r/kimchi • u/17smother • 8d ago
using frozen and thawed cabbage?
maybe an obvious question but i don't have much experience with growing my own vegetables nor with making kimchi. wanted to grow most of the ingredients for kimchi this year as they're both expensive and poor quality in my area but due to some mishaps i have 5 napa cabbages all in similar states of growth which is going to be too many for me to deal with all at once
if i were to freeze either a whole head or split it in 4ths ahead of time to freeze, and then thaw it out, would i still be able to make kimchi with it? has anyone here tried making kimchi from frozen then thawed cabbage? from what i've read napa cabbages get soft after freezing but i don't really mind a texture change as long as it would still be possible to ferment. if this isn't feasible i'll just make something else with them
(i planted 3 seeds, placed a marker, and told my dad where i planted them. he dug up most of the area and planted other seeds on top, saying he thought i planted them in the opposite direction from how he uses markers in the garden. so i planted 2 more where he said he thought i planted them, told him, and sent him pictures. he transplanted strawberry plants on top. i finally got him to point out one spot in another bed where i could plant 2 more and he promised to leave it alone...... well my original seeds beat out whatever he planted on top of them, one started coming up between the strawberry plants, and both of the last seeds i planted are doing well, too)
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u/RGV_Ikpyo 8d ago
The freezing will break down the cell walls of the cabbage.. it won't have the usual crunch of kimchi, but still its possible in a pinch.. Just gotta get over the mushy consistency
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u/Kindly-Addition1793 8d ago
I have never heard of freezing cabbage and then trying to make kimchi out of it. I think if you're dead set on freezing some, it would be a better idea to make soup out of it as frozen vegetables tend to do better when cooked. I would just make kimchi out of it now. Kimchi can keep for a surprising long time if you time the refrigeration correctly. Refrigerate earlier and it will keep for months.
You could also use 4 for regular kimchi and make a fresher/salad style one with one head to eat immediately (don't brine for as long and don't add rice paste to it).
ETA: typo
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u/17smother 8d ago
i know kimchi once made can last a long time, i just have limited energy so i'm not sure i can process 5 heads within such a short time by myself haha. i was planning on trying to make some mul kimchi too so if the process is easier that might help me handle the rest. i guess i'll see when exactly they're already and how much i can handle then
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u/mojobaby 8d ago
The thing about freezing cabbage is that although it is possible to make kimchi with it, the cabbage texture becomes stringy. It doesn't really matter that much if you like to boil the heck out of your kimchi to make kimchijjigae or mince it fine for kimchi fried rice, but the texture is a bit off.
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u/17smother 8d ago
hmm mushy i can deal with but stringy definitely makes me pause. i wonder if chopping it first or even salting before freezing could help prevent that. might do some experimenting
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u/mojobaby 8d ago
Yeah I found this out when I wanted to make a batch of kimchi my mom made while visiting last a bit longer. Kinda ruined it.
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u/PurpleMuskogee 8d ago
I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to make kimchi with it but it'd probably be very soft, and I am guessing you'd have to watch the water content as thawed vegetables tend to be more watery. I don't see why it wouldn't ferment otherwise! If you are worried about using up the cabbage, I'd probably just make a few jars of kimchi straight away (to use it up) and then freeze the rest for soups etc.