Fermented Foods: Kimchi, Sauerkraut, ETC

[JDub]

Looks good! remember though, the salt is necessary for the osmotic effect so try running a batch with it first. I always use Korean red chili for my prepared kimchee and distilled water to allow fermentation. The sambal is good for use inn fresh recipes like that cucumber one.  This is what the Korean chili looks like. This brand is imported by Rhee bros. Make sure to not tightly seal the lid or you may get a BANG out of the fermentation!

 

[XERTYX]

That looks good. I showed my sister the paste I found and she said they carry it at her store. But they have a lot of affluent customers that try trendy things. I probably should have stopped by there.

I did add salt to both batches but only the first was presoaked in salt water. The wilted cabbage tasted pretty salty but the other veg hopefully will balance that a bit.

The specific paste I used actually has added yeast extract. It also has potassium sorbate but it's near enough the end of the ingredients list that I think it will be fine. It does already seem to be pressurized, so that's a plus.

 

[JDub]

Just remember, round cabbage kimchee won't have that good fizzy fermentation like napa. It doesn't last as long either. Still good with rice and kalbi though! Get some Bibb or Boston lettuce, make some rice, grill some seasoned meat, and smear the leaves with the gochujang and stuff w your kimchee and everything else. Eat and repeat!

 

[XERTYX]

Gtacias bro. I'll do that. I ALMOST bought some steaks on markdown $4 to make lettuce wraps with like I have done before but I dont have my butane stove with me here and pulling a barstool up to the oven just doesn't have the same vibe as table side lettuce wraps. XD

Also my kimchi isn't ready yet. I'll get paid next week so maybe I'll try and make some with my kimchi once it's ready. If it works.

 

[travlin man and wife]

My wife is from Korea so I have a little experience with Kimchi. Use only napa cabbage cut into small 2x2 in peaces soak in  pickling salt lots of salt for about 3 hours rinc and squeeze all the water out. Mix in shrimp sauce a little sugar minced garlic about 4 sections per gallon. Green onion if you want. Now you want to use ground red peppers without seeds from a oriental store read label and get from Korea if possible and mix in to suit your taste dont pack to the top of jar leave room for expansion.                                                                                                                                 If anyone  is in the Atlanta GA area their is a big oriental store of buford hy about the size of a wall mart store they sale items from about 40 countrys. They also have a deli  in   the back left corner of the store with pre  cooked korea food pre packed and ready for carry out. store name farmers market. Direction I285 north to buford  hy exit turn right on buford hy turn left at 2nd light

 

[JDub]

The Buford Road Farmer's Market is "DA BOMB"... Anytime I fly out of ATL I spend an extra day in town on return to go stock up.

Cheers!

 

[XERTYX]

There is a super H mart near Buford I think. I've been in there a few times. That's where I stock up on golden kili instant ginger tea packets. Honestly I should go back there soon and get some more. I'm out.

That stuff you should keep one or two in your first aid kit. Its strong and tastes great and if you have a stomach ache it fixes it double quick. They also have great prices on butane canisters.

On the regular cabbage kimchi front it's working. Bubbles this morning and I opened the lid to let some pressure off and there was a lot. Who knows how it will taste but this is already more successful than the first time I tried to make any.

That first time after a week at room temperature it wasn't doing anything. It still tasted like fresh cut vegetables. No smell. Nada. So I'm calling this a successful experiment already as its actively fermenting about 15 hours later.

 

[vanbrat]

Wow. I hope sometime we can all meet somewhere and have a potluck! I have made some pickles a few times. Carrots green beans etc. but this all sounds way to good.

 

[JDub]

"There is a super H mart near Buford I think. I've been in there a few times. That's where I stock up on golden kili instant ginger tea packets. Honestly I should go back there soon and get some more. I'm out."

The first H Mart in Honolulu opened up last year in Kaka'ako. It's been a hit ever since. Even BC (before Covid), they had to restrict the number of folks trying to cram in. There are some really huge Asian markets in town. My favorite is Don Quijote's (DonQs to everyone). Weird name for a Japanese supermarket but it's one stop everything Asian - I especially love the prepared food / bento section I usually grab a lunch bento there when I'm home as I head out to go hiking or to the beach.

Sounds like your experiment is doing well! If you have a chance, get a pickle press - it's a bucket with a spring loaded lid you can ratchet down on the veggies after salting so you don't have to bother with weighting them. I've had mine for 30 years. Works like a charm for western style fermented pickles too. Post pix!

Cheers!

 

[XERTYX]

Post pix!

Ok.


This morning its bubbling like crazy. I turned the ring to let off pressure and it sounded like cracking open a beer. Good sign.

 

[JDub]

Looks great! About 3 days of sitting on the counter should do it for sourness. Should last about a week in the fridge. Round cabbage doesn't last as long as napa. When it gets old- put it in ramen or spicy Korean style soup. Great way to use it up. This is what a pickle press looks like. VERY handy if you pickle and ferment regularly with limited space.

 

[XERTYX]

That does look handy. Today was the third day and I decided to try a bite to see. I walked straight out the door and went to the grocery store.

I had garlic and soy braised beef steak lettuce wraps and rice with my kimchi for lunch. Best kimchi I've ever had!

It's still a bit crisp but it's in the fridge chillaxing now. For dinner I might make kimchi gyoza (my night meal is on the small side). Never made gyoza before.

I'm super satisfied with how this turned out and I'm looking forward to having some ramen with kimchi tomorrow.

 

[JDub]

Glad it worked out for ya! Gyoza is easy to make, just takes time to wrap them all. I make a full batch with the Nasoya wonton skins you can get at WM. A serving size is between 8 and 10 and freeze rest in batches. Here's a recipe from Foodland back home (it's a large home grown supermarket chain) sub the napa and carrot for your kimchee, just make sure you thoroughly squeeze it out.

https://www.foodland.com/recipe/gyoza

These are also great deep fried (Hawaiian style you just fold over into a rectangle and they're called crispy gau gee) or boiled in soup. The other recipes on the site are great too.

Cheers!

 

[XERTYX]

Well I'm starting another fermentation experiment.

Making my own peanut milk.

Why? I dont use a lot of cows milk and it usually spoils before I can use it all. Yup even in a half gallon. Buying quarts or pints just seems so wasteful. Canned milk is also expensive. Dry peanuts can be stored without refrigeration.

Once I get my build done my refrigerator real estate will be sacred so why have a jug of milk that's waiting to expire hogging up the room?

It can be made into yogurt. Yogurt is great, but I dont eat nearly as much as I should really.

It can be made into cheese. Yup peanut "cheese" is a thing. The recipes i have seen for peanut "paneer" (indian cheese) look just like cow or water buffalo milk paneer. Paneer is an interesting cheese as you can cut it into cubes and fry it. I'd love to see if peanut paneer can be fried as well.

I like peanuts. I wont mind keeping peanuts around. And they can be made into milk cheese or yogurt if I so desire.

Anyway, I'll update as time progresses. Right now I have my peanuts soaking in water until their date with the blender.

 

[Abrin]

I am a huge fan of water kefir. I am hoping that I'll be able to keep fermenting it once I am eventually out on the road.

 

[JDub]

Try making bean milk, cheese, and tofu sometimes too. Mung and Soy beans are readily available at Asian food stores.

Cheers!

 

[XERTYX]

I'm planning on making a small amount of peanut milk to taste. Then peanut yogurt. Since I make yogurt in a Bain-Marie water bath in a crock pot I'm planning on making cows milk yogurt also then maybe making yogurt-cheese from the cows milk yogurt.

 

[Ravella and X]

The yogurt I make every week using dried milk is indistinguishable from the yogurt I make with store bought fresh milk. I only do the fresh milk when I have a plan for using it up on cheese or recipes and yogurt. Nido is always in my little pantry.

I just bottled some ginger beer today. The ginger I got at Roadrunner in Quartzsite is excellent and made a powerful bug. I've been making and sharing ginger beer with friends and neighborl.p.. Not everybody likes ginger beer, which I cannot fathom. Oh well, more for me!

 

[Cammalu]

I just bottled some ginger beer today. The ginger I got at Roadrunner in Quartzsite is excellent and made a powerful bug. I've been making and sharing ginger beer with friends and neighborl.p.. Not everybody likes ginger beer, which I cannot fathom. Oh well, more for me!

Glug, glug, glug. Hic! Thanks friend.

 

[XERTYX]

My peanut yogurt turned out pretty good. I filtered out the whey and let it drip for a while and it's about the consistency of cream cheese. It's still too wet to squeeze very hard. The cloth I'm using is tighter weave than cheese cloth but the yogurt squeezes out if I twist it very hard. So back into the fridge to firm up and try to twist again.

One thing I would do differently in the future is to filter the peanut milk after blending before adding cultures. As it gets thicker it has a grainier texture than I would like.

A funny side note.

As I had some extra yogurt cultures I decided to make some strawberry whole milk yogurt. I made 2 cups in the only other jar I had. The jar I made kimchi in.

I washed and washed and washed the jar (glass). When I popped it open I could smell kimchi. I told my nephew this might be a lil funky. We both tried it. Garlic-strawberry flavor yogurt. XD I think maybe I'll use it as a cooking yogurt and not a snacking yogurt.