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geokills
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KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables 3
#12145093 - 03/04/10 09:26 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Having grown up in a town with a 30% Korean population and having many good Korean friends, I've never been far from these smelly, blended bloody-brain lookin' jars of delicious crunch inherent to Korean cuisine and found in any and every Korean household I've ever been in! Intimidating upon first looks, this "banchan" (aka side dish) is actually incredibly delicious. Spicy, crunchy, hell this crazy concoction is even quite good for you!
But rather than continuing to raid the refrigerators of my K-town brethren; my lovely partner in crime (aka my better half) opted to find a recipe to manipulate for our own, homemade, pantry fermented kimchi.
Enough banter, let's get this show on the road...
While Kimchi comes in many variations, here are the basic ingredients:
- Napa Cabbage (aka Chinese Cabbage ~ 1.5 lb)
- Daikon Radish (~ 0.5 lb)
- Green Onion (5 - 10 pieces cut into 1 - 2 inch lengths)
- Salt (at least 3 or 4 tbsp)
- Garlic (3 - 4 large cloves, minced)
- Fresh Ginger (1 - 2 inch piece, peeled & minced)
- Red Pepper (~ 2 tbsp to taste)
- Sugar (~ 1 - 2 tsp to taste)
Note: Carrot, broccoli, cucumber and sometimes even fruit are found in many Kimchi recipes!
To begin, wash and chop your Napa Cabbage into pieces that are hefty but still bite-size.
Peel your daikon radish and do likewise. Be creative - long "noodles", small blocks, and even large saucers that take a few bites are all fun to make and to eat! While the cabbage will wilt quite a bit after pickling, the daikon will retain much of its structure (& crunch), so have some fun on these.
When you have your cabbage and radish washed and chopped, you're going to want to mix enough water & salt to cover them all in a large bowl or pot. The ratio of your brine should be approximately 1/4 cup (50g) coarse salt to 1/2 gallon (2L) water. Once you get the veggies swimmin' in this salty solution, get another bowl and place it on top of the veggies, weighting them down so that they are lightly compressed and fully immersed in their salt water bath. You will let this set for at least two hours and up to twelve, then drain. If your Kimchi comes out too salty or soggy for your taste, reduce the soak time or use the direct salt method described below. We used the brine method for only a few hours swim time and it turned out great.
Alternative to a brine soaking, and the admittedly more traditional way about it is to coat the cabbages and radishes directly in salt (about half a cup of salt for 1 medium cabbage, concentrating heavier coatings of salt on the thicker stems) and let sit for 4 hours (2 hours per side, flipping half way).
Rinse with cold water several times after either the wet brine or dry salt coat.
Now all you have to do is take your spices, throw them in a bowl with your cabbage, radish and green onions, and get them hands a-mixin' into the pungent foray of soon to be delectable home made Kimchi. If you're a pansy, you best wear some gloves to protect them pretty fingies!
To review, your spice mix should consist of:- ~ 1 tsp salt
- ~ 1.5 tbsp minced ginger
- ~ 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
- ~ 2 tbsp of ground red pepper
- ~1.5 tsp of sugar
- Optional: chili paste, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, even fruit!
After mixing, pack tightly into air-tight canning jars, leaving just a little bit of space at the top of the jar before capping tightly. Let sit for one to three days in a cool dark place. If you see it start to do some bubblin', you can go ahead and throw it in the fridge. And if you're a total wuss, you could've put it into the fridge to begin with, but where's the fun, DANGER and adventure in that?!
... And after three days at the fermentation party in the pantry...
Some like it young, some like it ripe and strong. Generally speaking, in two to three weeks the stuff goes nuclear and may be more suitable for cooking with (think fried rice, stew & soups)... but your mileage may vary! Remember that this is a very flexible recipe that can be adjusted to your taste.
Give it a try. It's super easy, inexpensive, and is a great accompaniment to most meals. Not to mention, your friends and family aren't likely to soon forget the giant fermenting jar of seemingly bloody brains they spied in your pantry after a few beers or a bottle of wine the other night!
Just think about the looks on their faces when you ask them to try a bite.
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boO
Registered: 06/25/99
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: geokills]
#12146516 - 03/05/10 02:00 AM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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is that it?? that's quite easy to do...
looks good
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rod
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: geokills]
#12147678 - 03/05/10 10:35 AM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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It is easy to do your self, I made a few batches a couple of years ago.
Makes me want some now.
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punkin
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: rod]
#12148933 - 03/05/10 02:11 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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I love to make a Szcechuan Pickled cabbage that's similar but quicker and can be eaten before the lacto zing develops or after.
I chop a small chinese cabbage and add ricewine vinegar, chopped habernero, pickled ginger, sugar and toasted crushed szcechuan peppercorns (lots of em) along with some pepper and plenty of salt.
Store in a glass jar at least overnight and eat as a side salad or add to soups. Absolutely delicous after the second or third day just added to chicken broth and served hot.
Yours sounds delicous too, although i'd have to have a taste before i'd risk making a large batch...
I have a very small tolerance to strong lacto ferments....
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LiquidSmoke
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: geokills]
#12149176 - 03/05/10 02:49 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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fuck yeah
i really like letting it get super potent and funky. Like with alot of other fermented products, like cheese, sometimes the stinkier the better.
Underripened kim chi to me tastes really off, it has to get past that initial threshold of pickling for me to really get that kim chi sensation.
You gotta learn how to make kim chi stew one day...it'll take your kim chi experience to a whole 'nother level.
And its traditionally done with reserves of overripened kim chi. You basically boil and stew it in a homemade beef stock with onions, dikon, and chunks of braised beef and pork. The kim chi basically softens, carmelizes, and developes a much milder, savory flavor while still holding the distinct heat of kim chi. Best with just some steamed puffy white rice.
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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geokills
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: punkin]
#12150347 - 03/05/10 06:55 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Kimchi can be eaten before it ferments as well. In fact, I start eatin' the stuff as soon as its first mixed. Since m'lady and I typically whip up a couple good sized jars, I'll often end up eating a little bit everyday at different stages of ripeness. It's great fresh and mildly fermented - my favorite is straight out the jar after a 48 hour cure. I'm not exceptionally crazy about the supertydooper zing either, which is why I suggested cooking with it, should it reach that point.
Your Szechuan Pickled Cabbage sounds great and indeed very similar. In fact, Kimchi comes in countless iterations, several of which incorporate vinegar, fish sauce, other peppers, etc. I have a bottle of Szechuan peppercorns handy, so I'll try using those along with some ricewine vinegar next time we whip up a batch. Thanks for the rec!
And yes boO, it's really that easy!
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punkin
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: geokills]
#12152109 - 03/06/10 02:12 AM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Toast the peppercorns before grinding till the fumes catch your throat. You'll know if you got em hot enough, cause they'll snap crackle and pop as you grind em in the mortar.
Makes it easier to grind and really gets the tingle going in your mouth. You need about twice as much as you think..a tablespoon at least for a cabbage.
Two is better
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falcon
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: punkin]
#12154089 - 03/06/10 01:58 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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KIMCHI!, love the stuff, my hair is sweating, just looking at them pics
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LiquidSmoke
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: geokills]
#12154574 - 03/06/10 03:40 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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oh and how come you didn't season it with little chunks of black plastic?
that shit always adds flavor
-------------------- "Shmokin' weed, Shmokin' wizz, doin' coke, drinkin' beers. Drinkin' beers beers beers, rollin' fatties, smokin' blunts. Who smokes tha blunts? We smoke the blunts" - Jay and Silent Bob strike Back
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dr_gonz
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geokills
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: dr_gonz]
#12159179 - 03/07/10 01:31 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Hehe, well Korean red pepper is milder and sweeter than most American red peppers!
The stuff pictured above was made with regular ol' crushed red pepper (same as that found at the local pizza joint), ground to a finer consistency than the usual medium flake. We do have access to Korean red pepper here but we didn't have it in the house when we made the Kimchi so we just went with what was immediately available. I'll tell you, that shit was HOT. One of my Korean friends exclaimed upon tasting it that it was better than some of the stuff his mom had in the fridge!
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dr_gonz
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geokills
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: dr_gonz]
#12159227 - 03/07/10 01:39 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Jesus man, that's a lot of produce! You going to dig up your backyard and bury your numerous jars of Kimchi in the ground like they do in the motherland?
Oh, and Pic's or it didn't happen!
-------------------- -------------------- ┼ ··∙ long live the shroomery ∙·· ┼ ...╬π╥ ╥π╬...
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dr_gonz
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koraks
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: dr_gonz]
#12159263 - 03/07/10 01:45 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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I'd be very interested to see those, in addition to the excellent information already in this thread This looks interesting
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dr_gonz
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geokills
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: dr_gonz]
#12160321 - 03/07/10 05:41 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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That is pretty damn awesome my friend!
You should start a topic on how to make your Kombucha. I would love to learn!
-------------------- -------------------- ┼ ··∙ long live the shroomery ∙·· ┼ ...╬π╥ ╥π╬...
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dr_gonz
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koraks
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: dr_gonz]
#12162872 - 03/08/10 03:24 AM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Yeah, post the kombucha tek (+ pics) as well
The kimchi looks awesome btw I'm definitely going to try this.
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falcon
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Re: KIMCHI - Seasoned & Fermented Vegetables [Re: koraks]
#12165843 - 03/08/10 05:04 PM (14 years, 1 month ago) |
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Geo, great tutorial on how to make Kimchi, I haven't tried brining the vegetable at the start, I'm going to do that next batch I make,
This is the last batch I made,
Broccoli Kimchi,
Broccoli, carrots, green onions, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar.
I let this ferment a couple of weeks in the refridgerator and then added a tsp of red pepper, I don't like it that hot.
I eat some sort of kimchi as a condiment 3 or 4 times a week and go through about a pint a week.
I made a batch in November that I'm just finishing up, for the last 2 months it was kept in a jar on the basement floor at about 55 to 60F degrees and it did not spoil.
Edited by falcon (03/08/10 06:15 PM)
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