Kimchi Log

batch #14 onward · Seoul kitchen · successes, rot, and the occasional revelation

Batch 18: baechu with pear instead of sugargreat

2026-09-20 · fermenting 4 days at 18°C

Blended Korean pear in the paste, no added sugar at all. Day 4 taste: bright, clean sourness, the fish sauce sitting properly behind...

Batch 17: the kkakdugi that went fizzyfailed

2026-08-30 · dumped 3.2 kg

Carbonation and a yeasty nose within 30 hours — over-pitched on the sugar side and stored far too warm. Full autopsy...

Bosam of the month: bossam at Gwangjang, ranked against my own

2026-07-12 · eating out

Two-hour bus ride for boiled pork and kimchi aged three winters. Comparison notes, and the one thing my batches cannot yet do...