For those of you that have no clue what kimchi is, here’s a short description: Kimchi is a Korean side dish made of fermented cabbage, carrots, onions and garlic with spices (although there are variations). It’s kind of the Korean version of sauerkraut, but in my humble opinion tastes a lot better. And although it may seem like this condiment has just made it’s way into our Western diet in the past decade or so, kimchi has been a staple in the Korean diet for hundreds of years. It known to have many health benefits, and can certainly jazz up a recipe.
I love to throw it on top of my eggs or omelette, or find it really tasty added to a stirfry. I’ve served it on pork belly and it was fantastic. This recipe wasn’t overly spicy and I loved the ginger flavor, but of course you are welcome to customize it to your pallet. In fact, you should. Not convinced yet?
Here are some interesting facts about kimchi:
- It’s a great source of probiotics which in itself gives you a long list of health benefits. Due to it’s fermentation process, Kimchi, just like yogourt, contains beneficial bacteria called lactobacillus which is amazing for your gut and has very healing properties. Healthy gut bacteria can aid in a number of digestive issues such as diarrhea, constipation, leaky gut (which can lead to allergies) and more. A balanced intestinal flora also enhances proper absorption of vitamins and minerals and help prevent infections and bad bacteria of all kinds, from UTIs and yeast infections to E-coli.
- The high concentration (found in the cabbage) of bio-chemicals such as isocyanate and sulfide helpful in detoxifying heavy metals found in your liver, small intestine and kidney. Cabbage also contains a high contration of healthful flavanoids which are known to prevent the growth of cancer cells.
- It just boosts your immunity all around. This multi-nutrient condiment is rich in a wide range of phenolic components, mostly due to the garlic and ginger and has been found to help prevent and fight off colds and flus.
- It helps you stay young and keeps your hair and skin beautiful. Kimchi’s high concentration in anti-oxidants such as vitamin a,c and selenium inhibit oxidative stress, hence your body slowing down it’s aging process.
- It can assist you in weight loss. Due to it’s healthy bacteria and high fiber content, kimchi also assists in controling apetite and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
Go get a cabbage and get on it, it’s a lot easier than you might think…and your gut will thank you later 😉
I went to the farmer’ market one morning and I couldn’t find napa so I got this massive savoy cabbage 🙂
- 5 lbs cabbage, napa is recommended but I used savoy
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly julienned
- 2 bunches of green onions,
- 15 garlic cloves minced
- 6 inch piece of ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsp miso paste
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- Cut the cabbage in half (lengthwise if using napa) once, then do that again so you end up with 4 quarters. Cut the core out of the quarters and chop the cabbage into 1 to 2 inch squares or strips. Toss the cabbage pieces and julienned carrots into a large bowl (or several smaller bowls). and coat with the salt. Massage the salt in the cabbage and carrots to coat every piece as much as possible until it reduces in volume. After a few minutes of massaging, it's volume should reduce by about half.
- Fill the bowl(s) with cold filtered water to cover the cabbage mixture and set aside for at least 2 hours.
- Pour the mix into a strainer and let the water drain away.
- Cut the white bits off the green onions and throw into the food processor with garlic, ginger, miso paste and chili powder. Process till it's sort of smooth. Add fish sauce and a bit of water, and blend some more. It should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter. Add more water if needed, one tsp at a time.
- Roughly chop the green part of the onions and place into a large glass or stainless steel bowl along with the drained cabbage mixture. Pour the chili-garlic sauce all over and toss to coat. Make sure to cover the cabbage mixture completely with the paste and massage it in well.
- That's it, now you're ready to put it in the jars. Pack the mixture into mason jars as tightly as humanly possible, place the 2 piece lid on without screwing it on and let the jars sit at room temp for 72 hours. There might be spill over so feel free to place on a towel or cookie sheet to catch the spills. Warning: your house will smell like garbage during those 3 days, but don't worry, that's perfectly normal. During that 72 hour period, each day, poke through the kimchi using either a chopstick or kabob stick to release some air bubbles. After the 72 hours, put the lid on and place in the fridge and store for up to 6 months.