Kimchi, Kefir, Sauerkraut and all other fermented foods

There’s some stuff that runs way too deep for the occasional foray within the Food thread. There are parallels with the awesome Home Brew and Bread threads of course, but I wanna talk about the odd stuff not those pampered cheerleaders. The sour and funky freaks. The your-putting-what-in-bucket-under-the-stairs-for-a-week? Yeah, YOUR.

Let’s go.

Here’s my latest kimchi on the go. I have a couple of these 5L crocks by K&K off Amazon for kimchi and sauerkraut.
Here is the basic recipe I use for kimchi.
This is the sauerkraut one.

I have to take a break in high summer because I don’t have a decent cool store, and they go off too quick. But I love them at other times of the year.

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There was the word, and the word was Katz.
This vies with The Fat of the Land for desert island book my friends.

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Looks good! I love a good fermentation, we've made plenty of kimchi before but very keen to try making some kombucha now too!

I believe this is ace, have yet to pick up a copy...

But I’ve started this thread as a roundabout way to ask for help with kefir. I struggle.

I have, once or twice, achieved beautifully thick, creamy and sharp kefir. This was how I first tasted it, and thought wow! But i fell out of the knack, and lost my way. The images summarise my setup, which usually resides in the fridge. I had two on rotation at one time but it was a faff.

So, school me learned friend. How do you do it? Tell me if your jars, rituals. How do you achieve creamy perfection and a steady supply?

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Any vegan Kimchi recipes you guys recommend? I've been tempted in the past as I love sauerkraut but all the pre-made stuff has fish sauce in it.

Oh yes please Santa!

Fish sauce is basically salt and umami so you could substitute something clever, perhaps seaweed based to give the fishy thang?

Following with interest.

https://youtu.be/W4hvneKcPZI

I have some "umami" paste in my cupboard, maybe I could have a play around with that.
https://www.planetorganic.com/clearspring-japanese-umami-paste-with-chilli-150g/24095/

Saw that on one of the browsing tables in Waterstones last Friday night.
Made a mental note to add it to my Santa's Wishlist.

We've made this one (and sold it in our dumpling stall). It's great!

Kefir is so mainstream, can you get some mare's milk instead and make airag?

How and where do you store all the kimchi?
I occasionally buy it when we do Korean bbq and if there are leftovers I put it in Tupperwares and keep it in the fridge. Works well for the kimchi, not so much for the rest in the fridge. Everything smells like kimchi. Also the Tupperwares assimilate the colour and smell

What a username! I keep it in its crock, which has a water moat type seal. I ladle it out into bowls but never had leftovers...

Haha, maybe if I milked yo momma!

#FermentingGoals:
Proper kefir.
Moar kimchi.
Dill pickles. In order to facilitate this I have purchased a 20ft polytunnel and will be trying to grow little cucumbers next year. Did I mention this rabbit hole goes deep?
A return, one day, to Salami. There was once one known as Sausage Olly...

Oh, and Miso. #longgame

Leave my mum out of this.

Sitting here watching a documentary about making miso, you're not alone.

Soy (light) sauce works instead of fish sauce. I've been making various kimchi recipes for years. Fave is with mouli/raddish.

Also make kombucha which is fermented tea. So good for your gut. There's a wealth of ingredients for that. Fruit and/or veg. Will share recipes and advice if anyone interested

We use goats milk for kefir

Best done for a day or so at room temp in a container that allows air in, then strained into an airtight jar for a few days.

Still have some fermented wild garlic under the stairs from 2017. Must get round to using it before next Spring's crop arrives...

In fact, here it is. Still looking good.

Instead of the 'old' fermenting pots, I use the modern airlock equivalent.

Will share recipes and advice if anyone interested

Let loose please, you’re on the right thread! Always been interested in that but not got round to it yet.