Help make some adjustments to my kimchi?

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    • #71825
      dgmulf
      Participant

      Hello!

      My sister got me “Cook Korean!” by Robin Ha for my birthday (very fun and informative cookbook, by the way), so I tried making kimchi for the first time. This is the recipe I used:

      Easy Kimchi Recipe

      It was a bit too salty for my taste, however. I used sand lance fish sauce, with 1140 mg sodium in 1 tbsp / 15 mL. My gochugaru also has some salt added (not sure how much). Should I use a different fish sauce or gochugaru, or should I reduce the amount of salt for the cabbage soak?

      Also, it didn’t seem to ferment very much during the first 24 hours. No liquid spilled out the top, it didn’t build any air pressure inside the jars, and the liquid didn’t have any “fizziness”. Should I leave it out for longer?

      Thank you,
      Danny

    • #73288
      Vibey
      Participant

      I use half that amount of salt for that quantity of cabbage, so definitely start there.

      As far as fermenting it goes, you should never rely on a strict number of hours because there are so many things that can affect how long it takes for the fermentation to kick off. And for many of us, it isn’t enough for fermentation to start – we like to keep it going a little longer to deepen the flavour. The ONLY tried-and-true way to see whether your kimchi is ready is to use your eyes, tongue, and nose.

      EYES: There should be small bubbles around the edge of your container. A few bubbles means it’s started fermenting, lots of bubbles means it’s actively fermenting.

      NOSE: Kimchi should smell a little sour, as well as savoury.

      TONGUE: Kimchi should taste a little sour, and feel a little fizzy (or tingly) on the tongue.

    • #73290
      dgmulf
      Participant

      Thank you, Vibey! I’m looking forward to making another attempt. I think I’ll probably just use Maangchi’s recipe next time.

    • #73292
      Vibey
      Participant

      There are many ways to make kimchi, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll start playing around with it to make you happy. Maangchi’s recipes are definitely great to get you started, and they’re what I use, although after several years there’s been lots of adaptations. I even combine a few of her recipes! Haven’t had a failure yet. :)

    • #73378
      Kodji
      Participant

      Congratulations on beginning your kimchi-making love affair! I’m a bit of a beginner myself, I have made around six batches (first a half recipe, then a full, then a double, haha). I definitely agree that you need to go by sight, smell, and especially taste. Even though I’ve been using almost the exact same recipe each time, depending on the temperature (my mood while preparing? position of Jupiter?) it has taken varying times before it had that fermented taste. For the salt issue, I recommend being extra vigilant while rinsing the cabbage. And maybe looking for a different brand of fish sauce would help. I am a vegan, so I replace the fish sauce with a combo of red miso and water. Sorry to the purists – I found the suggestion online somewhere and found it a good substitute for my situation. :)

    • #73397
      MortenWadt
      Participant

      I have a kimchi question too. I am a little scared of using the fermented shrimp, since i react quite strongly to the taste of fish and seafood. I don’t think i am allergic, because i can use fish sauce and oystersauce in my food preperation, but the taste from fist and seafood, sadly makes me litteraly throw up.
      will it still taste good without the shrimp added, or is there a vegetariean substituion to them i could use? or do they not add a fishy taste at all? :D

    • #73455
      Vibey
      Participant

      Don’t use fermented shrimp, MortenWadt. You don’t want to go to the trouble of making a beautiful kimchi over days only to have it make you throw up! It will still be good without it. I only occasionally add extra seafood to my kimchi; most of the time, I rely on fish sauce alone for that savoury, salty kick.

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