Everyone Wants This Kimchi Recipe

sigh... so much Kimchi, so little stomach

They really do. This isn't just any old Kimchi recipe, no sir, this is an authentic Korean Kimchi recipe given to me by my dear friend, Ruby. And trust me, Ruby knows Kimchi. Me? I don't know a lot about this fermented deliciousness in a jar, but I do know that it tastes divine and all of the bubbly, spicy, garlicky goodness we gobble down is teeming with probiotics and enzymes. That's about all I need to convince me that it's worth the preparation time (which really isn't that bad, I promise).

Via Saveur:

The distinctive taste of kimchi is familiar to anyone who has tried Korean food: the crunchy and cool cabbage leaves or chunks of daikon; the chile paste that burns the tongue; the pungent aroma, redolent of garlic and ginger and touched with a hint of the sea. In Korea, that spicy, earthy-tasting dish of fermented vegetables is on the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and everything in between. I cannot think of a single food from any other country that is half as important to a nation's culinary traditions as kimchi is to Korea's. I have been to French restaurants where there has been no bread basket; I have been to Chinese restaurants where you have to ask for rice; I have eaten Italian dinners that didn't include pasta. But it would be unheard of to sit down to a meal in a Korean home or restaurant and not be served kimchi.

Ruby's Kimchi via Ruby's Grandma via Ruby's Grandma's Grandma.. and so it goes..

Ingredients:

• 2-3lbs Chinese (Nappa) cabbage, chopped up (roughly 2"x2")
• 1/2 cup Sea Salt (make sure it's non-iodized)
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup garlic, minced (I grate mine because I'm lazy that way)
• 1 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp raw honey (if you don't mind cane sugar/palm sugar, you can use it)
• 1 tsp good quality fish sauce (read the ingredients, stick with anchovies/salt if you can get it)
• 1/4 Cup Korean crushed red pepper (it must be Korean red pepper)
• unlimited amounts of love (it was written on the original recipe, so I have to include it or Ruby will beat me up).

Directions:

• Wash and drain cabbage.
• Layer cabbage with salt in a large glass/clay container. Place a glass plate on top of cabbage and weigh it down (I use glass jars filled with water). Leave overnight.
• The next day, rinse cabbage well and drain out excess water.
• Taste to judge saltiness. You may need to drain more if it's too salty or add more salt if it's not salty enough.
• Mix all of the remaining ingredients together in the glass/clay pot you used earlier. Use a wooden spoon or gloved hands (the spices are pretty potent).
• Pack tightly in a clean glass jar, pounding down with a tamper to get the juices flowing.
• Cover loosely and place a plate underneath jars to catch any juice that overflows.
• After a day, I tighten up the lid, place the jars in a cupboard or a wooden fermenting bench I have. Leave the jars for 3 days and check. Depending on the temperature and how 'sour' you like your Kimchi, you may leave it longer.. a week, or even a month.

We usually leave the Kimchi out for about 5 days, but in the summer it takes less. Store your Kimchi in the fridge when it's done fermenting.

Saveur magazine has an awesome Kimchi article in their November issue that highlights other types of Kimchi commonly eaten in Korea. Alternativley, I will be the happy guinea pig and try some of them out. I'll let you know how it goes.

Free Vegetable Culturing e-Book

Jenny, from Nourished Kitchen, has put together a beautiful e-book with some delicious recipes for cultured vegetables. You can access, "Get Cultured! Probiotic Food from the Nourished Kitchen" by clicking on the cover picture above.

I have big plans to try out a couple of them next week. Instead of waiting for my results, I encourage you all to try some yourselves! Let me know how it goes.

Fermenting Veggies For a Happy Tummy

There is probably little that comes close to the ease and nutritional-punch of fermenting vegetables. Cultures around the world have been fermenting food, including meats, vegetables, and dairy for centuries. It's a wonderful way to increase the nutritional value of your food while also increasing its life span.

When vegetables are fermented, their enzyme activity increases and the food becomes a source of good bacteria. There isn't many opportunities available in our processed food diet that afford us the ability to increase the healthy bacteria in our bodies and yet, our health is critically tied to the health of our guts. Indeed, 85% of the immune system is located in the gut wall. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance of gut flora (the bad guys outrun the good), can lead to a myriad of health problems including autoimmune conditions, depression, inflammation, hyperactivity etc.

If this topic is new to you, I highly recommend the book, "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Dr. Campbell-McBride. It's a fascinating book that delves into the science of why gut health is so important and how it can be improved.

So, with that, I give you fermented veggies! This weekend I set aside about an hour to shred, salt, and pound a few different types. There's nothing easier than making these little jars of goodness. If you've never done it before, there's some great information in Sandor Katz's book, "Wild Fermentation". But, you don't need to wait to get started.

Easy Peasy Sauerkraut (Even My Little Sister Could Make)

• A head of green cabbage (keep it simple, make it all organic)
• A few carrots
• Fresh ginger, garlic and, if you like, some dried caraway and juniper berries
• Sea salt

To make sauerkraut, simply shred all the veggies and place it all in a big bowl (you'll want to use a non-reactive plastic, glass, or ceramic bowl for fermenting). Sprinkle on sea salt and work it all in with your hands, squishing and pounding as you go. You're trying to break down the vegetables as you work in the salt. The mixture should taste salty, but not overly-salty. The salt is going to pull out the juices and get those veggies fermenting so it's important to have enough to let it do its job. You should have a nice little flow of juices in your bowl. Pack the veggies in glass jars using a tamper to really jam them in there. There should be juice coming up at this point. You want the juice to cover the veggies. Put on the lid tightly, place on a tray (they will leak a bit), and leave in a warm place for 4-5 days. I usually use the top of my fridge in the winter, and just a cupboard in the summer.

You can give them a taste-test after a few days and see what you think. We prefer ours quite sour so I usually give it a week or so. Once they're done, store the jars in the fridge. That's all there is to it! Doing a few different types in one shot means weeks of delicious vegetables just raring to do some good in your tummy.

I prefer to use jars with glass lids so there is no reaction with the metal or BPA covered discs on the newer style of jars. This would be ideal, but not totally necessary.

Stay tuned for the best, authentic, Korean Kim Chee recipe I have ever tried (compliments of my dear friend Ruby).