A Probiotic Rich Korean Kimchi Recipe

Kimchi is a famous fermented vegetable dish from Korea. In 1986, I was in Korea for 3 weeks as an attending physician at the Asian Games. I had the opportunity to sample a number of varieties of local kimchi.

Kimchi is usually served as a side dish, there are more than 300 different varieties of kimchi, depending on the main vegetable ingredient used and the region or season in which they’re made.

You may find ready-to-eat kimchi brands in supermarkets, but no matter how convenient they seem to be, many of these products are often loaded with artificial flavorings, toxic fillers and harmful additives. Some of them don’t even have any probiotic organisms in them.

To make sure that you get the quality, the freshness, and all the health perks that you’re after, you can make your own kimchi at home. That way, you know exactly what you are eating.

Kimchi has potent antioxidant properties. It is packed with vitamins A and C, healthy fiber, lactobacilli and lactic acid, capsaicin, allicin and indole-3-carbinol!

Here is a basic kimchi recipe, from Healthy Recipes for Your Nutritional Type :

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of water
• 4 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 head cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup daikon radish grated or 1 cup asparagus cut into one-inch pieces
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix a brine of the water and salt. Mix well to thoroughly dissolve salt. Add the cabbage and daikon radish. Cover with a plate or other weight to keep the vegetables submerged. Soak for 12 hours.
2. Drain the brine from the vegetables, reserving the brine. Taste the vegetables for saltiness. If they are too salty, you can rinse the vegetables. If they are not salty enough, sprinkle with a little more salt (one quarter teaspoon at a time).
3. Combine the asparagus, green beans, scallions, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Add to the cabbage mixture.
4. Put the whole mix into a jar or crock. Pour the soaking liquid over the vegetables, making sure that they are completely submerged in liquid.
5. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and set aside for three to seven days. The ideal room temperature to help with the fermentation is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is colder, the fermentation takes longer.
6. Check the kimchi daily. Make sure the vegetables stay covered in brine. After three to seven days, the kimchi will taste ripe. Once this happens, place in glass jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for months.
7. Don’t forget to squeeze your vegetables before putting them into the jar using your hands. “Bruising” the vegetables in this way allows the cell walls to break down and release their juices.

Additional Tips:

1. Use only fresh and organic vegetables from your local farmer.
2. Choose cabbages that are hard, heavy, and have densely packed leaves. The lighter, leafier varieties tend to turn into mush that doesn’t ferment well.
3. Peel your vegetables to avoid getting the bitter flavor from the skin.
4. Feel free to season your ferment naturally according to your liking with bell pepper, organic Granny Smith apples, or a hot pepper like habanero (make sure you wear gloves!).
5. Add sea vegetables or seaweed to increase the mineral, vitamin, and fiber content of your fermented vegetables.
6. When adding aromatics, such as onion, garlic, and ginger, remember that fermenting increases the flavor multiple-fold, so a little goes a long way. Don’t overdo it! A few medium-size cloves are enough to infuse a dozen jars or more with a mild garlic flavor.
7. Use a starter culture dissolved in celery juice to speed up the fermentation process and to ensure that your ferment gets packed with essential probiotics.
8. Make sure the veggies are completely covered with brine and that the brine is all the way to the top of the jar to eliminate trapped air.
9. Put the lids on the jars loosely, as they will expand due to the gases produced in fermentation.
10. Don’t eat out of the jar to prevent contaminating the entire batch with bacteria.

What Type of Container Should You Use?

Where you store your kimchi and other fermented vegetables is also important. Ideally, you want to get a container that’s wide enough to fit your hands when you press down the vegetables

Here are some excellent options you can choose from:

• Glass jars or Mason jars
• Ceramic crocks
• Wooden barrels

Stay away from containers made of plastic or metal. Plastic containers have potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, while metals may corrode when they come into contact with salt. Note that even if you don’t add salt, most vegetables have some natural salts in them.

Nutritional consultant Caroline Barringer says eating just as little as a quarter to one half cup of fermented vegetables one to three meals every day can deliver dramatically beneficial impacts on your health. But Dr. McBride believes this may be too overwhelming for individuals who are suffering from serious digestive disorders due to the compromised condition of their gut. She suggests starting with the juice of the ferment first and then slowly working your way up until you’re ready to take small amounts of vegetables.

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