure. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread so Ucmd I hope you keep us informed of your progress, good or bad. I love kimchi and now that I see you can make it at home ...

I'll chime in tomorrow. Going to open a jay after three day ferment.

If these jars suck, I going to use less garlic, less time in brine, and rice flour.

99Limited said:

I always thought kimchi was placed in sealed, clay vessels and buried in the ground and allowed to ferment for some amount of time. I assumed burying the pots was some kind of temperature control measure. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread so Ucmd I hope you keep us informed of your progress, good or bad. I love kimchi and now that I see you can make it at home ...

Click to expand...

They buried them in the ground because they had no refrigeration and the ground kept the food cool and at a constant temperature. Making kimchi was a way to provide yourself with vegetables in times when not as many things grew. you could have a little bit of vegetables out of season. It was also a good way to deal with any surplus. Instead of letting the extra vegetables rot you could preserve them for later use.

Well this is weird. Do you ever feel that you're being spied on by your PC? My YouTube home page shows a video on "How to make ?????" Kimchi. Coincident or do I need to look over my shoulder?

Big brother is watching

Been at least 5 days since last post. How's the kimchi coming along?

my wife and i tried it.

it was frightening. our batch fizzed like a Sprite soda. hahaha..i think the bacteria and a Rave party.

i live surrounded by awesome Korean grocery stores. buy kimchi is not expensive, and my fridge smells better because of it.

i've been pounding these tiny salted, fermented soy beans..tiny scoop of the things over a big bowl of rice. yum. beans are soy sauced..kinda sweet, dang.

When I lived in north Atlanta there was a large Korean population and we had a Super H market close. Kinda like a Korean Whole Foods, well not quite but it was pretty nice.

I tried a bit yesterday. It is not tangy enough and too much garlic, not enough cabbage. I think I need to readjust. I really like the wildbrine Korean kimchi a wholefoods. Just not sure how to replicate it.

Ucmd said:

I tried a bit yesterday. It is not tangy enough and too much garlic, not enough cabbage. I think I need to readjust. I really like the wildbrine Korean kimchi a wholefoods. Just not sure how to replicate it.

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Do you happen to have a jar of WF's kimchi handy? Look at the ingredient list and see if you can pick out any additives. I expect the tangy part is a chemical, for lack of a better term although sounds bad here. Maybe citric acid. Buy some unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid or you might be able to buy citric acid OTC. Make up your brine as usual. Pour a cup, literally, and add 1/8 tsp of citric acid/Kool-Aid and see it that's taking you in the right direction.

99Limited said:

Do you happen to have a jar of WF's kimchi handy? Look at the ingredient list and see if you can pick out any additives. I expect the tangy part is a chemical, for lack of a better term although sounds bad here. Maybe citric acid. Buy some unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid or you might be able to buy citric acid OTC. Make up your brine as usual. Pour a cup, literally, and add 1/8 tsp of citric acid/Kool-Aid and see it that's taking you in the right direction.

Click to expand...

you can also purchase "sour salt " in the kosher food section of most large grocery stores.

Do not fear the fermenting seafood. Fish sauce anyone?

Ok, I let the chi sit another week. Final thoughts on this batch....less garlic, less sea veges, less onion, more cabbage. I need more liquid so I am going to brine less and use same amnt of salt and sugar.

Thoughts

I love kimchi. As for fermented seafood they're everywhere in southeast Asian cuisine. You can't cook without fermented or dried shrimp.