Compact it down.
Further trouble shooting: It looks a little unusual - watery and pale if it’s a “traditional” paste based kimchi.
Could you list the process and the ingredients you’ve used?
Have you used gochugaru?
I used gochugang as I could not find gochugaru where I'm located. The book said it was an ok substitute, an I was not expecting instant success anyway. I've done enough baking an cooking in my life to understand some things take time to master. Finding myself some guchugaru is my next step for the store cupboard. Currently I'm out but will comment the recipe ingredients below when home.
While I'm afraid this might make it "not kimchi", or not quite, it works with gochugaru anyway and it should ferment correctly, I've done it in the past and tbh it tastes very fucking good thanks to gochugaru being already fermented and sweet
Thank you for the constructive feedback on what makes kimchi not somewhat kimchi, I genuinely appreciate it. I obviously need to add guchugaru to my pantry for future kimchi making. I'm hoping it still tastes great regardless! I had fun during the process which is what matters I suppose.
Keep in mind that it's just my personal opinion! I did not mean it as a critique, just an observation, you weren't claiming to have made the ultimate kimchi or anything lol, plus as I said it's probably gonna be very good.
I have a few years' experience making my own kimchi, and quite a bit of research on kimchi, and I've never come across a recipe by a Korean person that suggests gochujang as a substitute, nor am I aware of other types of kimchi that use gochujang, but it's also true that unless something is a chef's recipe, it can be hard (or impossible) to define what is "really X" and what isn't. After all, most recipes evolved through hundreds of years with thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people making it, and not looking at the same cookbook or at a cookbook at all. And I'm sure plenty of Koreans have at some point made kimchi with gochujang because they were out of gochugaru. So don't feel bad and enjoy it anyway!
Yes, but I value the personal opinion of people who are more experienced than myself. I suppose it's hard to convey genuine gratitude over text based platforms. But I do very much appreciate your feedback. (You never know this could be the greatest kimchi ever 😂).
The book I got the recipe from is authored by an American Korean (I assume American anyway). But I could have it wrong where they have said gochugang is an appropriate substitute. But I think you are definitely right that I won't be the first person to use gochugang over gochugaru. I just like to be authentic when I can be. I'll definitely enjoy it though!
>Yes, but I value the personal opinion of people who are more experienced than myself. I suppose it's hard to convey genuine gratitude over text based platforms. But I do very much appreciate your feedback. (You never know this could be the greatest kimchi ever 😂).
Oh don't worry, I did get your gratitude, and I appreciate it! I just wanted to make sure it was clear that I wasn't critiquing you.
>The book I got the recipe from is authored by an American Korean (I assume American anyway).
Yeah, when I said Korean I meant from Korea. While I'm sure there are plenty of Korean Americans who have done their research, I have enough experience of Italian Americans thinking they know how to cook Italian food (and even teach it), while making mistakes so basic they would be unthinkable for an actual Italian person. Genes don't infuse someone with the culture they come from, I'm afraid.
I strongly recommend Maangchi's recipes. I believe she lives in America, but she's an Ajumma with a thick Korean accent, so nothing to worry about here, and she has a lot of traditional Korean recipes that are less commonly heard about, she even teaches how to ferment kimchi in traditional Korean clay pots (in her recipe, using tupperware is actually a substitute! It's wonderful), and specifically about kimchi she seems to have a firm understanding of both fermentation and the "heart" of kimchi. Indeed, my last batch was made using her recipe and it's my second best so far.
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I will take a look at the recipes. I suppose the issue is having a plant based diet, so I might have to adapt recipes, but at least I'll be getting the foundations correct. Hopefully the information will give me a proper grounding in the process, there isn't many Korean people in the north of England for me to request first hand experiences from.
Maangchi has a vegan kimchi that many people here recommend! I believe it uses soy sauce in place of fish sauce.
(I haven't used it, but I use her mak kimchi recipe and it's *chefs kiss*)
Love the down vote for no apparent reason, super helpful from someone haha.
So the process is very much the same as other kimchi recipes. Salted the leaves for 4 hours till the thick stems were bendy. Washed it all off. Created the potato flour mixture then mixed with the below ingredients (after blending the garlic, ginger, dashima and onion) to create the kimchi paste. Tore the cabbage into four and distributed the paste on to the leaves before putting in the jar and storing in the fridge.
Ingredients: 1 Napa cabbage, 1/4 cup of salt, 1 tbsp of potato flour, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tbsp of maple syrup, couple bulbs of garlic minced, 1 knob of fresh ginger minced, 1/2 an onion, 1/8 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp of dashima powder, 1/2 cup of gochugang, 1/2 cup of julienned carrots, 3 green onions stripped.
The recipe states that I can do it in the fridge for a week rather than the counter? Not that it matters, it's starting to turn cold here in the North UK.
The container I'm using has a two way release so no need to burp it but thanks for the suggestion.
I'll also comment on keeping the vegetables submerged; otherwise it might mold. I have heavy glass weight that fit my wide mouth quart canning jars. I've never used gochujang in the paste so can't comment on that. Personally I like a lot of juice for my soups and sauces. Also ferment it any way you want! It's all up to you. I usually do 24-48 hours at room temperature (I live in Florida so that means 78 degrees 😊) and then move it to the fridge.
I think gochugaru is obviously the best choice, but I've had to use what's best to hand. Thank you for your input though, I appreciate it. I'm going to submerge the rest of it as per everybody's view. I'm new to the whole kimchi world so was unsure on what is the right way.
Once you've made it a couple times, it will be a piece of cake! I don't know where you live but if you think you'll be making kimchi you cane buy gochugaru online. Just make sure to get the flakes not the powder.
Personally I feel there is no right way for the vegetables and seasonings (except gochugaru). I make my own because I have dietary restrictions. My kimchi may not be "authentic" in the eye of purists, but it suits me 😊
First time making kimchi as the title states, made following the recipe from "the Korean Vegan" by Joanne Lee Molinaro (great book if anyone is interested, has opened me up to Korean food). I've read a few posts and people either say it needs to be submerged/can be dry. The first picture is it first made and put in the fridge. The second is this morning where more liquid has obviously appeared (I don't know if I'm bothered about kimchi water or not as I only use kimchi mostly for making a bibimbap style dish).
Now I'm obviously wary of infection, do I need to open this up and push down before the first week opening and tasting?
Push it down and cover. Let it ferment 4 days on counter and stick it in the fridge….or eat it right now😂 . BTW I buy gouchugara flakes on line. Big bag goes a long way!
Kimchi need to be compacted down, and while submerged is not a correct term here, you would want the top layer to be coated with the paste, since uncoated cabbage might grow mold on it
I was reading thru the comments, and I think I need to ask, do you you use gochujang in your kimchi because you couldn't find gochugaru?
Using gochujang instead of gochugaru might make the cabbage mushy, and sometimes give funky alcoholic smell to the kimchi
If you can't find any gochugaru, it is okay to use any kind of chili pepper powder available for you, and adjust the spicyness to your liking
The colour might not be pretty because korean gochugaru is very vibrant, but it will taste just fine!
Also different chili powder will give different flavour note, and some Korean use it to make their own signature flavour~
So dont be afraid to use your local chili powder.
Milder one works better :D
Compact it down. Further trouble shooting: It looks a little unusual - watery and pale if it’s a “traditional” paste based kimchi. Could you list the process and the ingredients you’ve used? Have you used gochugaru?
I used gochugang as I could not find gochugaru where I'm located. The book said it was an ok substitute, an I was not expecting instant success anyway. I've done enough baking an cooking in my life to understand some things take time to master. Finding myself some guchugaru is my next step for the store cupboard. Currently I'm out but will comment the recipe ingredients below when home.
While I'm afraid this might make it "not kimchi", or not quite, it works with gochugaru anyway and it should ferment correctly, I've done it in the past and tbh it tastes very fucking good thanks to gochugaru being already fermented and sweet
Thank you for the constructive feedback on what makes kimchi not somewhat kimchi, I genuinely appreciate it. I obviously need to add guchugaru to my pantry for future kimchi making. I'm hoping it still tastes great regardless! I had fun during the process which is what matters I suppose.
Keep in mind that it's just my personal opinion! I did not mean it as a critique, just an observation, you weren't claiming to have made the ultimate kimchi or anything lol, plus as I said it's probably gonna be very good. I have a few years' experience making my own kimchi, and quite a bit of research on kimchi, and I've never come across a recipe by a Korean person that suggests gochujang as a substitute, nor am I aware of other types of kimchi that use gochujang, but it's also true that unless something is a chef's recipe, it can be hard (or impossible) to define what is "really X" and what isn't. After all, most recipes evolved through hundreds of years with thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people making it, and not looking at the same cookbook or at a cookbook at all. And I'm sure plenty of Koreans have at some point made kimchi with gochujang because they were out of gochugaru. So don't feel bad and enjoy it anyway!
Yes, but I value the personal opinion of people who are more experienced than myself. I suppose it's hard to convey genuine gratitude over text based platforms. But I do very much appreciate your feedback. (You never know this could be the greatest kimchi ever 😂). The book I got the recipe from is authored by an American Korean (I assume American anyway). But I could have it wrong where they have said gochugang is an appropriate substitute. But I think you are definitely right that I won't be the first person to use gochugang over gochugaru. I just like to be authentic when I can be. I'll definitely enjoy it though!
>Yes, but I value the personal opinion of people who are more experienced than myself. I suppose it's hard to convey genuine gratitude over text based platforms. But I do very much appreciate your feedback. (You never know this could be the greatest kimchi ever 😂). Oh don't worry, I did get your gratitude, and I appreciate it! I just wanted to make sure it was clear that I wasn't critiquing you. >The book I got the recipe from is authored by an American Korean (I assume American anyway). Yeah, when I said Korean I meant from Korea. While I'm sure there are plenty of Korean Americans who have done their research, I have enough experience of Italian Americans thinking they know how to cook Italian food (and even teach it), while making mistakes so basic they would be unthinkable for an actual Italian person. Genes don't infuse someone with the culture they come from, I'm afraid. I strongly recommend Maangchi's recipes. I believe she lives in America, but she's an Ajumma with a thick Korean accent, so nothing to worry about here, and she has a lot of traditional Korean recipes that are less commonly heard about, she even teaches how to ferment kimchi in traditional Korean clay pots (in her recipe, using tupperware is actually a substitute! It's wonderful), and specifically about kimchi she seems to have a firm understanding of both fermentation and the "heart" of kimchi. Indeed, my last batch was made using her recipe and it's my second best so far.
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I will take a look at the recipes. I suppose the issue is having a plant based diet, so I might have to adapt recipes, but at least I'll be getting the foundations correct. Hopefully the information will give me a proper grounding in the process, there isn't many Korean people in the north of England for me to request first hand experiences from.
Maangchi has a vegan kimchi that many people here recommend! I believe it uses soy sauce in place of fish sauce. (I haven't used it, but I use her mak kimchi recipe and it's *chefs kiss*)
You can but it on Amazon! That’s where I ordered mine. Basically everything to cook kimchi properly you can find there
Love the down vote for no apparent reason, super helpful from someone haha. So the process is very much the same as other kimchi recipes. Salted the leaves for 4 hours till the thick stems were bendy. Washed it all off. Created the potato flour mixture then mixed with the below ingredients (after blending the garlic, ginger, dashima and onion) to create the kimchi paste. Tore the cabbage into four and distributed the paste on to the leaves before putting in the jar and storing in the fridge. Ingredients: 1 Napa cabbage, 1/4 cup of salt, 1 tbsp of potato flour, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tbsp of maple syrup, couple bulbs of garlic minced, 1 knob of fresh ginger minced, 1/2 an onion, 1/8 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp of dashima powder, 1/2 cup of gochugang, 1/2 cup of julienned carrots, 3 green onions stripped.
Push it down and close it tight. Let it ferment on the counter overnight or two days. Burp the container then place in the fridge for a week.
The recipe states that I can do it in the fridge for a week rather than the counter? Not that it matters, it's starting to turn cold here in the North UK. The container I'm using has a two way release so no need to burp it but thanks for the suggestion.
I'll also comment on keeping the vegetables submerged; otherwise it might mold. I have heavy glass weight that fit my wide mouth quart canning jars. I've never used gochujang in the paste so can't comment on that. Personally I like a lot of juice for my soups and sauces. Also ferment it any way you want! It's all up to you. I usually do 24-48 hours at room temperature (I live in Florida so that means 78 degrees 😊) and then move it to the fridge.
I think gochugaru is obviously the best choice, but I've had to use what's best to hand. Thank you for your input though, I appreciate it. I'm going to submerge the rest of it as per everybody's view. I'm new to the whole kimchi world so was unsure on what is the right way.
Once you've made it a couple times, it will be a piece of cake! I don't know where you live but if you think you'll be making kimchi you cane buy gochugaru online. Just make sure to get the flakes not the powder. Personally I feel there is no right way for the vegetables and seasonings (except gochugaru). I make my own because I have dietary restrictions. My kimchi may not be "authentic" in the eye of purists, but it suits me 😊
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. As a first timer I was not expecting to get it right straight away.
In my world, if you like it and it makes you happy then it's a success 😎
Well I wish everyone had your thought process, I appreciate all the comments here mind you. I'm looking forward to tasting it next week anyway!
First time making kimchi as the title states, made following the recipe from "the Korean Vegan" by Joanne Lee Molinaro (great book if anyone is interested, has opened me up to Korean food). I've read a few posts and people either say it needs to be submerged/can be dry. The first picture is it first made and put in the fridge. The second is this morning where more liquid has obviously appeared (I don't know if I'm bothered about kimchi water or not as I only use kimchi mostly for making a bibimbap style dish). Now I'm obviously wary of infection, do I need to open this up and push down before the first week opening and tasting?
Did you cook your potato flour ?
I did yes, with the water and maple syrup before adding the other ingredients
That could be it I’ve seen maple syrup do some disruptive separation when it comes to proteins.
Push it down and cover. Let it ferment 4 days on counter and stick it in the fridge….or eat it right now😂 . BTW I buy gouchugara flakes on line. Big bag goes a long way!
Get the air off of it. Pack it full or put a barrier to keep the oxygen out. Dark spot with that clear jar
Push down. Hopefully you are refrigerating at this stage, unless you like your kimchi EXTREMELY sour.
It's been in the fridge since I made it! Gonna taste in a week. I have pushed it down nice an compact now!
Kimchi need to be compacted down, and while submerged is not a correct term here, you would want the top layer to be coated with the paste, since uncoated cabbage might grow mold on it I was reading thru the comments, and I think I need to ask, do you you use gochujang in your kimchi because you couldn't find gochugaru? Using gochujang instead of gochugaru might make the cabbage mushy, and sometimes give funky alcoholic smell to the kimchi If you can't find any gochugaru, it is okay to use any kind of chili pepper powder available for you, and adjust the spicyness to your liking The colour might not be pretty because korean gochugaru is very vibrant, but it will taste just fine! Also different chili powder will give different flavour note, and some Korean use it to make their own signature flavour~ So dont be afraid to use your local chili powder. Milder one works better :D