Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Paleo, Pescatarian, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Serves: 10
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Description

I cannot tell you how much love I have for kimchi! From initially being quite adverse to this fermented food, I have now done a 180 and I just can’t get enough of it!

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a Korean side dish which is made up of salty fermented vegetables, usually containing napa cabbage, Asian radish (daikon) and spices. You can add whatever veggies you want, providing the cabbage and spices are still there. Because I find daikon quite hard to find, I love adding carrots to mine instead for an added crunch! Kimchi’s typical flavour profile is that of a spicy pickled taste.

Why should you be eating it?

Fermented vegetables are incredibly helpful at boosting your intestinal gut flora as they are rich in probiotic bacteria. We should always be encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria in our guts because it can help:

• Strengthen your immune system
• Improve your digestive function (good bacteria helps our bodies to assimilate nutrients from the foods that we eat)
• Prevent the growth of harmful organisms by keeping the gut acidic
• Boost mood
• Support weight loss
• Improve heart health

Kimchi in particular is known for having the following properties:

• Anticancer
• Anti-obesity
• Antiaging
• Antioxidative
• Anti-constipation
• Promotes colorectal health
• Probiotic
• Promotes a healthy immune system
• Brain health promotion
• Promotes skin health
• Cholesterol reduction

(Park et al.2014)

I urge everyone to always have a jar of homemade kimchi in the fridge. It is incredibly cost-effective and it will last for months! It also makes the perfect side dish or healthy snack; if you ever have a craving for something salty, try and have a little kimchi (it is likely to stop you reaching for that bag of crisps!)

If you are a little unsure after the first tasting, just try to give it time. If you keep trying something again you might soon find that your tastebuds not only acclimatise to the astringent taste but they will actually love it!

If you want to learn more about fermenting foods read our article here.

Ingredients

• 1 white cabbage or napa cabbage (700g)
• 600g-800g carrots (peeled & cut into matchsticks or bite-sized pieces)
• 8 spring onions (finely chopped)
• 3 tbsp sea salt
• 5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 40g piece of ginger (finely chopped)
• 4 tbsp Korean chilli powder (I can never seem to find it in the local supermarket so I usually use chilli flakes which are less spicy)
• 400ml cold filtered water
• Air-lock preservative jar (that holds 4 pints) or multiple small jars

Optional

• 6 red chillis (finely diced)

Method

1. Sterilise your glass jar with boiling water and empty.
2. Remove the outer layer of the cabbage and wash.
3. Chop the cabbage in half, removing and binning the heart (stalk). The chop the cabbage into thin strips.
4. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on the sea salt.
5. With clean hands massage the salt into the cabbage until the cabbage begins to sweat (approx. 5 mins).
6. Add the 400ml of filtered water over the cabbage and then place a sterilised plate over the top to help keep the cabbage submerged and leave for 1 hour.
7. Drain the cabbage, setting the brine aside and place the cabbage back in the large bowl.
8. Add the carrots, spring onion, ginger, garlic and chilli flakes (and optional chillies) to the cabbage and give it a mix.
9. Spoon the mixture into your jar(s) and compress down using a wooden spoon (non-metal).
10. Add the brine that was set aside. If it doesn’t cover all of the vegetables then add in some more filtered water (with 2% salt) until it’s all covered.
11. Close with the lid(s) and allow to ferment at room temperature for 1 to 4 weeks. Check the kimchi each day, removing any foam/mould that might have developed at the surface (completely normal) and push the vegetables with your wooden spoon down into the brine, ensuring they are always submerged. Once it’s to your taste, place in the fridge. It will keep for approximately two – three months.

 

References:

Harvard Men’s Health Watch. (2016). ‘Can gut bacteria improve your health?’. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-gut-bacteria-improve-your-health (Accessed 26 July 2018).

Park, KY. Jeong, JK. Daily, JW. (2014). ‘Health Benefits of Kimchi (korean Fermented Vegetables) as a Probiotic Food’, (1) p.6-20. Available at:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24456350 (Accessed 26 July 2018).