How to Make Kimchi Quickly, Easily and Cheaply - Part 1 - Fermentation Basics

Part 1 - Fermentation Basics

In the U.S., the Korean staple of kimchi has become a popular delicacy. You can find it in just about every supermarket, regardless of whether you live in a big city or a small town. If you're a fan of this pungent and spicy pickled dish, you know that a jar of the store-bought variety can be very pricey. In this series of articles, you will learn how to make kimchi at home for a fraction of the price!

Not only will your taste buds love what you've created, but your digestive system will as well. Kimchi, and other fermented vegetables, are high in the probiotics (good gut bacteria) that aid in keeping the digestive system healthy.

There are a few essential things you need to know about fermentation before you get started. Once you get this down, you'll be able to pickle just about anything. So learn to make kimchi first, then after you master these principles, you can try your hand at fermenting other types of vegetables.

Fermentation Principle 1 - The Right Amount of Salt

In order for fresh vegetables to ferment (break down and start to turn sour), they need to be immersed in just the right amount of salt. Most experts recommend a 1/4 cup of salt per pound or two of vegetables. When you make kimchi, you usually rinse off excess salt before adding the rest of the ingredients. So it's not necessary to be extremely precise. Just make sure that after rinsing (the process leading up to rinsing will be explained further), the cabbage tastes salty enough without being too briny.

Fermentation Principle 2 - Sugars Speed Up the Fermentation Process

You can add a little sugar to speed up the fermentation process, however you don't want to add so much that you taste it. You can also add vegetables, like carrots that are already naturally sweet.

Fermentation Principle 3 - Time and Patience

It takes a while to convert fresh vegetables into pickles, using salt. Be patient and relax. And if you are impatient, make enough kimchi so that you can begin to eat a little right away while insuring that there will be some left that will become fully ripe.

Here's a photo of all of the basic dry goods that you'll need to make quick, easy and cheap kimchi.

Salt
Sugar
Hot Pepper Flakes
Garlic Powder
Ginger Powder

Notice that salt is at the top of the list.

In part 2, we'll look at all of the ingredients that you'll need for your basic batch of kimchi.