Kimchi Hot Sauce

[ShowMeDaSauce]

First try at this so the amounts are small.
 
1.5 cups very well fermented kimchi
5 Tbs Korean pepper flakes
2 Tbs Korean pepper flakes (hot)
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 tsp fish sauce
1 piece of candied ginger
Enough water to cover
 
Bring to boil and simmer on low till cabbage is soft.
 
Cool, puree and strain.
 
Add
Rice wine vinegar
Kimchi juice
Salt to taste
 Sugar (optional)
 
I might leave this out for a couple days to see if the kimchi juice will restart fermentation with some sugar. Ive had fermented hot sauces start to ferment again even after adding vinegar and pasteurizing. The kimchi juice is not cooked so i see no reason why it wont.
 

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

Ended up with about 16oz of sauce. Very little was caught in the strainer. Added a heaping tsp of sugar. Needs 2-3 days on the counter and a week or two in the fridge.

 

[Downriver]

Ha. I was just thinking of doing this the other day, but using a more simplistic approach though. I'm thinking mature kimchi with some juice into a blender, whir until liquid. Then into a pot, bring to a boil. Strain. Re-heat. Bottle. Done. Liquid Kimchi, aka Kimchi hot sauce.

 

[dragonsfire]

Candied ginger ? why not just ginger slices.
Looks great hope it works out

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

I use candied because i always have it on hand. It keeps extremely well and i like to snack on it in small amounts occasionally.

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

Ha. I was just thinking of doing this the other day, but using a more simplistic approach though. I'm thinking mature kimchi with some juice into a blender, whir until liquid. Then into a pot, bring to a boil. Strain. Re-heat. Bottle. Done. Liquid Kimchi, aka Kimchi hot sauce.

 
I might have to make a much hotter version just to turn into hot sauce. I made some the other day with my "hotter" Korean pepper flakes but i didnt use much. Its more of a spicy kraut than a kimchi. I call it "kimchi light". Those flakes though are pricey, more that triple the cost of my normal pepper flakes.
 
This year im growing Gochu plants so i might just ferment some of those peppers (fresh) with cabbage. Probably need to add some slightly hotter peppers to the mix too like Cowhorn.
 
I do kinda hate using my old kimchi for this. I save it for kimchi stew. Mine is as good or better than any ive eaten at a restaurant and i would swear its because the kmichi is older.
 

 

[dragonsfire]

lol, I love Candied ginger find it a bit expensive to use in cooking, make chocolate bars out of it some times

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

I pay $4.99 a pound for it and i buy it in half pound containers. Fresh is around $2.99 a pound and they seldom have young ginger to use for making candied.

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

 

[dragonsfire]

Looks great

 

[stickman]

 

Nice result, how does it taste? I hear ya 'bout using mature kimchi in stews... I love kimchi chigae and Gamjatang!
 

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

Fresh its main flavor was just hot sauce. I left the caps loose and let it set at room temp a couple days since i added some uncooked kimchi juice to it. Im putting it in the fridge today for another week or two of aging. I will taste some before i put it away.
 
EDIT:
Well i just tasted it and it definitely tastes like liquid kimchi now.

 

[Downriver]

 
...This year im growing Gochu plants so i might just ferment some of those peppers (fresh) with cabbage. Probably need to add some slightly hotter peppers to the mix too like Cowhorn.
 

 
I grew some Hong Gochu last year just to make kimchi with. Has a great flavor and pretty good heat. I have a hard time tasting low level heat, but I can taste this lol. I don't find it "hot", but others have said otherwise. I think you'll like the flavor.

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

The fresh ripe gochu ive gotten at the Korean market were very mild. Much less than a average jalapeno. I ordered these from chileplants so i have no idea how hot they will end up. The Bonnie cowhorns i grew last year might make a reasonably good powder for hotter kimchi. They were really good pickled but occasionally you got one with a fair amount of heat. Probably upper end of serrano type heat..

 

[MrGlen]

When you say, "very well fermented kimchi", how long of a ferment is that? Are we talking a couple of months, or what?
I really like kimchi, and this might be an excuse to make some. Thanks for the cool idea.

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

At least a month old. The one i used is 3 months old or more.
 
I ferment 3 days at room temp or until it smells good and sour. Then it goes in the fridge for 2 weeks before tasting it again. I use a starter of kimchi juice from a previous batch so fermentation starts very quickly. Adding a little pear puree to the ferment also helps.
 
You could probably use "fresher" kimchi and let the sauce ferment longer.