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This kimchi has a complex texture and flavor. The kohlrabi will retain a bit of crunch, while the shiitakes soften. Those shiitakes also dominate the flavor, so if you aren’t a mushroom fan, be forewarned.
Fermentation Time:
Fermentation Type: Lacto
Primary Fermentation: 3 to 6 days
Total Time: 3 to 6 days
Shelf Life: Up to 3 months refrigerated
Yield: 1 quart.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unchlorinated water
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 pounds butternut squash
- 1 pound kohlrabi, thinly sliced
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 tablespoons gochugaru
- 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the salt and water for the brine, and stir to dissolve. Immerse the mushrooms in the brine.
- Prepare the squash by peeling, halving, and removing the seeds. Halve again so that you have quarters, and slice thinly.
- Combine the squash and kohlrabi in a large bowl. Slice the soaked mushrooms and add them, followed by the garlic, gochugaru, ginger, salt, and sweet rice flour. Toss everything together, gently massaging to preserve the mushroom slices.
- Pack the mixture into a quart jar, pressing out any air pockets as you go. Press a zip-close bag against the surface of the ferment, fill the bag with water, and close it.
- Place the kimchi in a corner of the kitchen to ferment. If you see air pockets, remove the bag, press the ferment back down with a clean utensil, rinse the bag, and replace.
- On Day 3 in warmer weather, or on Day 5 or 6 if the weather is mild, start taste-testing the kimchi. This ferment finishes quickly, so check it daily. You’ll know it’s ready when the gochugaru sports a nice orange, and the squash will have a duller look next to the bright gochugaru pepper.
- Screw on the lid and store in the refrigerator, where the kimchi will keep for 3 months.
Learn more about kimchi by checking out these articles:
Excerpted from Fiery Ferments © 2017 by Kirsten Shockey and Christopher Shockey. Photography © by Lara Ferroni. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
