Farm Ferments: Just A Small Jar Of Kkakdugi (깍두기 , Korean Radish Kimchi)

The wax paper is intended to keep the fragrance from permanently permeating the lid

I typically make two quart jars of my favorite kimchi, kkakdugi, at a time. The last time I did, though, the second jar became a bit too fermented (it gets very soft and loses that radish crunchiness I like) for my taste. With a lonely, soon-to-be-rubbery daikon in the crisper drawer, it simply made sense to make a small batch of this spicy probiotic condiment.

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Dinner For Breakfast: Loco Moco

I made that kkakdugi!

I have eaten my fair share of “local food”, meaning the multicultural food culture the diverse people of Hawaii have created and made uniquely their own, and includes influences from ethnic Hawaiian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Portugese, and Filipino food. When you eat “local food”, you’re eating from a cultural melting pot that has successfully married unlikely partners such as Spam and the sticky rice and nori from sushi. Don’t call it Spam sushi – it’s Spam musubi (pronounced “moo-soo-bee”, accent on the first syllable). It used to be a guilty pleasure, but I no longer eat it because it (1) contains factory farmed pork , (2) contains sodium nitrite, and (3) is high in sodium.  Continue reading “Dinner For Breakfast: Loco Moco”

Farm Ferments: Kkakdugi (깍두기) – Korean Radish Kimchi

These jars of Kkakdugi will magically transform into probiotic goodness

Sometimes, food that smells really funky tastes incredibly delicious…like the Korean fermented vegetable dish called kimchi. I suppose kimchi may be an acquired taste: it’s fragrant with garlic and fish sauce, odors that some may find offensive – and it’s delightfully spicy. As a ferment, it’s full of probiotics, and the fermentation process lends it a piquant tanginess that teases the palate. In the past, I’ve purchased very fine pre-made kimchi from Korean stores, but why buy when you can make it yourself?

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