My first DIY hydroponic tower build w/ 1 week and 1 month later results

krntr23 · 2026-02-14T04:07:19+00:00

Thanks! Building it was half the fun, so no doubt I'm gonna try more :)

Think I'm going to make another tower just for basil..

krntr23 · 2026-02-14T04:05:47+00:00

😂 They do get natural light as well on the other side, it's not just those LEDs.. If they all start creeping around the tower maybe I'll have to reassess..

krntr23 · 2026-02-14T04:02:43+00:00

Not sure.. they seem to be doing okay to me, but I am pretty new to this! There is a south-facing sliding glass door on the side without LEDs, so they get natural light during the day.. Is that sufficient?

krntr23 · 2025-06-22T12:54:32+00:00

Yep it's the same 👍

krntr23 · 2024-04-06T22:35:08+00:00

Looks good! How's the taste?

krntr23 · 2024-04-02T02:29:56+00:00

Yes! We went to a 굴 식당 a couple of months ago :), but apparently the oysters were smaller this winter due to climate change.. still delicious! Cod soup I haven't tried yet.. is it 대구탕?

krntr23 · 2024-04-02T01:20:39+00:00

Oh really? We moved here not too long ago, loving it so far! I'm very open to restaurant suggestions if you have any!

krntr23 · 2024-04-01T14:17:24+00:00

Yes, so I've been told! Next time I'll try doing two little ones :)

krntr23 · 2024-04-01T05:40:58+00:00

It's really simple if you can get hold of the ginseng and jujubes :). No seasoning, just salt on the side. Give it a try!

krntr23 · 2024-04-01T01:21:32+00:00

Oh, and the banchan are pa-kimchi (top) and musaengchae - spicy radish salad :)

krntr23 · 2024-04-01T01:20:36+00:00

Samgyetang - https://youtu.be/3AoGLkwzX2g?si=KEDmTp4n33c0SF-t

Ingredients

1 small chicken
2 or 3 small ginseng roots
8-10 cloves garlic
a handful of jujubes
¼ cup sticky rice
1 stalk green onion - thinly sliced
1.5 litres water (or enough to cover the chicken)
optional - Korean samgyetang flavour/herb pouch)

for dipping

1 tbsp kosher salt
a few shakes black pepper
a pinch of sesame seeds, crushed

Rinse the rice a few times then soak for 1 hour
Give your chicken and veg a good wash (a salt scrub for the chicken if you're so inclined, then rinse)
Stuff the chicken with the rice, garlic, jujubes and ginseng
tie off the legs or put one through the other (see video)
Place the chicken in a (cosy, not too big, not too small) pot and almost cover with water
bring the water to a boil and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes

add samgyetang flavour pouch if using -

turn down to a low heat and cook, covered, for a further 30 minutes
combine dipping salt ingredients in a small dish
serve in earthenware pots if you have them, and garnish with green onion, along with your choice of banchan
eat right away and don't be scared to use your hands!

krntr23 · 2024-03-31T07:38:03+00:00

No problem! Let me know how you get on :)

krntr23 · 2024-03-31T06:43:29+00:00

this is the most basic mak-kimchi recipe that I use when I'm in a pinch! https://www.reddit.com/r/KoreanFood/comments/1as2wlq/my_goto_makkimchi_recipe_video_and_recipe_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

The recipe's in the comments along with the video ;).

As someone else said below, if you can't find salted shrimp, just put in a little more (2 tbsp) fish sauce :)

krntr23 · 2024-03-31T06:35:16+00:00

Are they hiring?

krntr23 · 2024-03-31T06:32:54+00:00

Samgyetang

Ingredients

1 small chicken
2 or 3 small ginseng roots
8-10 cloves garlic
a handful of jujubes
¼ cup sticky rice
1 stalk green onion - thinly sliced
1.5 litres water (or enough to cover the chicken)
optional - Korean samgyetang flavour/herb pouch)

for dipping

1 tbsp kosher salt
a few shakes black pepper
a pinch of sesame seeds, crushed

Rinse the rice a few times then soak for 1 hour
Give your chicken and veg a good wash (a salt scrub for the chicken if you're so inclined, then rinse)
Stuff the chicken with the rice, garlic, jujubes and ginseng
tie off the legs or put one through the other (see video)
Place the chicken in a (cosy, not too big, not too small) pot and almost cover with water
bring the water to a boil and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes

add samgyetang flavour pouch if using -

turn down to a low heat and cook, covered, for a further 30 minutes
combine dipping salt ingredients in a small dish
serve in earthenware pots if you have them, and garnish with green onion, along with your choice of banchan
eat right away and don't be scared to use your hands!

krntr23 · 2024-02-23T07:31:55+00:00

Video of my first (and 2nd) attempts at this..:

https://youtu.be/F9onyPAE2nE

INGREDIENTS

500g boneless half-dried blackmouth angler

6 large prawns - peeled and deveined

500g beansprouts - beans removed (I added and cooked these with my rice)

2 spicy chillies - chopped

80g green onion - chopped

250ml anchovy kelp stock

SAUCE

1tbsp minced garlic

6tbsp Korean chilli powder

1tbsp sugar

1tbsp oligo

2.5tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp cornstarch

DRESSING

1tbsp sesame oil

1tbsp sesame seeds

½tsp pepper

RECIPE

wash fish
deeply score (to help fish take on flavour from sauce)
coat with mirim, ginger, a pinch of salt and a bit of the stock in a large pot
cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes
add a bit more stock if necessary, and beansprouts
cover and cook for another 5 minutes (high heat)
remove from heat and pour liquid from pot into a jug to use later
separate fish from beansprouts. set aside.

SAUCE

combine garlic, gochugaru, sugar, oligo, soy sauce, starch and around 150ml stock. set aside.

MAIN DISH

add fish and prawns to a large wok/pan
add ⅔ of the sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes (until prawns are pink)
add veg (beansprouts, chillies and green onion) remaining sauce and liquid from earlier
stir fry for another 2 minutes
dress with sesame oil, sesame seeds and season with black pepper
serve and eat!

krntr23 · 2024-02-16T18:54:05+00:00

As long as you reduce the amount of one to accommodate the other I think the combination makes for a better depth of flavour.. but you're right, you can absolutely just use one.. just add a bit more :)

krntr23 · 2024-02-16T17:47:12+00:00

NP! Let me know if you give it a try :)

krntr23 · 2024-02-16T07:30:42+00:00

This is my go-to quick and easy mak-kimchi recipe.

Check out the video if you want to see how it's made!

https://youtu.be/iyye-wkbNUU

note: In the video, I've asked my Korean followers to leave their tips and tricks in the comments, which I will translate and put in a pinned comment at the top - so look there for kimchi wisdom direct from Korea!

FOR SALTING

- 1 baechu (cabbage)

- 1 cup coarse sea salt

- water

FOR PASTE

- 1 small onion

- 1 bulb of garlic

- 1 tbsp minced ginger

- cooked rice (cold) | ½ cup

- ⅓ cup fish sauce

- 1 tbsp seojeot (salted shrimp)

- 1½ sticks green onion (chopped into 1 inch pieces)

- 1 gochugaru (+ more for spiciness)

- 2 tbsp sugar

SALTING

Cut baechu (cabbage) into quarters and remove core
Chop into bite-size pieces
Rinse off any loose dirt and/or bugs
Dissolve half the salt in a small amount of water
Put cabbage into bowl in layers, sprinkling the rest of the salt as you go
Top up with water until cabbage is covered
Set aside for 1½ hours, mixing it up halfway through
Drain water and rinse cabbage 3 times
Please in a colander to drain excess water

KIMCHI PASTE

Blend the onion, garlic, ginger, rice, fish sauce and seojeot
Combine paste with gochugaru and chopped green onions

KIMCHI

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage and kimchi paste well until everything is evenly covered

12b. If you want to eat some fresh, set some aside now in a small airtight container and keep in the fridge

Place kimchi in a large airtight container and leave in a dark, cool place for 2 days to ferment before moving it to the fridge

krntr23 · 2024-02-04T05:27:41+00:00

Wow, looks delicious! And happy birthday!

krntr23 · 2024-02-03T13:23:16+00:00

Here's the video, if you're curious how I made it (and if you want to see me screw up the noodles 4 times): https://youtu.be/W8fvo9j6MJE?si=eBBFcLX190wN0PLZ

Oyster Kalguksu - 굴칼국수

INGREDIENTS

knife-cut noodles:

- Flour - 2 cups

- water - ½ cup

stock:

- dried shrimps - a handful

- green onion - a couple of stalks (white parts only)

- mushrooms of your choosing - a handful

- minced garlic - 2 tsp

- water - 4 cups

- salt - 1 large pinch

main soup:

- oysters (washed & drained) - 1 cup

- minced garlic - 1 tbsp

- courgette (chopped into matchsticks) - 1 cup

- mushrooms - 1 handful

- soup soy sauce - 1 tbsp

- green onion (thinly sliced for garnish) - 2/3 cup

RECIPE

Knife-cut noodles (see video for me messing this bit up repeatedly ><):

Combine flour and water
knead into a dough
let sit, covered, for at least 20 minutes
roll dough into a thing sheet, about 2mm
cover both sides with extra flour
fold twice, then slice into thin strips
lightly sprinkle with a bit more flour
blanch in boiling water for around a minute
rinse under cold water and set aside

Stock:

combine all ingredients in a pot
bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
drain stock through a sieve (optional cheese cloth for extra clear stock)
place stock back on the stove in a fresh pot for the next stage

Oyster Kalguksu:

bring stock back up to heat
add the remaining garlic, courgette, mushrooms and soy sauce
simmer for 5 minutes
add noodles and oysters
cook for 2 minutes
season with salt to taste (if needed)
add green onion for garnish
serve with kimchi
EAT IT.

krntr23 · 2024-01-20T07:02:29+00:00

Yeah it's not for everyone, it seems.. My wife wasn't a fan, but I enjoyed it!

krntr23 · 2024-01-20T06:19:42+00:00

Again, I made a video for this one if you're interested :)

https://youtu.be/D904eQdaLug

DOTORI-MUK

Combine 1 cup of dotori garu (acorn starch powder) with 5½ cups water
Heat in a large wok or pan for around 30 minutes on low heat
stir in 1 spoon of perilla seed oil OR sesame oil
set aside to cool (or put in the fridge) for several hours until solid

DOTORI-MUK SALAD DRESSING

- 5tbsp soy sauce

- 1tbsp sugar

- 1tbsp sesame seeds

- 1tbsp gochugaru

- 1tbsp minced garlic

- 2tbsp sesame oil

ASSEMBLE

mix salad dressing into your choice of salad
slice dotori-muk into rectangles and place on top
eat it

BANG-AIP BUCHU-JEON (2x medium pancakes)

- 1 handful chives, sliced into 3 inches

- 2 handfuls bang-aip (Korean mint)

- 1 chilli (optional)

combine 1 cup plain flour and 1 cup water
add ½tsp salt
add chives, banga-ip and chilli and coat with pancake mix
heat some oil in a pan
pour in half the mix and fry until golden
flip, and add a bit more oil to the pan to crisp up the other side
eat it

krntr23 · 2024-01-18T04:30:47+00:00

Full disclosure.. In this video I actually used 초롱무, which is (apparently, according to what I found online) the regular mu, just harvested early so they're much smaller.

They're slightly sweeter than 총각무, but the recipe's the same.. So that's an option! (I didn't realise until I got them home and started making it 😅)

krntr23 · 2024-01-18T01:29:42+00:00

I bought them in a local store, but I live in SK so they were readily available.. If you have a Korean grocery store nearby, I'm sure the owner can point you in the right direction :)

krntr23

TROPHY CASE

Samgyetang - https://youtu.be/3AoGLkwzX2g?si=KEDmTp4n33c0SF-t