Most of my recipes are pretty spicy and use a different brining process than Maangchi. I pre-cut everything, weigh it, add a prescribed amount of weighed salt and brine, soaking the vegetables for about 8-10 hours. This brining removes excess water, wilts the vegetables (easier to ferment and they pack tighter in crocks), and kills some unwanted bacteria (due to the salt). Then, I reserve a little of the brine, but rinse off the brined vegetables. I rinse the brined vegetables with fresh water, in a big colander, mixing and tasting. when it’s just a little salty-tasting, I mix in the spices, flavorings, etc. in a huge bowl, add a little “kick start” (juice from prior batches) and pack it in large crocks, with ceramic/stoneware weights. There should be at least a few inches of juice, over top of the veggies. That’s where a bit of the reserved brine comes in-to top off/cover the vegetables.
Most “Fermentistas” are aware that any Kim Chee recipe will change flavors dramatically, over time. If you make a small batch and eat it all within a week or two, you might not taste this. Kim Chee is alive. When it’s fizzy and bubbly, it’s not “full sour”; it’s like new wine that still has active yeast. Only the Kim Chee has a bunch of different bacteria growing in it. It usually starts with the genus Leuconostoc and as it gets older and more sour, Lactobacillus take over. Finally, it’s got enough acid where the bacteria can’t take it. The colder it is, the slower this process proceeds. You may prefer the taste of the fresh, less sour Kim Chee. Make sure that if you mature the Kim Chee, it’s cool (e.g. fridge), vegetables are under brine/juice, and it’s void of air. I put big jars (loose lids!) inside of sturdy bags, suck the air out of the bag and put a twist tie on it, before putting it in the fridge. Be sure the jars can’t pressurize! The bags keep air out and prevent the whole fridge from smelling like Kim Chee. Plus, they’ll inflate if the ferment is very active, indicating it’s not full sour.
Two excellent books are “Asian Pickles”, by Karen Solomon and “Fermented Vegetables”, by Kirsten and Christopher Shockey.
Age the White Kimchee, made by your current recipe, and see what you think. Since my own recipe/method is pretty detailed. It would be best to find out if it’s worth posting here; it would take a lot of space. But, measurements are exact, by weight, so whatever salt you use (besides table salt) should work. I’ve been making Kim Chee for about 26 years. Once you get a good understanding of the basics, it’s easy to customize your recipe the way you like it. There are hundreds of similar, fermented greens products, including good old sauerkraut.
