Recipe For Korean Kimchi
The other day, my daughter sent me a yummy recipe for Kimchi, which is a Korean fermented food, a little similar to the German Sauerkraut. Korean food is one of the most healthy cuisines in the world, partly because of the Kimchi which usually accompanies it. I rate Korean food at the top of the list of my favourites, along with yummy Indian food and its wonderful spices.
Dining out at our favourite Korean restaurants is relished by our whole family because of several reasons –
First, our Korean hosts are so friendly and welcoming, and the environment so clean and hospitable. And secondly, the food is just great. The price is affordable – around $11 or $12 for each main dish, and there is always plenty of it. The Korean immigrants in New Zealand have certainly contributed much to our Auckland ‘scene’, and made dining out such an affordable pleasure. I am grateful to my sons for beginning a new family trend – meeting for ‘Korean’ on a Thursday or Friday night.
So – I was excited to get a nice recipe from my daughter, for the Kimchi which we love so much.
Kimchi is a bit of an acquired taste. I think I was less keen on the Kimchi when our family first began eating out at what were to become our favourite Korean restaurants in Auckland, at least ten years ago. But these days, we all head for the Kimchi as soon as it is presented on its dainty little china plates.
At the Nol Bu Ne on Wellesley Street in Auckland, and also at the Ill Mee, which is in Upper Queen Street, you are given at least two varieties of Kimchi, and a host of other tasty treats. Around six or seven little dishes of accompaniments are put on your table before the main meal arrives. There is always a sea-weed dish, and sauced potatoes, as well as the Kimchi, and our hosts give us a second helping if they see we have eaten one dish up before the meal comes.
Kimchi is rich in Lactobacilli bacteria, which help the gut to stay healthy. These friendly micro-organisms provide valuable enzymes aid in the digestion of food, and have lots of other healthful nutrients besides. Constipation is a thing of the past if you regularly eat Kimchi with your meals.
Of course, if you are currently treating a bout of candida which has taken hold, then you should not eat Kimchi until you have fully recovered. Some people who are prone to candida infection may not be able to tolerate Kimchi or other naturally fermented foods for some time. But, generally speaking, once you have conquered the candida, then eating Kimchi on a regular basis should prevent candida infections from returning. This is because the Lacto-bacilli in Kimchi are a natural anti-dote to harmful bacteria. Kimchi bacteria have an antibiotic effect on unwanted organisms in the bowel.
For Home-Made Kimchi, you can use virtually any vegetables, but the gist of the recipe is the cabbage. The following is a fairly standard recipe:
2 heads of Chinese cabbage, or Napa cabbage. You can use ordinary cabbage if you don’t have Chinese cabbage.
2 Daikon radishes, peeled and sliced finely.
4 or 5 medium size carrots, peeled and grated or sliced finely.
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped finely.
A large chunk of fresh ginger, scraped and grated.
1 cup of chopped garlic
1/4 cup of thick soya sauce
1/4 cup of honey
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 1/4 cups of sea salt.
Method: Roughly tear up your cabbage into bite-size pieces. Cover with water and stir in one cup of the sea salt. Re-stir the mixture around again in an hour, before leaving to soak overnight. Next morning, drain off the brine.
Next step – add all your chopped vegetables to your cabbage, as well as the honey, soya, and the remaining 1/4 cup of sea salt.
Mix everything together, making sure that the honey and the salt has dissolved.
Next step – Bruise the vegetables with a wooden rolling pin, conserving the juice to add to the fermentation jar. Place all the bruised vegetables into a wide-necked jar, and press everything down well into the jar.
The essence of making good Kimchi is that the liquid always covers the product. So check your Kimchi daily to make sure that it is weighted down below the level of the liquid. You may need to make up a little more brine so that there is enough liquid to cover. Use one tablespoon of sea salt to one cup of water. The extra brine will dilute the flavour slightly, so only use this if you need to.
Keep a weight on the Kimchi while it ferments in a warm place, such as by the stove in the kitchen, or the hot-water cupboard. And keep a clean tea towel over the top to prevent fruit-flies and other insects getting into it.
Leave the Kimchi to ferment for up to a week, then put in the fridge with a lid on.
Begin eating.