Why is the salt washed off the cabbage in kimchi but not on sauerkraut?
All the videos I have seen always wash the salt off the Napa cabbage in kimchi but they never do in sauerkraut? How come? Is the brine necessary for fermentation?
Best Answer
The initial salting draws water out of the cabbage, otherwise the kimchi tends to get soggy/mushy. As you mention, it is frequently rinsed off after the initial salting. If you listed the ingredients that follow, I think you will see that there is quite a bit of salt re-introduced. The recipe I use, for example, includes, soy sauce, fish sauce, and salted shrimp, among other things...this creates the brine necessary for lacto-fermentation and preservation.
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Do you rinse cabbage after salting for kimchi?
The initial salting draws water out of the cabbage, otherwise the kimchi tends to get soggy/mushy. As you mention, it is frequently rinsed off after the initial salting.Do you rinse the salt of the kimchi?
It's not necessary, but not rinsing the salt after letting it sit for a while may lead to kimchi being too salty, and that's not what you want either. Also, after the fermentation, if kimchi is still too salty, you can rinse it off to minimize the saltiness.Should cabbage be washed before making sauerkraut?
When making sauerkraut, remove the outer leaves. You don't need to wash or rinse the cabbage. Removing the outer leaves is enough. If you're concerned about germs and pesticides on your produce then you can wash them or soak them with diluted vinegar or lemon water.Do you wash cabbage for kimchi?
Since the cabbages have been brined for a long time, 6-8 hours in salt water, it will be really salty to taste. I always rinse mine 3x in cold water and that has worked pretty well.Fermented Cabbage | Sauerkraut \u0026 Cowboy Kimchi | VEG HACKS
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Answer 2
I don't rinse at all, and I ferment for a full 10 days in the fish sauce. My logic is that disposing of the ferment brine and then rinsing three times also disposes of much of the probiotic/healthful lactobacillus that I am striving for in addition to the flavor.
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