Help converting to a fremented recipe?

[Dace]

Cucumber Kimchi:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 medium sized cucumbers, seeds removed and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1/8 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons Korean chile flakes
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups rice wine vinegar
Sprinkle the kosher salt on the flesh-side of the cucumbers and then place them flesh-side down in a perforated pan for about 3 hours. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chile flakes, sugar, and black pepper. When the 3 hours have passed, rinse the cucumbers well with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice the cucumbers into 1/8-inch half-moon shapes and add to the bowl.

In a saucepan, bring the vinegar to a simmer and pour it into the bowl of vegetables. Cover the bowl tightly and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours before serving.

 

[Wifezilla]

Other than adding some whey, I see no need to change anything. It sounds delicious.

Not sure about the sugar though. I haven't fermented anything with sugar yet (well, other than wine or beer). That should just make it ferment faster.

Grumble....I am still waiting for the book

 

[freemotion]

That looks like it would almost fill a quart jar, depending on the size of the cukes....I would just eliminate the vinegar and add 4 Tbsp whey.

If you pour hot vinegar over the veggies, you will kill the good bacteria. Vinegar is pretty anti-bacterial, too, so I wouldn't use it. The whey and the fermenting process will create the sour taste.

These "pickle" recipes were created when commercial products came into huge demand, and needed to be consistant in texture and taste from batch to batch. Impossible with ferments, as you probably know by now! So vinegar was used to get the tangy taste that people were used to in a ferment. It is not necessary in a home ferment, and I think it will slow or halt the fermenting process.

If, when you go to eat a particular product you've fermented and it is not sour enough for you, you can add a little vinegar when serving. Remember, though, that the taste of each batch will change in storage as time goes by.

Boy, this is fun, isn't it???

 

[freemotion]

If you are going to go with 2 Tbsp salt, you can probably get away with 2 Tbsp whey. If you want to use less salt, you should use more whey, especially when it is so hot out. I'd use Celtic or Redmond Real Salt in place of kosher, but that is just me, being a purist.

 

[Dace]

Thanks!

I bought the celtic salt ($16.99!) and have found that we love it!

I made home fries the other night and my DS who usually skips the fried said that they were the best fries he had ever had.....the celtic sea salt was the only thing that was different!

 

[freemotion]

Yup, you can't create in a lab the taste of what is real and your body knows what is healthy, too!

I get the bigger, chunky Celtic salt, which is about half the price, and use that in anything that it will dissolve in. Then I get the Redmond Real Salt for the bowl of salt I use to sprinkle on my food or in things that it won't really dissolve fast enough in. I do like the taste of the Celtic salt best. When I bought them for the first time, we did a taste test with the white, processed sea salt I'd been using thinking it was better, and the two good salts. The difference was VERY apparent!

I've read that 90% of people with salt-sensitive high blood pressure can handle Celtic salt. What does that tell you????? That is enough for me! Some things are worth paying for. I save money on plenty of other things, so it all works out. I still spend less on groceries than anyone I know and eat better, to boot!

 

[Dace]

So I can get the cheaper stuff for cooking with ...like beans, soups, sauces etc...and save the pricier stuff for on top of the food on my plate?

 

[Wifezilla]

If, when you go to eat a particular product you've fermented and it is not sour enough for you, you can add a little vinegar when serving.

I may have to do this for hubby. He said there was something wrong with my pickled peppers because they were so crispy and weren't sour enough...LOLOL

 

[Dace]

I am FINALLY getting around to trying this recipe, but a couple questions.....Wifey commented on the sugar...should I omit it? Also since I plan to ferment it is the fish sauce ok or should I skip it?

 

[Wifezilla]

Not sure about the sugar, but fish sauce is an ingredient in a couple of fermented recipes. Fermented ketchup is one.