Tag Archives: fermentation

Pineapple Kimchi and hot sauce

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  • 5 lbs. pineapple (gross weight; this is around one large or two small pineapples); then remove top, peel, core, and cube into 3/4″ or 1″ pieces
  • 1 TBSP additive free salt (or 2.5% of net weight of cubed pineapple)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, peeled & halved
  • 1 small nub ginger (~7-8g), cut into a few slices
  • 3 green onions, cut into 1/2″ slices
  • 1 TBSP fish sauce (or aminos)
  • Gochugaru powder (around 1/3 cup)
  • Optional: Added hot peppers or red chili flake as desired (gochugaru powder alone won’t make a very hot sauce)
  • If making hot sauce sauce: 1/3 cup white vinegar & 1/4 cup pineapple juice (can substitute juice with more vinegar if needed)

1.) Prepare the pineapple as described, then place in the mixing bowl and evenly coat with the salt. Allow to sit out for 1.5 – 2 hours. (Covering the bowl with plastic wrap is recommended.)

2.) After sufficient time has passed, much of the pineapple’s juice will have accumulated in the bowl. Strain out the brine (probably around 1/3 cup of salty pineapple juice will form) and measure it by volume. Use an equal amount of gochugaru powder. Place both the “brine” and gochugaru, in the blender. Add the garlic, ginger, fish sauce (or alternatives), and any optional hot peppers. Blend until a smooth paste has formed.

3.) Add the paste to the pineapple cubes. Cut up and add the green onions as well. Wearing gloves, mix the paste thoroughly and evenly with the pineapple.

4.) Using the canning funnel, transfer the pineapple cubes to the jar, add airlock lid and seal. Ferment for 4-6 days (recommended). If you like, you can try a sample after several days and see if you’ve achieved the amount of fermentation desired.

After the allotted time, transfer to fridge or start eating!

Pineapple kimchi hot sauce:

1.) Place the fermented pineapple kimchi and all the sauce into the blender. Blend on high for a minute, along with the added vinegar and pineapple juice.

2.) Transfer sauce to saucepan and completely rinse out the blender. (You will use the blender again and don’t want living bacteria to remain in it, which can restart the ferment if it makes contact with the cooked sauce.)

3.) Heat the sauce on high and stir until boiling. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

4.) After the allotted time, bring sauce back to the clean blender and blend on high for 4-5 minutes, pulsing periodically.

5.) Using the sauce funnel as needed, transfer the sauce to a container or sauce bottles. (At minimum these should be very clean from hot water or dishwasher, if not a full sanitizing.)

Black Garlic

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Place the rice cooker in an area with good ventilation (near a window).  Peel the outer skin of garlic so that you can see the separation of garlic cloves.  Put whole garlic bulbs in one layer in a rice cooker.  Close the lid on the rice cooker and press the button ‘Keep Warm.’  Leave it as is for 9 days.  

After 9 days, turn off the rice cooker, take out the garlic bulbs and rest to let them come to room temperature.  Peel – it’s an easy process since the cloves are mostly separated from the skin at this point – and place the cloves on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Cover with another parchment and air-dry in a cool area for a week.  As a side note, I ended with about 80% of what I started with because I kept eating the garlic in the drying process.

Keep them refrigerated in a container.

Pho Flavoured Cherry Tomatoes

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  • 1 rounded TBSP pho spice blend per quart jar (excludes cinnamon stick) — pho spice typically consists of star anise, fennel, clove, coriander and/or cardamom. (You will have to make your own blend if you can’t find it pre-made.)
  • 1 cinnamon stick & black cardamom pod (it should come in a pre-made pho spice pack)
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, quartered
  • 4-5 sprigs Thai basil (preferred but other basil can be substituted if needed)
  • Several stalks of cilantro, ~10g
  • Nub of ginger, thinly sliced (~15g)
  • Very firm cherry tomatoes (any variety) to fill your container (not fully ripened is best)
  • 1 TBSP + 1 tsp additive-free salt (or use a 4 – 4.5% brine) dissolved in 2 filtered cups water
  • For a spicy version: 1-2+ sliced jalapenos, red or green
  • 1-2 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 TBSP lime juice and zest of lime
  • 1-2 TBSP fish sauce
  • Wash all the produce including the basil
  • Coarsely crush all the spices in mortar & pestle and place them in the cooking pot along with the cinnamon stick, salt, peppercorns (if used), and water (2 cups per quart jar), bring to a boil, then turn off heat  and allow to cool to room temperature (or colder). (Alternately, just make a cold saltwater brine, shaking the salt and spices in a sealed jar until the salt has fully dissolved. This method is faster but will not make as strong of a flavor.)
  • Slice any peppers used (spicy or otherwise)
  • In the jar, put in the tomatoes, lime juice, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, hot pepper slices, and any other produce used, ending with the basil and cilantro on top
  • Fill the jar with the spiced salt water brine until it reaches about 1.5″ from the top. Keep all spices and the cinnamon stick in the jar.
  • Top everything with fermentation weight
  • Conclude with placement of the lid and an airlock or any preferred device, otherwise use the standard lid and burp it every 1-2 days
  • The tomatoes will normally be flavorful and effervescent within 3-5 days. The flavor will continue to develop in the refrigerator, but tomatoes will go soft within a couple weeks.

Beet Kvass

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  • 4 medium beets, cleaned and cubed (or mix and match with other root veggies like turnip and daikon)
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 large piece of ginger, sliced
  • 1.5 TBSP non-iodized salt dissolved in 4.5 cups filtered, distilled, or otherwise clean water. (This will make ~2% brine salinity, ideal for beets and a quick ferment)

Rinse and clean the produce

Cube the beets to about 1/2″ pieces; slice the carrot and ginger

Place the produce in the jar.

To make the saltwater brine, place the salt in a jar with the water and shake vigorously for a minute or two. Alternately, you can heat the water until the salt dissolves in it, but then wait for it to return to room temperature.

Pour the saltwater into the jar until it reaches the shoulder. Then add any weights and determine if any more (or less) brine is needed. About 4 cups in all will be used. (Excess brine can be placed in a ziploc and placed on top of the veggies.)

Keep the ferment on a shelf out of direct sunlight for fermenting. You can store in the fridge at any time but be aware it will greatly slow the rate of fermentation.

Ferment length: Although some people will start drinking it within a couple days, waiting longer will yield more probiotic bacteria. You may enjoy the flavor even more too. Consider a length of several days to a week, and perhaps make a second batch to see what it tastes like after a few weeks. I personally like very fermented beets for eating (around 3+ months), so you could also keep the beets going at room temperature once you’ve had the drink. You could do this by replacing the brine. Which brings us to the next point…

Bread and Butter Pickles

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  • 2 lbs. small/pickling cucumbers
  • 2 TBSP salt
  • 1 cup (75 g) thinly sliced sweet onion (or substitute with other onion)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1.5 cups white vinegar
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp celery seeds
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

OPTIONAL: 1/4 tsp whole coriander seeds5 allspice berries5 cloves1 bay leaf; For spicy bread & butters: 1-2 jalapenos (or more), slice

Wash and then slice cucumbers into 1/4” slices

In a large bowl, gently mix the salt and the cucumber slices evenly. Allow to sit for about 1.5 hours. (Covering with plastic wrap recommended)

After the allotted time, strain and then thoroughly rinse the cucumbers. Place them back in the mixing bowl and add the sliced onions.

Combine all the spices into a mortar and pestle and lightly crush. (Or you can place in a plastic bag and lightly crush with a rolling pin.) The bay leaf can be kept whole or crushed by hand.

In the saucepan, add the white and apple cider vinegar and the white and brown sugar. Heat on medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add all the spices to the saucepan, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before pouring the brine over the cucumbers, bring the brine to a low boil.

Place the cucumber/onion mix in a half gallon jar (or divide between two quart jars if needed). Slowly pour the heated brine mixture over the cucumbers and allow to stand for one hour.

Transfer to the refrigerator and allow at least 1-2 days before opening. (Full flavor penetration will be after several days to a week but they’re tasty even after a day if you don’t have the time or patience.)

Quick Pickled Pearl Onions

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16 white pearl onions (about 1 cup root ends trimmed and scored with X) ½ cup water ½ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup sugar 1 ½ tablespoons mustard seeds ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon black peppercorns

In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pearl onions until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer the onions to a glass bowl.

Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan, bring the water and vinegar to a boil with the sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns. Boil until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Pour the liquid over the onions and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Drain before serving.

Instant Pot Pickled Beets

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  • 2 cups peeled and diced yellow beets
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 tbsp. maple syrup, optional
  1. Mix all the ingredients in your 3 quart Instant Pot (or double or triple for larger IPs).  
  2. Cook on manual/pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
  3. Release pressure manually. Store in fridge.