help on kimchi, pls!

[T-Bird]

trying to make as traditional as poss....most call for sugar...

Would raw honey interfere with the "culturing"? Any one with experience....

[DebB]

Wish I could help, but I haven't made it yet.

I just got back from a brew supply store to get the air lock and gasket to make my own 'perfect pickler' setup. Sheesh - those 2 items were less than $1.50! Crazy...
*Ü*

[T-Bird]

oh - deb - b- nobi!

You were my only hope! lol!

I'll try the honey and see how it works out.....


I'm going nuts today - putting up kim chi, 2 different krauts, and going to do sauerruben and sour beets too!

hope I make it to the end of the day - I'm exhausted already....had to go shopping for some more ingredients, I got so crazy!

[T-Bird]

also making all my dressing, and cole slaw.....

[DebB]

oh - deb - b- nobi!

You were my only hope! lol!

I'll try the honey and see how it works out.....


I'm going nuts today - putting up kim chi, 2 different krauts, and going to do sauerruben and sour beets too!

hope I make it to the end of the day - I'm exhausted already....had to go shopping for some more ingredients, I got so crazy!

Haha - that's funny!! Wow - you're obvioiusly in the mood for some fermentin'! Keep us posted how it all turns out okay?

[T-Bird]

well I made it through, put them all up, and cleaned the kitchen up.....basically :-p my whole day, lol! (along with the slaw and salad dressings..)

Did a head of nappa into the kim chi (the most labor intensive by far!)

2 head of green into kraut
1 head of red into kraut
3 turnips into the sauerruben
2 beets into the saur beets

(+1 head green into the slaw....)

All recipes from "wild fermentation" - with the kimchi, I used the wild fermentation plus a video recipe from a korean chef and hybridized the recipe from those 2 sources, added a few raw vegan subs, and did it.........my way....

Just topped off with a bit of water, except the kim chi that I add water to yesterday and the turnips which released a lot of liquid....everything looks good.

It's amazing how these compact! so somehow over the next week or two, I'm going to eat 5 heads of cabbage.....? What was I thinking?

LOL - I do love the kraut! the ruben and beets are experiments, and small quantities....with the red, I'm going to kraut it for just 2-3 days for light fermentation, then toss with honey and golden raisins for something I hope the kids will like.....it's an experiment, see how it turns out.....combining 2 salads I've had at restaurants with a bit of fermentation to soften up the cabbage....

haven't had kim chi since going veg 25 years ago, due to the fish sauce issues....don't even remember if I liked it, but that was prior to becoming a cabbage junkie....

High is 82 today, 78 tomorrow.....these will ferment quickly....today is sprout day.....

Note to self - I never want to spend all saturday in the kitchen again.....the trouble is once I haul out the food processor and vitamix, I like to get enough use out of them to make the set up/clean up worth it. It was sure less work overall than doing 1/2 this, clean up, then 1/2 today.....And it really isn't that much food when it compacts and ferments!!!!!!

the answer is a dishwasher! but that won't be for a year or 2 down the line....the whole kitchen needs a gut redo, and I have to get into better financial shape before I take that on....

Anyhoo! Cheers to all you fermenters!!!

[GreginND]

I've never used sugar in my kimchee and my Korean friend who taught me how to make it doesn't either. Here's a blog post I did a few years ago: http://gregcooks.blogspot.com/2007/11/kimchee-tutorial.html

[MysticTree]

GreginND,
What would you recommend a Raw Vegan to use instead of the fish sauce in the recipe you give?

Thanks

[DebB]

Wow T-Bird! You were one busy girly yesterday! I agree - I consider it a messy project making a ferment, that's why I make a gallon at a time vs smaller batches.

I've got Wild Fermentation also. I bought the book & DVD set from Amazon. I was disappointed in the DVD in that I thought it was going to show how to ferment; given its title "Fermentation Workshop". But, its Sandor giving a talk on fermentation, its history, etc. It was interesting, just not was I was hopin' for.

Please keep us posted how everything turns out. What kind of red pepper for heat did you use in the k.c.? *Ü*

[T-Bird]

Thanks for asking deb!!!

I used 3 dried slim cheyenne peppers that I dried (105*!!!)from last years garden.....also the kim chi scallions were taken from this years early offerings....

I am so hungry for it!!!! Must......wait......must.....wait......

at least the cole slaw is ready.....

[MysticTree]

Thanks for asking deb!!!

I used 3 dried slim cheyenne peppers that I dried (105*!!!)from last years garden.....also the kim chi scallions were taken from this years early offerings....

I am so hungry for it!!!! Must......wait......must.....wait......

at least the cole slaw is ready.....

lol ... salad onions are so slow ... mine are barely through the soil cos I sowed them late.

[T-Bird]

Here's my official 3 day update.....

kimchi is great, totally loving and getting in another batch asap. DD liked it too, mixed it up with some rice and nori sheets.....she's been visiting a korean friend after school and picked up this snack habit....my take away message was that my kimchi compared favorably to the "real deal" from the homeland! Going to make some tweaks, but a huge success!

Thought the regular(green cabbage) was done - had a bunch for breakfast (?!?) at work but think I might take it out of the fridge at home and let it "develop" a day or two more....needs a bit more sour....

Not sure about the turnips, which sandor raved about in his book. leaving for a few more days culturing.....

Took one look at the beets, and said "I'm not going to like this...." took a tiny taste....with fear....and "I'm going to love this!"

put the red cabbage in the fridge to experiment with later....

So far - eating about a head of cabbage a day - and really liking it!

[MysticTree]

that does sound good and so glad you liked the beets ... is that what we call beetroot over here? Root veg usually red but other colours are in and out of vogue?

[T-Bird]

yep - I think the kind I'm using are detroit dark red.....

[MysticTree]

I am growing some so I may have to try this recipe out on them when they are big enough. I don't think I am hard-core when it comes to the sourness thing ... maybe I can learn to like it better!

[GreginND]

GreginND,
What would you recommend a Raw Vegan to use instead of the fish sauce in the recipe you give?

Thanks

You could leave it out all together and it will taste just fine.

[T-Bird]

I put some dried seaweed in and whirred it up with the other sauce ingredients.