Lactic Fermentation Chapter 4: Spicy Kimchi

Straight out of the crock.

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After a very successful batch of dilled sauerkraut I couldn't let the crock sit empty for long.  So, I pressed the Gartopf back into service for a large batch of kimchi - my variant on the traditional Korean cabbage and vegetable side dish.

Kimchi is a staple of the Korean diet, and there are many, many versions of this most popular dish.  I have incorporated my own ideas, traditional elements, as well as some from the folks on the forum at:

Wild Fermentation  www.wildfermentation.com

and:

Kevin at Closet Cooking

www.closetcooking.com - I wish to credit them fully.

The backbone of this dish is Napa cabbage.  It is flavored with Korean chile powder and herbs; true to form, I have combined different styles and ended up with a mix of 16 ingredients.  I have sampled the ferment as it came together, and I have high hopes.  If it's this good to start, it must be a winner coming out of the vat ~

I recognize in my cooking that several of my dishes have a one-dimensional, bold profile.  I don't do subtle very well.  In balancing the flavors in this ferment, I believe I have made some progress in overcoming this issue.  The gochu garu and paprika provide a depth of flavor, while the red chili flakes add just a touch of heat, and the sugar and fish sauce mellow and counterbalance the savory components.

If you have not caught my previous posts on fermentation, I am using a 5-L German Harsch crock specially designed for this purpose.  It weighs the product down beneath a brine while creating an anaerobic environment for the lactobacilli to flourish. Of course, there are many other contraptions one can use to ferment; your imagination is the limit, but this is a foolproof method.

Here's a partial cast of characters for this project...

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THE RECIPE
(Of course, this is a very large batch; cut back accordingly based on your vessel.)

9-10# Napa cabbage
1# Korean radish (Lo bok) or Japanese radish (daikon), shredded
1# Japanese turnips (kabu) or Western style turnip, shredded
2 bunches scallions, shredded
3 carrots, shredded
1 bunch mustard greens, heavy ribs removed, chiffonade sliced
1 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, heavy stems removed, chopped
8-10 cloves garlic, minced or grated, adjust to taste
3-4 cups gochu garu (Korean chili powder), adjust to taste
5 T sea salt
2 T paprika
2-3 T grated ginger, adjust to taste
2 T granulated sugar
1 T crushed red chili flakes, adjust to taste +/-
3/4 cup fish sauce
2-3 T high quality soy sauce

1 cup whey OR starter from a previous ferment OR brine at a ratio of 1 1/2T salt to 1 cup warm water, dissolved (if needed)

Wash and prepare all of the vegetables; measure out all the other ingredients and keep containers close at hand should you need to add a bit more.

To prep the cabbage, discard the outermost leaves, slice each head in half and remove the core and lower stem ends of the bunch (save the ends for stir fry, Asian style soup or slaw).  Slice the leaves in half lengthwise, then chop across in one-inch strips.

Add cabbage, followed by the other ingredients in layers to the fermenting vessel; tamp down with a kraut pounder or potato masher to break down the cell walls and extract liquid from the vegetables.  I used 3 large heads of Napa, and added the ingredients in thirds after each head of cabbage was chopped.

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Stir well to combine and press with weights.  Add whey, kraut starter or brine if needed to cover the stones at least 3/4 inch with liquid.  Cover and set aside.  Check regularly and refrigerate when desired texture and flavor are achieved, approximately 3 weeks.