# Kim Chee. I love thee.



## quantumcloud509 (Dec 17, 2013)

Picked up cabbage, bok choi, carrots, and garlic at the store today, hoping to take a stab at some authentic kim chee which I want to bury underground until late summer:viking:, etc. Anyone have any pointers?


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## cookinstuff (Dec 17, 2013)

Get that dried korean red chili, it's almost powdery it's great stuff. I don't think you can really do bad kim chee if you like it, just follow some recipes find a korean cookbook by some old grandmotherly looking lady and you should be good to go.


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 17, 2013)

Nice! yes, I must have the powdered chili! Thanks man. The korean grandmother though...that will be a tough one...


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## sachem allison (Dec 17, 2013)

are you going vegetarian with this? many traditional kimchees have fish paste or oysters added to them to help in the fermentation process. Get some sweet rice flour and make a porridge with water and sugar, lightly coat between the layers of the bok choy. This will provide food for the natural yeast on the vegetables allowing more lactic acid production for the fermentation. I would also throw some napa cabbage in the mix. Definitely, use Korean pepper if you can find it. good luck.


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## sachem allison (Dec 17, 2013)

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/napa-cabbage-kimchi this is actually a pretty good method and recipe. Very similar to how I make it.


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## mametaro (Dec 17, 2013)

Fish sauce, shrimp paste, oysters, ginger, and green onion are also great in kimchi. Good luck!


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## don (Dec 17, 2013)

+1 on oysters. Not required as we often make ours without, but they provide an extra depth to the kimchee.

For the first few batches, I'd recommend shorter cold storage times. Keeping to late summer will produce a very fermented kimchee. May not be to your liking.


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## Asteger (Dec 17, 2013)

Maybe shrimp paste is mentioned in recipies for people to make kimchi in the US, because that's what's available. Actually, I think Koreans will use this stuff:







In other words not paste, but lotsa little shrimp.


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## Dardeau (Dec 17, 2013)

I've used ground up raw shrimp, as well as oyster liquor. Korean chili flake, brand name Wang, is awesome outside Asian applications as well. And you can make crude jokes about it.


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## NO ChoP! (Dec 17, 2013)

Don't forget the daikon and onion. Also, Singsong Korean hot pepper powder is essential. Saeojeot is Korean shrimp paste, use in conjunction with fish sauce.

Once all the veg is cut into large bite size squares salt generously and let sir until fully wilted.

One may substitute sriracha for pepper powder/ anchovy for shrimp and fish sauce/ horseradish for daikon, etc...with decent results, too.


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## mr drinky (Dec 17, 2013)

I love thee also, Kimchi. 

With that said, I have a quick kimchee recipe that I like to make. I only make it a few times a year though. 

k.


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## franzb69 (Dec 17, 2013)

i make kimchi myself. i've done it purely vegetarian style and a few times with some fish sauce in it. i just can't seem to let myself adding shrimp, or squid or oysters into my kimchi. i'm sure that adds a certain flavor to it and makes it tastier but i can't get myself to do it. =D

most kimchi that can be bought here don't have those in the ingredients but i've seen koreans add those things to their kimchi on youtube. i don't bury mine underground or whatever. i just let it ferment in my fridge chiller for a couple weeks or so.

since there's lots of korean groceries here i can get the basic ingredients together and make the kimchi myself. pretty much the same taste as the stuff i buy but i make mine spicier.


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## Asteger (Dec 18, 2013)

About the 'fish paste' thing, again I think it's these salted shrimp in this picture that are used and not a paste: 








NO ChoP! said:


> Saeuojeot is Korean shrimp paste, use in conjunction with fish sauce...



The jar above actually says 'Saeujeot' so not fish paste.


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 18, 2013)

Ok, you guys are awesome thanks for all of the input and ideas. And, yes I love pungent stinky kick in your mouth kimchee that is why I want to let it sit and be fit.


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## panda (Dec 19, 2013)

kimchi thread! awesome.

what ever cabbage you are using (try just cut not whole napa first before you start experimenting with others), soak it in a heavily saturated salt water bath overnight, with a weight over the top to keep them from floating.
next day rinse and dry well.
the salted shrimp is critical, as is the actual korean chili powder.
and tons of garlic, what ever you think is enough, double it.
the rest is upto you.

i like to do the following.
boil the crap out of sushi rice until it turns into mush, cool it down, incorporate into seasoning paste via food processor:
red fresno peppers
garlic
ginger
onion

add: corn syrup, scallions, daikon, carrots (fine julienne all of those, fun knife work!)
i prefer it fresh (unfermented) but it should start to taste interesting after 3 days in fridge.


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## NO ChoP! (Dec 19, 2013)

Asteger said:


> About the 'fish paste' thing, again I think it's these salted shrimp in this picture that are used and not a paste:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yup, that's it. You are correct. Mini shrimp, kinda like sea monkeys, lol.


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## Erilyn75 (Dec 20, 2013)

Oh how I love thee too. Went through a jar a week with my last two pregnancies.


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## Asteger (Dec 20, 2013)

If you like kimchi that much, then next time you have a kid stick with traditional Korean practice and be sure to have 'myeok guk' seaweed soup every day for several weeks after.


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## Sambal (Dec 20, 2013)

Kim Chee! Yeah! Great thread!

Anyone done it with any other veggies?


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## franzb69 (Dec 20, 2013)

baby shrimp. pretty common even here.

you can do this with practically any vegetable.


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## 9mmbhp (Dec 20, 2013)

Cucumber and daikon make good kimchis. 

Some inspiration: 

http://koreanfoodgallery.com/category/banchan
http://park.org/Cdrom/Pavilions/Kimchi


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## franzb69 (Dec 20, 2013)

daikon radish kimchi's a pretty common one here. =D


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## panda (Dec 20, 2013)

my favorite is made with daikon stems and sliced pears.


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## Erilyn75 (Dec 20, 2013)

Asteger said:


> If you like kimchi that much, then next time you have a kid stick with traditional Korean practice and be sure to have 'myeok guk' seaweed soup every day for several weeks after.



Lol this baby factory is closed. The last 2 were shockers to say the least. I have a 20yo, 2.5, and 1yo and I'm almost 40. Too old for anymore lol.

That looks good though. I might have to see if it's on the menu at the little Korean place in town.


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## JCHine (Dec 20, 2013)

There is a lot of KimChi love happening in my area as well. 

Kohl Rabi makes an interesting kimchi and you get to practice your cutting skills. Here is my version made for a local pickle club that is fully vegetarian. Excuse the knife rant..recipe was written for a house of folks with very blunt knives.

Ingredients
Kohlrabi
daikon 
30g sugar (or to taste) 
salt 
30g Korean pepper powder 
3-4 large cloves of garlic 
3-4 cm of ginger peeled
dash of soy sauce (preferably pure soybean but not tamarai) 
small amount of sour kimchee as starter (e.g. old kimchee) 
4 spring onions white to light green bits 
Sterilised jar; bleach will kill lactic ferments so wash carefully with boiling water.. 

1. Get a really, really sharp knifesharp enough to shave with, sharper than that is better. Blunt knife will mean not crispy nice kimchee bonus points for using a nakiri

2. Prepare a brine with 70g of swanky salt (sea or Himalayan) per litre of water . Ideally you use filtered or boiled water to remove chlorine. Swanky salt has trace minerals such as potassium that keeps your veggies crunchy and stop them from turning to compost.

3. Add to brine 

1 Large Khohlrabi or a couple of small ones peeled then sliced into fine matchsticks 
1 diakon radish cut fine. I did quarters, match sticks are nice. 

leave for 4-24 hours in brine to relax and hang around but make sure it is all submerged. 

Next day

1. Grate 3-4 cloves of garlic and ginger with a ceramic or sharkskin grater into large bowl. You can add more; but too much garlic makes it bitter and too much ginger makes it nasty!
2. cut spring onions 3mm on slant (strop that knife again)
3. Mix grated stuff and onions with pepper powder, sugar, soy and old kimchee in large bowl.
4. Put your gloves on and wring out brined vegetables and add to bowl in small batches to ensure even coating.
5. mix some more taste for salt/sugar.
6. put in jar in dark cool place until ferment starts 
7. Place in fridge for 2-3 weeks to lurk gassing off every few days.


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 24, 2013)

I love kohlrabi. Have jars of it marinated from the summer time.


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## Dardeau (Dec 24, 2013)

Weird. Kohlrabi is a winter crop here. It just came in last week.


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## Sambal (Dec 25, 2013)

Anyone tried lotus root? I'd imagine it could be really crunchy.

And baby onions? 

I've not made kimchee before though I love it. This thread's encouraging me to give it a go. Thanks!


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