Fermented Foods: Kimchi, Sauerkraut, ETC

[XERTYX]

I have tried in the past to make kimchi with zero success. I LOVE kimchi and it's really good for your gut flora as I understand it.

Yesterday I was watching a YouTube channel I like that I haven't checked in on in a year or so and found a kimchi recipe.

The channel I wont link but searching YT should be easy to find if interested. Binging with Babish. He has a lot of fun episodes like making food from tv shows and movies. Such as pizza in a cup from the jerk, or cookie cat from Stephen universe.

He also has "basics" episodes for general cooking tips. I like his content but I'm not gonna promote him on here. Seems kinda... anyway it just doesn't feel like the right thing. 

But his kimchi recipe got me to thinking I should try again. It seems simple enough. Does anyone here make their own kimchi? Or Sauerkraut in a mobile setting?

I have made my own yogurt successfully before and I think it's possible to do I'm a mobile setting provided you have enough solar. I didnt have a yogurt maker but I did have a crockpot, a half gallon Mason jar, and a candy thermometer. 

You'll have to look up the temperatures if you're interested as I no longer have my notes from 10 years ago but it's pretty simple. 

What I did was to fill the crockpot with water and turn it on to warm and kept a candy thermometer in there to make sure it didnt go too high and mine was a perfect temperature. 

So I filled my jar with store bought milk, some sugar, fruit sometimes, and a spoonful of store bought yogurt. Follow basic yogurt making time tables based on whether you want it smooth and drinking texture or thicker.

I had been hoping to strain the whey out of mine but every single store I checked was out of stock of cheesecloth and had been for a month. If you do collect your whey you can heat it in a saucepan and it will start to form cheese curds.

Little miss muffet style homemade yogurt and cheese from a gallon of store bought milk and things you may or may not have lying around the house/van. Give it a whirl.

Ok i shared one. What kind of edible fermented foods do you grow in your van?

 

[Tepui]

Well, I already let the cat out of the bag about the Kombucha lol  I have made sauerkraut before too ! Kimchi is just sauerkraut's cousin     Never have done the homemade yogurt though ?

 

[JDub]

Use an old T Shirt to strain the cheese and yogurt to thicken (cheesecloth is EXPENSIVE!). Place in a strainer, wrap the top tight and weight to drain it. For panir style cheese add a little salt and any other flavorings you like to the curds and mix before wrapping and pressing. The whey can be recurdled to become ricotta.

Here's a quick and easy fresh cucumber kimchee recipe that I often make to go along with Korean style grilled meats. It's always a hit. Make sure and use pickling cukes or English Hothouse types - not regular ones- too watery. It's hard to get the Japanese Hosoi (thin cukes here) like back home in Hawaii. Also I recommend that you cut them thicker than specified or in chunks (my way). Kimchee is practically our state vegetable!

http://singleguychef.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-pickle-with-korean-chili.html

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

A Liptaur style spreadable yogurt cheese recipe (maybe add some paprika). Great in place of cream cheese and easy to make.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85797/yogurt-cheese/

Cheers!

 

[XERTYX]

I bet those cucumbers are amazing. The first time I tried to make kimchi I couldn't find any Korean chilies. I forget what kind I wound up using. Where I am now Asian food staples are hard to find.

But I know where there is a vietnamese store in a nearby town, I've been wanting a reason to swing by. They have loads of great stuff. Including red palm fruit oil from Malaysia I believe. It makes everything taste better. I've tried other brands and they dont even stack up.

They also have the Korean fire noodles there. As well as the 2x spicy fire noodles. Very tasty if you can stand it. It's not for the faint of heart, or probably pregnant or nursing women. Lol. Legit pro level spicy food.

They probably have the Japanese cucumbers there. They even have Indian bitter melon. One of the most evil melons on the planet. It's even covered in spines. Lol.

I'll have to make some more yogurt. And I might even try and make a mini batch of kimchi with other spices.

 

[JDub]

Stir fried bitter melon with beef or pork is standard staple of Chinese restaurants back home. You either love it or you don't. I love it. It's on every menu from Honolulu to Hilo! My favorite one is:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-eagle-chinese-restaurant-honolulu?osq=golden+eagle+restaurant  It's old school Hawaiian Chinese which is totally different than real Chinese or mainland U.S. Chinese. Their Pork Eggplant is my favorite along w the salt and pepper pork chops.

There are tons of Korean restaurants there too. Most also serve some Japanese dishes as well. My favorite is Kyung's on S. King St. Real hole in the wall but they have killer seafood too - especially sashimi. Went there 4 times when I was home last month - see pix. Don't worry about not having Korean style chili - looks killer hot but not really - substitute some Rooster Brand (Huy Fong) chili sambal - little bottle w green top  - most WM's sell in the Asian section. Same folks who make Sriracha Sauce. A little goes a long way. The Viet store will have it for sure. Crushed red chili can be used too.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kyungs-seafood-honolulu

 

[XERTYX]

All my life I've wanted to like seafood, I just don't. I try it and try it. Lately ive been able to enjoy frozen beer battered fish filets but everything else I can only stomach them at best.

On the sambal front I buy the BIG jar. ive got plenty of it. I dont think its huy fong though, pretty sure it's another brand. I've got my big bottle of huy fong sriracha though. It's always on hand.

The last sambal I bought was at WM. Like 11 cents less than the other grocery stores for their teeny jar. I'm thinking of doing a test run with regular cabbage. Napa is like 4x the price around here. I might try the sambal as well as cayenne pepper which I have lots of as well.

 

[JDub]

Don't do round cabbage. It's just not anywhere close.You need a certain amount of moisture to render down w the salt to form the pickling brine. try with either Daikon (giant white radish) or cucumber. You can get both at the Viet store I'm sure. The cuke recipe above is super easy. Try that first. If all you have is round cabbage try this Hawaii only sweet and sour pickled cabbage. Good w rice and as a side w Asian food. I recommend dividing the recipe down to use half a round cabbage. If you can get fresh mustard greens (like here in the deep South) use one half a bunch. This make a lot.

https://tamalemalarecipes.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/yatsumi-zuke-pickled-cabbages/

Cheers!

 

[XERTYX]

They have napa at the local grocery store. If it's that crucial I'll do it. Also as I'm just gonna make 1 jar (my other jars are offsite and most are full of high quality jasmine rice) I'll see if they have a smaller head of napa.

You're in the deep south now? I was born in the deep south. And where my rear end is currently planted is only 30 miles or so from where I first saw the light of day. Northeast Georgia.

 

[JDub]

I'm in SW Bama but I'm plotting to get out. My best friend lives just outside New Brunswick... Definitely go w the napa if you can. It's easier for first timers... Add a little squirt if fish sauce to start fermenting and only use kosher of non iodized salt....

 

[XERTYX]

I dont have any fish sauce but I do think I have some oyster sauce floating around. And fun fact I NEVER use iodized salt. Like ever.

Genuinely crazy next level conspiracy theory reasoning, but I only use kosher salt or non iodized box salt and himalayan pink salt.

I put Himalayan pink salt on damn near everything. Doing my part to make sure I dont develop low sodium levels. XD

I guess I'll buy the napa cabbage and try my hand at making a quart of kimchi, any leftover napa I'll probably stir fry with some ramen. I do like veggies with my ramen, another reason I want a cheap and easy source of kimchi. Kimchi and ramen were made for each other.

 

[VanForNow]

Korean food is one of my favorites. The best Korean recipe sote I know is Maangchi.com.

Kimchi is easy to make, but obtaining the genuine Korean pepper sauce, Gochujang (sp.?), is hard to do, unless you pass through a city with a large Korean population.

Luckily, however, several large supermarkets (Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons) sell jars of ready-made kimchi. It is rather bland & cries out for a strong addition of gochujang, but it is a lot better than nothing.

 

[XERTYX]

My local grocer actually has like a pint of kimchi on sale this week for $4.99

Nah. I'm gonna try my hand at making it.

As far as favorite foods, indochinese has to be my favorite.

If you're unfamiliar imagine an area of the world where Chinese cooking is the norm. Also in the norm is Indian food. These birth indochinese cuisine.

A truly unique and remarkable genre of culinary mastery.

 

[JDub]

Korean food is one of my favorites. The best Korean recipe sote I know is Maangchi.com.

Kimchi is easy to make, but obtaining the genuine Korean pepper sauce, Gochujang (sp.?), is hard to do, unless you pass through a city with a large Korean population.

Luckily, however, several large supermarkets (Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons) sell jars of ready-made kimchi. It is rather bland & cries out for a strong addition of gochujang, but it is a lot better than nothing.

Gochugang is becoming a lot more available as mainlanders get more exposed to Korean cuisine. You should be able to buy it online no probs. I actually stuff my suitcase full of local foods when I return from home and it gets opened EVERYTIME by TSA . They've broken things before so now I add a note saying: "PLEAZ be careful. Just a local trying to bring home some da' kine grinds"! It's worked so far That stuff that's sold in WM is insipid...

Cheers.

 

[JDub]

My local grocer actually has like a pint of kimchi on sale this week for $4.99

Nah. I'm gonna try my hand at making it.

As far as favorite foods, indochinese has to be my favorite.

If you're unfamiliar imagine an area of the world where Chinese cooking is the norm. Also in the norm is Indian food. These birth indochinese cuisine.

A truly unique and remarkable genre of culinary mastery.

Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian - fantastic stuff. I cook them all the time and grow the herbs and chilis needed on my deck. I've got a big pot of lemongrass I just put back out today. Same with Indian - make my own curry blends and garam masala. Momos - Nepalese / Himalayan Rim dumplings are my current favorite. I even have mustard oil which is vital for Bengali and Pakistani cooking but it's not approved by the FDA so it's labeled - "not for human consumption" Gotta love da gov...

 

[JDub]

I dont have any fish sauce but I do think I have some oyster sauce floating around. And fun fact I NEVER use iodized salt. Like ever.

Genuinely crazy next level conspiracy theory reasoning, but I only use kosher salt or non iodized box salt and himalayan pink salt.

I put Himalayan pink salt on damn near everything. Doing my part to make sure I dont develop low sodium levels. XD

I guess I'll buy the napa cabbage and try my hand at making a quart of kimchi, any leftover napa I'll probably stir fry with some ramen. I do like veggies with my ramen, another reason I want a cheap and easy source of kimchi. Kimchi and ramen were made for each other.

Oyster sauce isn't the same, it's not a seafood product (anymore) - the real, hardcore, Korean style kimchi uses fermented shrimp to help start the fermenting and add flavor. It's pretty much an acquired taste so I always suggest substituting anchovy fish sauce which adds umami and helps start fermentation without being overwhelming for first timers.

Suggestion for any leftover cabbage - chop into 1" pieces. add about a teaspoon of salt to 4 cups Napa, massage well to soften then leave to wilt for about 30 min with a weight on top. Put into a plastic container along with accumulated brine w some shredded scallion, ginger, and a little lemon zest. Add red chili flake to taste. Weight down in container. Makes a very mild kimchi. Serve by briefly rinsing then squeezing out the cabbage you're going to eat. A little dab of shoyu is good too.

 

[XERTYX]

Well the local grocery store didnt have any napa cabbage. I asked the guy and he said they try not to stock it unless its force shipped to them.

I said I'm sure I've seen it here not long ago. "Yeah we got in 4 a month ago. 1 of them sold."

Oh well. Such is life. I'm gonna try making a pint using regular cabbage. I got 2 pint canning jars at dollar tree. Real anchor hocking canning jars. Go figure.

And will wonders never cease? This little grocery store in this little chicken shit town in north Georgia had THIS.


Also I found this flavor of ramen I've never tried before.

 

[JDub]

Wallyworld normally stocks Napa - even mine does, but it's often not to fresh and as you noted- high in price. Here's a recipe for round cabbage kimchee if it helps. The technique to make is different due to the much lower water content and texture. Good luck and let us know how it came out!

https://www.koreanbapsang.com/yangbaechu-kimchi-green-cabbage-kimchi/

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Lots of cool "new local" style recipes here.

https://cookinghawaiianstyle.com/

Cheers

 

[XERTYX]

Well we'll see, also as you can see in the pic there wasn't much air space. So I took a little out and prepared some more cabbage. Rubbed some funk on it and sealed it up in a second jar.

The second one I actually didnt soak in salt water as a sort of control group. The first jar all the cabbage was soaked in salt water for an hour. After tasting it it had picked up a lot of salty flavor. So I rinsed and rinsed the cabbage and I'm hoping for the best.

I used the korean chili paste, some powdered cayenne pepper, pink Himalayan salt, some non brewed soy sauce, some brewed soy sauce, some pepper (just a pinch), onion, scallion, 4 cloves of crushed and chopped garlic, thin sliced carrots, and water.

I was planning on adding sambal as you suggested but mine has potassium sorbate, and sodium metabisulfite. When I was brewing my own homemade wine I quickly learned that you can use pretty much any non citrus store bought fruit juice so long as it has neither of those preservatives. They just kill the yeast deader than hell. So I omitted it.