Korean Kimchi would be in the category of a “super-duper” health food. Not only are the ingredients all cancer and heart disease fighters, i.e. cabbage, green onions, onions and garlic but because it is a fermented food it also boosts your immune system by inoculating your gut with good bacteria. It is estimated that your gut is greater than 40% of your immune system. However, the typical American diet of refined foods is one big reason that our “gut” immune system has been compromised, i.e. chemical ingredients that promote long shelf-life (See Widely Used Food Additives Promotes Colitis, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome). These artificial ingredients destroy that healthy gut bacteria that we need not only for our immune system, but science is also proving good gut bacteria is necessary for optimal brain health (See You Are What You Eat: How Gut bacteria Affects Brain Health). Fermented foods like Korean Kimchi act as a probiotic, bringing those good bacteria back to the place where they belong: your gut.
I’ve outlined two different Kimchi recipes below, one is the traditional route, with Korean Chile Powder (I bought this online) for those of you that like it a little spicier. The Carrot Kimchi listed below would be the milder version.
Korean Kimchi culinary applications are endless! You can put it on burgers, eat it by itself as a snack, eat it for breakfast (as I’ve outlined below) and on and on. You can buy it at the grocery, but making it (at least once) is really both a fun science experiment and a real tasty treat all in one!
TRADITIONAL KIMCHI BREAKFAST
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 egg
½ cup spicy cabbage kimchi (see recipe below)
½ cup leftover whole grains or legumes
Procedure:
1. Saute kimchi and leftover grain or legumes in 1 tsp. olive oil. Set aside.
2. Warm up frying pan then coat bottom of pan with 1 tsp. olive. Oil. Crack egg in pan, salt and pepper if desired. Remove from pan when edges of white in egg, caramelize.
3. Plate sautéed Kimchi and grain or legume mixture.
4. Place fried egg on top.
SPICY CABBAGE KIMCHI
Ingredients:
2 heads Napa cabbage
¼ cup sea salt
1 T. fish sauce
5 green onions
½ small white onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
2 T. white sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
**5 T. Korean chile powder
Procedure:
- Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise and trim the ends. Rinse and cut into pieces about 2 inch square. Place the cabbage into large resealable bags and sprinkle with salt on the leaves so they are evenly coated. Use your hands to rub the salt in to the leaves. Seal the bags and leave at room temperature for 6 hours.
- Rinse the salt from the cabbage leaves and then drain and squeeze out any excess liquid. Place the cabbage in a large container with a tight fitting lid. Stir in the fish sauce, green onions, white onion, garlic, sugar and ginger. Sprinkle the Korean chile powder over the mixture. Wear plastic gloves to protect you hands and rub the chile powder into the cabbage leaves until evenly coated. Seal the container and set in a cool dry place. Leave undisturbed for 4 days. Refrigerate before serving, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
*Recipe adapted from all recipes.com
** I purchased one pound of Korean Chile Powder from an online source (Amazon) for under $10..
CARROT KIMCHI BREAKFAST
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 egg
½ cup carrot kimchi (see recipe below)
½ cup leftover whole grains or legumes
Procedure:
1. Saute kimchi and leftover grain or legumes in 1 tsp. olive oil. Set aside.
2. Warm up frying pan then coat bottom of pan with 1 tsp. olive. Oil. Crack egg in pan, salt and pepper if desired. Remove from pan when edges of white in egg, carmelize.
3. Plate sautéed carrot kimchi and grain or legume mixture.
4. Place fried egg on top.
CARROT KIMCHI
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients:
3 cups filtered water
1 ½ T. kosher salt
½ tsp. fish sauce
¾ lb. carrots, peeled
¼ lb. red radishes
1 scallion, white parts and some of the green, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
½ tsp. red pepper flakes, or more to taste
Procedure:
- Dissolve the salt in the filtered water. Filtered water is important because chemicals in the water will interfere with the fermentation process.
- Sir in the fish or soy sauce.
- Finely julienne the carrots and red radish into matchstick sized pieces. A mandoline or thin slicing blade of a food processor will make this step easier.
- Pour brine over the other ingredients. Press gently on the vegetables and spices to release any air bubbles. The brine should completely cover the other ingredients. If the food floats out of the brine, weight it with a smaller glass jar filled with water. If the vegetables are staying immersed in the brine, just cover the jar they are in loosely with a lid.
- Place the jar of kimchi on a small plate to catch the overflow that may happen as it starts to ferment. Leave it at room temp. for 24-48 hours.
- Remove the lid or small jar weight and check the kimchi after the first 24 hours. You should start to see some bubbles and it will begin to develop a lightly sour smell (like sauerkraut, but more pungent because of the garlic and ginger).
- Once you see and smell the signs that kimchi is actively fermenting, transfer the jar to the door of your refrigerator. This is the warmest part of your refrigerator but still cooler than room temperature-perfect for your kimchi to keep slowly fermenting.
*Recipe adapted from food preservation.about.com
Heliene, I have a question about fermented foods. I am new to fermentation and tried some last summer with produce from my garden. By heating up the kimchi or fermented vegetable does it kill the good bacteria? I would rather eat warm meals than cold ones but do not want to lose the good bacteria that I worked for while fermenting these vegetables.