Thread: Korean Kimchee

Originally Posted by blackgang

Traveler, I think one thing to is that they are different kind of peppers, and each pepper has a distinct flavor that some can taste even Thur the spicy taste and some hot is different than another hot at least to me, I do make a descent kim chee here but I made it better in Korea, that is why the kim chee is better to me in Korea than it is here because we do not have the right kind of peppers and the main reason that even tho they have hot chili's here the Mexican food never tastes the same as it does in Mexico because of the different flavor of the peppers used, in fact some Mex foods call for a certain pepper to be used.

BG, I would like to try your Kimchi sometime as I need my Kimchi fix every now and again. Possibly I could bring along some Kor peppers from the local Kor store when I make the final move to Thai in a month.....

Originally Posted by phuketbound

So you don't consider chilli peppers spicy?

Some are, some aren't.

Kim chi simply isn't spicy compared with most English curries or Thai food. It's probably on par with Japanese curry which itself is a little spicier than a cup of water.

Originally Posted by blackgang

Originally Posted by phuketbound

I've never heard the term yonton. The heating system that Koreans use, as you describe it (floor heating), is called Ondol.

I am afraid she got you there Trav, yonton is what they call the round charcoal thing with the holes in it, but I will have to agree with her on the name of the unit.

BG.... no argument BG. In my original post I did say that that yonton is the actual charcoal brick.... I can see though based on how I worded the comment that someone migh have misconstrued and relate my mention of yonton being the name of the heating system. Ondol as PB and yourself bring to light is the name of the system..... sorry for any confusion.

U were in Inchon? I know Bupyong well and working in Inchon on occasion while mostly in Seoul.

Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

Originally Posted by blackgang

Traveler, I think one thing to is that they are different kind of peppers, and each pepper has a distinct flavor that some can taste even Thur the spicy taste and some hot is different than another hot at least to me, I do make a descent kim chee here but I made it better in Korea, that is why the kim chee is better to me in Korea than it is here because we do not have the right kind of peppers and the main reason that even tho they have hot chili's here the Mexican food never tastes the same as it does in Mexico because of the different flavor of the peppers used, in fact some Mex foods call for a certain pepper to be used.

BG, I would like to try your Kimchi sometime as I need my Kimchi fix every now and again. Possibly I could bring along some Kor peppers from the local Kor store when I make the final move to Thai in a month.....

You be more than welcome if I can get some to go off, I think maybe it is the plastic storage container I bought to use for that use in CM and maybe it is something in the plastic, but I can't see why that would be as I did cut the top off a plastic carboy that is used here for the 5 gal water jugs and used it for making Kraut and I did make kim chee in once, but it was to much to store in a fridge, so I made it in a gallon glass jar and never had any problems, so next time I will get the jar out and see if it will go off but it is damn hot here for awhile and I ain't even running my smoker and do have 2 salmon that I have to get out of the freezer and smoke before they freezer burn or go rank as they are very fat fish.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Kim chi simply isn't spicy compared with most English curries or Thai food.

You just haven't hit the right place Marmite, some of that shit is damn stout, I used to eat in a Korean saloon in Tua Hoa and they made it with some of those little fresh Viet peppers and that shit was damn near dangerous.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

It's probably on par with Japanese curry which itself is a little spicier than a cup of water.

Agree, Japanese curries aren't usually spicy -- often sweet. But I had a pepper bush outside my back door in Okinawa that yielded small, bright red chilis hotter than any chili I've had in Thailand.

I've also have kimchee ranging from bland to very spicy. Depends on how its made. Maybe I'll make some this weekend.

Originally Posted by blackgang

You be more than welcome if I can get some to go off, I think maybe it is the plastic storage container I bought to use for that use in CM and maybe it is something in the plastic, but I can't see why that would be as I did cut the top off a plastic carboy that is used here for the 5 gal water jugs and used it for making Kraut and I did make kim chee in once, but it was to much to store in a fridge, so I made it in a gallon glass jar and never had any problems, so next time I will get the jar out and see if it will go off but it is damn hot here for awhile and I ain't even running my smoker and do have 2 salmon that I have to get out of the freezer and smoke before they freezer burn or go rank as they are very fat fish.

BG, ok to make it up in plastic bowl but after it is made, try storing it in glass jars with a lid.

Originally Posted by blackgang

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Kim chi simply isn't spicy compared with most English curries or Thai food.

You just haven't hit the right place Marmite, some of that shit is damn stout, I used to eat in a Korean saloon in Tua Hoa and they made it with some of those little fresh Viet peppers and that shit was damn near dangerous.

A bunch of Korean families living in Thailand have fed me over a 6 year period and the only Kim chi that was even mildly spicy was made by a Thai maid. I quite liked that one but the Koreans moaned that it was too spicy.

^What isn't spicy to you, may be very spicy to someone else. Everyone has a different 'spicyness' factor. I grow a tolerance for it, the more I eat. Still tastes gross though.

Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

BG, ok to make it up in plastic bowl but after it is made, try storing it in glass jars with a lid.

No it is not, thats what I said, if you reread the post, I never had any trouble getting kraut or kimchee which is both salt and cabbage if it be green cabbage or Napa/chinese cabbage as is mostly used in Kim Chee, to kick off and I have been making kraut since I started to help my grandma 70 years ago and not until about last august up in CM when I bought these new plastic storage containers have I ever had any that didn't ferment.
But the way they grow shit over here is something else, I never washed the cabbage to much and the kraut was a funny unusual flavor, my wife decided to wash it better so she used bottle water and a lot of it and cut the cabbage in quarters and washed it in 2 waters before I shredded it and the kraut was a lot better from that batch which was 15 kilo of cabbage, she says it is from the chemicals that they use to spray the stuff with.
But you know, come to think of it, I always do as my grandma did and add about 1/4 sugar to the salt when making kraut and I think i used to do that with the kim chee, so maybe there is not enough sugar to cause fermentation in the napa cabbage I have been getting, It set for a long period and didn't rot or spoil, it just never kicked off.
Thai when making their kind of kraut will wash the rice and then use that in their kraut and it is supposed to make it go, and I can see that as it will convert to sugar, so might be something in that.
Just like the culture I thought up for making salami as you can't buy a live culture here so I use some Probatic acidophulis I have and open the capsules and dump the stuff in some dextrose and a tad of bottle water and mix it and let it set while I grind the meat and add the spices and then dump that culture in and mix well and stuff into casings and I have made some salami that aged for over a month and was fine, but just to hot as it is supposed to age at 60*F and it was 90+ in my cabinet but the humidity was OK.
Living here and wanting anything but som tam to eat takes some thought and invention at times.

Originally Posted by blackgang

Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

BG, ok to make it up in plastic bowl but after it is made, try storing it in glass jars with a lid.

No it is not, thats what I said, if you reread the post, I never had any trouble getting kraut or kimchee which is both salt and cabbage if it be green cabbage or Napa/chinese cabbage as is mostly used in Kim Chee, to kick off and I have been making kraut since I started to help my grandma 70 years ago and not until about last august up in CM when I bought these new plastic storage containers have I ever had any that didn't ferment.
But the way they grow shit over here is something else, I never washed the cabbage to much and the kraut was a funny unusual flavor, my wife decided to wash it better so she used bottle water and a lot of it and cut the cabbage in quarters and washed it in 2 waters before I shredded it and the kraut was a lot better from that batch which was 15 kilo of cabbage, she says it is from the chemicals that they use to spray the stuff with.
But you know, come to think of it, I always do as my grandma did and add about 1/4 sugar to the salt when making kraut and I think i used to do that with the kim chee, so maybe there is not enough sugar to cause fermentation in the napa cabbage I have been getting, It set for a long period and didn't rot or spoil, it just never kicked off.
Thai when making their kind of kraut will wash the rice and then use that in their kraut and it is supposed to make it go, and I can see that as it will convert to sugar, so might be something in that.
Just like the culture I thought up for making salami as you can't buy a live culture here so I use some Probatic acidophulis I have and open the capsules and dump the stuff in some dextrose and a tad of bottle water and mix it and let it set while I grind the meat and add the spices and then dump that culture in and mix well and stuff into casings and I have made some salami that aged for over a month and was fine, but just to hot as it is supposed to age at 60*F and it was 90+ in my cabinet but the humidity was OK.
Living here and wanting anything but som tam to eat takes some thought and invention at times.

Glass jars mentioned only because that is what the now adays Koreans do when selling and purchasing "kimchi" and keeping in the refigerator. So, I stick by my advice... don't store "kimchi" in plastic containers.... use glass jars with a screw on lid.

Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

So, I stick by my advice... don't store "kimchi" in plastic containers.... use glass jars with a screw on lid.

Check post #30, the new part under where I have your quote.

So, blackgang,did you get around to making some kimchi?


I can't believe myself, but I am becoming more Korean. I am eating Kimchi at lunch now. I guess I can take it in small quanitities, and it does clean your system out. Just one sidenote; It really stings when coming out the back end. It can cause hemorroids too. The stuff reeks too.

Yes, but it would not work with napa or chinese cabbage so I tried Thai Heart cabbage and it went off , but I also added some sugar and a few days later I went into the kitchen and my wife was eating out of the jar.
And I also set some kraut but added very little sugar so it went off and only worked for 1 day and quit, so not enough starch or sugar in the Thai stuff this time of year, so will have to add about as much sugar as salt to kraut when it is this hot.

and chili in food has nothing to do with hemorroids, Constapation or waiting to go shit when you have to causes them or maybe your boyfriend ain't using enough grease, the queers brits that come here are always posting on TV that they prefer astro glide, no that a Harley I think, but astro lube or summit like that.

Thank you for your ingredient. That means I can make it at home