Re: [CH] Kim-Chi
Kristofer Blennow (kristofer@blennow.se)
Wed, 23 Jan 2002 07:14:58 +0100
On 22 Jan 02, Rob Solarion wrote:
> Having just read through George's kim-chi recipes and information, I
> am curious about something. How does this "fermentation" process
> occur to cause the "sourness"? The ingredients didn't seem to be
> enough in and of themselves to cause a "fermentation".
The fermentation is done by lactic acid bacteria ("LAB"), that occurs
naturally in some vegetables (white and chinese cabbage, cucumbers).
LAB ferment carbohydrates into lactic acid, that preserves the pickle
and has that unique taste. It is important that the cabbage is fresh
and clean.
To get reliable fermentation you need a specific salt content at
about 2%-3% weight by weight. At this concentration you "select"
certain bacteria that give the desired result. Kim-chee recipes often
state that you should soak the cabbage in 10% salt brine for about 6
hours and then rinse it. This procedure gives about 2%-3% salt in the
end.
The most common bacteria are Leuconostoc Mesenteroides and
Lactobacillus Plantarum. L. Mesenteroides is "heterofermentative"
which means that it produces carbon dioxide. It is active in the
beginning of the process, so you can conveniently see that the
fermentation is going on by the bubbling. L. Plantarum is
"homofermentative" and does not bubble. It takes over during the
later part of the fermentation and can produce some pretty acid
concotions over time.
If you would try to ferment other vegetables (like chiles) you could
easily end up with some nasty results. This could be either due to
that there are no "good" LAB present, or that there are not enough
carbohydrates to ferment. So I would suggest making a balanced
recipe, and add some early stage fermenting kim-chee or sauerkraut to
whatever you want to ferment.
Hope this clears any confusion,
Kristofer