What I've Learned From Kim Chi Making

After reading about the health benefits of kimchi, I started making it at home. I can buy it ready made but it just feels so dang wholesome to make it myself. That's what most Korean households do and with a bit of practice, it gets easier.

The development of kimchi is simple-you just wait. Two weeks if you can for the best flavour. The hardest part is putting the ingredients together. I just made my second batch, including half a cup of leftover kimchi brine to kickstart the fermentation process. There were bubbles on the 5th day when making from scratch, whereas the kimchi was bubbling on the second day with the leftover brine.

For this second batch as you can see here, I've cut the nappa cabbage and kohlrabi into bite sized chunks. That way it's less fiddly to salt the vegetables, add the hot pepper paste and serve later. It also accelerates fermentation.

I left the kimchi on my countertop for two days now and it's fermenting like crazy. The kitchen smells like kimchi and that's after we've been out of the flat for a day!

The kimchi is now in the refrigerator. The biggest challenge is to figure out how to eliminate a bitter taste. I reduced the amount of ginger but I don't think that's what's causing it. From what I've read, its a sign the kimchi is not ready and it needs more fermenting.

Since I've started eating kimchi everyday, my digestion has improved. I'm also drinking a glass of water kefir daily but as fermented food, kimchi is a similar thing. The downside is that I have kimchi breath so I only eat in the evenings at home.

I like watching the kimchi rise from the bubbles and squishing them down with a fork :)