As soon as the giant jar of commercial kimchi in my refrigerator is exhausted, I’m going to try making my own. I’m going to start with this recipe first, because it looks easy and the page has pictures to help me along. So what would really happen if I left out the aek jot (anchovy sauce)? Most of the recipes I’ve found just say “leave it out if you want it to be vegetarian,” but others seem to indicate that it is somehow essential for the fermentation process. Is it really crucial to the finished product, or is it just a matter of personal taste? If it’s really just a flavor issue, will it taste radically different without the aek jot?
I used to make home made kimchee all the time. That recipe looks pretty much like how I made mine. You’ll be fine without the fish paste- I never used it. It won’t taste exactly the same as commercial kimchee, but it will taste great.
Happy fermenting!
The fishy pastes (I use anchovy, oyster or shrimp sauce) added to kimchi are purely for taste. In my opinion, their main contribution (besides the slight fishiness) is the natural MSG in them that “fills” out the kimchi taste. It’s what makes Korean pickled cabbage “kimchi” instead of “spicy sauerkraut”.
If you’re concerned about how it ferments, put one leaf of old kimchi in the pot of the new. The amount of animal product in the result will be minuscule, but you’ll have the right microorganisms for fermentation.