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I love fermented vegetables and often make and eat them. I've been asked how I make my ferments and so am posting this both for in case anyone wants to start fermenting but also wondered if other members would be willing to share their tips and recipes for fermented vegetables?
Many Traditional Kimchi recipes have too much sugar or juice etc so what I call Kimchi is actually a spicy version of my Sauerkraut which I have detailed below.
My one jar version of Sauerkraut
one kilner or mason jar sterilised (I use a one litre jar – a wide mouth clip top is easy to pack and use). Large bowl to use to salt and massage your cabbage.
Cabbage – I tend to use one small white or red cabbage. Need to weigh the cabbage being used to calculate the salt needed. It does shrink after it has been salted as water comes out of it.
Salt – good quality, you’ll need 2% of the weight of the cabbage.
Take off the outer leaves of the Cabbage and put one large leaf to one side for use later. Shred the cabbage - the thinner the shreds, the easier it will be to pull moisture out. Put into a large mixing bowl, massage it, then scatter with your measured salt. Once the salt is added, simply massage with clean hands for 10 minutes or until the cabbage has reduced quite a bit in size and released quite a bit of liquid at the base of the bowl. Put to one side for about 20mins to allow more water to come out and while you prepare other veggies.
Then add some colour and flavour. Shred or grate some vegetables of your choice to go with your cabbage – just enough to fill the jar.
You could include for example grated carrot, apple, celeriac, red pepper, radishes, beetroot, radishes, celery or onions – choose your favourite veg or just what you have left over in fridge.
Add something aromatic that you like this could be for example grated ginger or turmeric or garlic or add caraway seeds, juniper or allspice berries. My favourites are ginger and turmeric root.
Mix again to incorporate and you’ve practically made sauerkraut!
Place the shredded veg and the salted juices in your large jar, pushing it down to ensure the brine fully covers the veg to help fermentation. Add a little water, if necessary. As the lactofermentation process is anaerobic (without oxygen), the veg has to be submerged. You can cover it with a cabbage leaf or, if have one, a small fermentation weight.
Cover the jar, without sealing it, and leave it out at room temperature out of direct sunlight or in a cupboard , until it is as sour as you like it. This can take a few days or a couple of weeks. The longer you leave a ferment, the more potent it gets, so keep tasting to your preference. For me especially when it gets warmer this can be just a few days. If you are new to fermentation maybe eat it youngish while you get used to the flavours and the ferments.
The veg will change colour – red cabbage can go blue, celeriac can darken – but as long as the taste is right, it is not a problem. It’s OK if the liquid goes slimy; it may be because it wasn’t salted enough, or it got too warm. Just add some lemon juice and put it in the fridge – the cultures should balance out again. If a tiny bit of mold has formed, it’s usually okay, you can scoop it out and discard. Once the flavour is where you want it, seal the jar and refrigerate it. I usually eat for up to a month from the fridge.
Kimchi I now just tend to make what I call Kimchi but it’s made like the sauerkraut but spicer and mainly other vegetables, I usually add chillies or chili flakes There are recipes if you google but a lot of ingredients - So it may be easier to stick to a spicier version of sauerkraut, as I do and call it kimchi!
Many Traditional Kimchi recipes have too much sugar or juice etc so what I call Kimchi is actually a spicy version of my Sauerkraut which I have detailed below.
My one jar version of Sauerkraut
one kilner or mason jar sterilised (I use a one litre jar – a wide mouth clip top is easy to pack and use). Large bowl to use to salt and massage your cabbage.
Cabbage – I tend to use one small white or red cabbage. Need to weigh the cabbage being used to calculate the salt needed. It does shrink after it has been salted as water comes out of it.
Salt – good quality, you’ll need 2% of the weight of the cabbage.
Take off the outer leaves of the Cabbage and put one large leaf to one side for use later. Shred the cabbage - the thinner the shreds, the easier it will be to pull moisture out. Put into a large mixing bowl, massage it, then scatter with your measured salt. Once the salt is added, simply massage with clean hands for 10 minutes or until the cabbage has reduced quite a bit in size and released quite a bit of liquid at the base of the bowl. Put to one side for about 20mins to allow more water to come out and while you prepare other veggies.
Then add some colour and flavour. Shred or grate some vegetables of your choice to go with your cabbage – just enough to fill the jar.
You could include for example grated carrot, apple, celeriac, red pepper, radishes, beetroot, radishes, celery or onions – choose your favourite veg or just what you have left over in fridge.
Add something aromatic that you like this could be for example grated ginger or turmeric or garlic or add caraway seeds, juniper or allspice berries. My favourites are ginger and turmeric root.
Mix again to incorporate and you’ve practically made sauerkraut!
Place the shredded veg and the salted juices in your large jar, pushing it down to ensure the brine fully covers the veg to help fermentation. Add a little water, if necessary. As the lactofermentation process is anaerobic (without oxygen), the veg has to be submerged. You can cover it with a cabbage leaf or, if have one, a small fermentation weight.
Cover the jar, without sealing it, and leave it out at room temperature out of direct sunlight or in a cupboard , until it is as sour as you like it. This can take a few days or a couple of weeks. The longer you leave a ferment, the more potent it gets, so keep tasting to your preference. For me especially when it gets warmer this can be just a few days. If you are new to fermentation maybe eat it youngish while you get used to the flavours and the ferments.
The veg will change colour – red cabbage can go blue, celeriac can darken – but as long as the taste is right, it is not a problem. It’s OK if the liquid goes slimy; it may be because it wasn’t salted enough, or it got too warm. Just add some lemon juice and put it in the fridge – the cultures should balance out again. If a tiny bit of mold has formed, it’s usually okay, you can scoop it out and discard. Once the flavour is where you want it, seal the jar and refrigerate it. I usually eat for up to a month from the fridge.
Kimchi I now just tend to make what I call Kimchi but it’s made like the sauerkraut but spicer and mainly other vegetables, I usually add chillies or chili flakes There are recipes if you google but a lot of ingredients - So it may be easier to stick to a spicier version of sauerkraut, as I do and call it kimchi!
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