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by Lauren Lewis and Molly Haviland
Kimchi is undoubtedly the most important food in the Korean culture. It is eaten with every meal, homemade by most people using local ingredients, and very nutritious. We are not Korean, but are part of a Permaculture class instructed to post about any element of a Permaculture site. We are very interested in the Zone 0 or the home aspect of being the center of activity after harvesting (right around now!) with drying, canning, pickling, and otherwise preparing foods from your gardens.
Kimchi is made using lactic acid fermentation, a process that kills pathogenic bacteria and cultivates beneficial bacteria. Check out this page to learn more about the process- kimchi is actually a spiced sauerkraut of sorts. It is a perfect way to preserve almost any firm vegetable from the garden, and also delicious!
Lets make some kimchi!
Kimchi is undoubtedly the most important food in the Korean culture. It is eaten with every meal, homemade by most people using local ingredients, and very nutritious. We are not Korean, but are part of a Permaculture class instructed to post about any element of a Permaculture site. We are very interested in the Zone 0 or the home aspect of being the center of activity after harvesting (right around now!) with drying, canning, pickling, and otherwise preparing foods from your gardens.
Kimchi is made using lactic acid fermentation, a process that kills pathogenic bacteria and cultivates beneficial bacteria. Check out this page to learn more about the process- kimchi is actually a spiced sauerkraut of sorts. It is a perfect way to preserve almost any firm vegetable from the garden, and also delicious!
Lets make some kimchi!
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Signing UpStep 1Gather the Organic and Locally Grown Goods
Begin with a clean space. Make sure that your hands and utensils(knives, cutting board, storage vessels) are clean. The last thing you want to do is "cure" some illness into the goods.
It is advised to bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it into the jars or container that will hold the kimchi. While the water is cooling begin to wash/scrub your ingredients.
The staples of the recipe are Chinese cabbage, onions, garlic, ginger, and hot red peppers. Variations include other members of the onion family, fish and seafood, fish sauce, fruits, and other root vegetables such as burdock.
Our recipe reflects a more northern style kimchi because it uses a watery less-salty brine used to ferment in a cooler temperature for a longer period of time .It is a little less common to encounter in America, if only because we have more contact with South Korea. A southern style Korea has a distinct red color from the spice paste that is rubbed into the cabbage leaves.
Feel free to modify the recipe to suit seasonal and local produce, but cabbage must be the main vegetable you use as it's juices and leaves contain the beneficial bacteria that we are using to ferment the kimchi.
The following ingredients were used because we already had some, and the rest were easy to find locally and organically. We do not have an Asian grocery, and we also attend a vegetarian college, so our recipe might seem a bit bland to people used to Southern style kimchi. Remember to tailor the recipe to suit your tastes and availability of ingredients. It is possible to use canned or bottled spices like hot peppers but make sure they are not soaked in preservatives because that will prevent the fermentation process.
1 lb Napa Cabbage, cored, halved, and chopped
2 medium Daikon Radish, sliced 1/4"
2 medium Carrots, sliced 1/4"
2 Leeks, sliced 1/4" ( use only white and light green parts)
1/2 cup Jerusalem Artichokes, sliced 1/4"
2 Cucumbers, halved and quartered
7 -10 Scallions, chopped
1 head of Garlic, diced
3 Tbs grated ginger
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped or sliced
3 Thai Green Chilies (whole)
1/4 cup raw Sesame Seeds
3-4 Tbs Sea Salt or Canning Salt- this is important because iodized salt or added anti-caking agents will darken your vegetables
All of these ingredients can be prepared in the size and shape of your preference. Other additions might include broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, green beans, bell peppers, radishes, apples, lemons, different kinds of hot peppers, or a few spoonfuls of sugar.
It is advised to bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it into the jars or container that will hold the kimchi. While the water is cooling begin to wash/scrub your ingredients.
The staples of the recipe are Chinese cabbage, onions, garlic, ginger, and hot red peppers. Variations include other members of the onion family, fish and seafood, fish sauce, fruits, and other root vegetables such as burdock.
Our recipe reflects a more northern style kimchi because it uses a watery less-salty brine used to ferment in a cooler temperature for a longer period of time .It is a little less common to encounter in America, if only because we have more contact with South Korea. A southern style Korea has a distinct red color from the spice paste that is rubbed into the cabbage leaves.
Feel free to modify the recipe to suit seasonal and local produce, but cabbage must be the main vegetable you use as it's juices and leaves contain the beneficial bacteria that we are using to ferment the kimchi.
The following ingredients were used because we already had some, and the rest were easy to find locally and organically. We do not have an Asian grocery, and we also attend a vegetarian college, so our recipe might seem a bit bland to people used to Southern style kimchi. Remember to tailor the recipe to suit your tastes and availability of ingredients. It is possible to use canned or bottled spices like hot peppers but make sure they are not soaked in preservatives because that will prevent the fermentation process.
1 lb Napa Cabbage, cored, halved, and chopped
2 medium Daikon Radish, sliced 1/4"
2 medium Carrots, sliced 1/4"
2 Leeks, sliced 1/4" ( use only white and light green parts)
1/2 cup Jerusalem Artichokes, sliced 1/4"
2 Cucumbers, halved and quartered
7 -10 Scallions, chopped
1 head of Garlic, diced
3 Tbs grated ginger
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped or sliced
3 Thai Green Chilies (whole)
1/4 cup raw Sesame Seeds
3-4 Tbs Sea Salt or Canning Salt- this is important because iodized salt or added anti-caking agents will darken your vegetables
All of these ingredients can be prepared in the size and shape of your preference. Other additions might include broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, green beans, bell peppers, radishes, apples, lemons, different kinds of hot peppers, or a few spoonfuls of sugar.
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Does anyone have a recipe for Bavaria Sauerkraut, the sweet one with caraway seeds. I have tried to "doctor up" regular kraut but it doesn't taste the same? Thanks All !
Still, I would think 1.5 cups of salt is over the limit of what's needed.
Ever have a crisp pickle before?
There is a Good Eats episode that can probably explain this phenomenon much more eloquently than I can. Alton Doesn't go over Kimchi, but discusses fermentation of pickles and Sauerkraut.
Then you wring-out the cabbage, rinse it quickly, and then add it to other ingredients.
The cabbage gets crisper. No, really.
I'm going to try this method next batch :)
Have you considered the use of a pickle crock? Also, if you save a little brine from a previous batch, this works as a started and you'll get a faster fermentation (just a thought).
Now I do, so another batch is imminent.
Also, I use dried red chilis (Thai, cayenne, and others) instead of fresh and pulverize them in a spice grinder which gives the 'chi a nice red color.
We make our own kimchi as well. You can tweak it to your taste, adjust to your spice tolerance, and use whatever is particularly good/cheap. Wild Fermentation was a good starting point for us too - useful stuff.