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  • PoloniousmonkUair@autistics.life
    Oct 2, 2026, 9:50 PM

    #cooking

    I'm poor, and get a fresh food box once a week with locally grown produce. It's actually a pretty awesome system, as it throws money at small scale local growers as well as feeding the poor. I like my blue state. Anyway.

    I got another Asian cabbage. I really don't eat a lot of cabbage and I'm a single person living alone. Even if I adored cabbage, I couldn't eat an entire cabbage every week, which is what I tend to get this time of year. I do love kimchi, and wish I could make my own. I tried once and ended up with toxic waste.

    Homemade kimchi has to be a real thing, but I don't know any Korean people to teach me. Figuring it out from the internet obviously failed. Anyone out there know how to actually make homemade kimchi that works?

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Replies

  • Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:05 PM

    @Uair yes! It’s something we do fairly routinely. Not difficult or expensive at all:

    1. Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Put in a bowl of salt water - it should taste like sea water, about 3% salt. Important: use pure salt without iodine! The iodine kills the bacteria you need for fermentation. Let soak for 30 minutes, knead once or twice.

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  • Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:09 PM

    @Uair 2. Meanwhile, prepare the spice paste. Cut red bell peppers, Korean chili flakes to taste, ginger (lots), garlic (lots), soy sauce or nuoc mam. Purée with a food processor. Cut a bunch of spring onions.

    3. Find a large glass / ceramic pot. Clean it. Drain the cabbage thoroughly. Put a layer of cabbage in the pot, then spice paste, then spring onions. Repeat 2-4 times. Close pot.

    4. Keep pot at room temperature. Wait a week.

    5. Kimchi is ready!

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  • Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:23 PM

    @Uair you’ve got enough chili, garlic and ginger in the spice paste when you try a spoonful, and you *feel* the aroma, rather than just taste it.

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  • Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:20 PM

    @Uair Not sure how it works where you are.

    Here in Germany, I look for the cheapest salt in the supermarket shelf, which usually has iodine added for very valid health reasons.

    Mostly there’s a few packs of non-iodized salt next to it that’s 10 cents cheaper.

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  • Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:21 PM

    @Uair I’ve made that mistake too, btw, and more than once.

    For a German, kimchi is basically just spiced sauerkraut. Same thing.

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  • Hey Guselebertus@eigenmagic.net
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:24 PM

    @Uair a good bet is looking for sea salt, but for big brands (Morton if you're in the US, not sure if that is a global brand) they may also add iodine. I am guessing it will specifically say 100% salt / no additives, or that it is not iodized.

    @slothrop

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  • Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:29 PM

    @Uair @elebertus good luck! Home fermentation is an entry-level superpower.

    Once you’ve figured out a few things, it’s not hard. But even for experienced fermenters, sometimes a batch still goes bad.

    The rule is: if it smells / tastes good, it’s good! Our senses have evolved for precisely this sort of thing. Trust them.

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  • Mazz@1984CaringKinderSociety@aus.social
    Oct 2, 2026, 10:08 PM

    @Uair @SeaFury Any Fedi tips on home made Kimchi?
    I love cabbage 🥬- makes great Vegie soup ❤️

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  • hanktank61hanktank61@nerdjoy.social
    Oct 7, 2026, 11:20 PM

    @Uair
    I tried kimchi 3 times, as the only one in real life who likes it. Worked out OK, not super .
    I do have contact with a Dutch/Korean Deli-shop couple. And with a lot of Kimchi-lovers here under #Kdrama !
    Decided to scale back to sourkraut from Chinese cabbage, to first get the fermenting basics right. Works out well for me.
    Preserving I do much more these days for the two of us. That is fun to do, and not breaking the bank.

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