Kimchi

Delving into the wild world of lacto-fermented foods...

from Nourishing Traditions
by Sally Fallon

Korean Sauerkraut (Kimchi)

• 1 head cabbage, cored and shredded [called for Napa but I used green]
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup daikon radish, grated (optional) [I didn't have any]
• 1 Tbls freshly grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp dried chile flakes
• 1 Tbls sea salt
• 4 Tbls whey (if not available, use an additional 1 Tbsp salt)

Place vegetables, ginger, garlic red chile flakes, sea salt and whey in a bowl and pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down until the juices rise to the top of the cabbage. The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

The most difficult part of this recipe was mashing the kimchi down until the juices rose to the top. Took forever, likely because I was using the wrong sort of tool. At the time I was starting to think it was never gonna happen, but eventually it did work, I closed the lid, and then began the waiting. Three days on the kitchen counter and then a few weeks in the refrigerator (our basement is technically 5-10 degrees too warm to be considered cold storage).

We broke-in the kimchi this week. Delicious! Sauerkraut it is indeed (we love it!); the carrots and chile flakes add a fresh note to the otherwise familiar flavor. We'll be using this to top our hot dogs and brats and to accompany our burgers this summer. A big thumbs up.