Fermented Vegetables: Kimchi.
Yes, our legendary Kimchi.
This is definitely one of our most popular lacto-fermented vegetables.
So what is Kimchi, exactly? Let's turn to Wikipedia for a definition:
"Kimchi, a staple in Korean cuisine, is a traditional side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and Korean radishes, with a variety of seasonings including chili powder, scallions, garlic, ginger..."
Kimchi has been around for a while, some few thousand years at least, and there is a good reason for that. Not only it is delicious, but it's also very healthy.
Dr. Mercola in one of his articles quotes "The Journal of Medicinal Food" and lists some of the health properties of Kimchi
And Dr. Axe mentions these health benefits:
1. Provides Probiotics that Help Improve Digestion
2.Helps Increase Immunity
3.High in Fiber
4. Low in Calories & Can Help Reduce Cravings
5. Provides Antioxidants that Can Help Fight Cancer
And this is all great, especially when it adds to the value of a product that is already delicious.
But not all Kimchi products are this healthy. There are a lot of pasteurized "Kimchi" products, or Kimchi with added preservatives.
Two ingredients that are traditionally used in making of Kimchi: fermented fish sauce and something that is called Gochugaru.
Gochugaru is a form of Korean pepper flakes, that can vary in spiciness.
Being personally vegetarian, we do not use fish sauce in our Kimchi.
As far as Gochugaru goes, currently we also do not use it, as there's a real problem with getting a good quality one, here in Europe.
Quite a lot of Gochugaru that is exported out of Asia, is of inferior quality, and many of them, even though the package says Korean, they are in reality Chinese products.
And we don't want to use those.
For that reason, we have come up with a tasty alternative, that works for us, and for our customers .
We make our Kimchi with the following vegetables:
With start with Nappa cabbage first.
The cabbage is washed and cut. Then we rub some unrefined sea salt into it, and we leave it overnight, under some weights, so it releases juices.
The next day, we drain the liquid, and we rinse the salt out of the cabbage.
Next, come Daikon radishes and carrots.
We also make the sweet rice flour and sugar paste.
To this we add our "Kimchi Paste" made with pureed sweet peppers, peppers flakes, ginger and garlic.
The starch and sugar serve as food for the bacteria. Throughout the fermentation, all sugar is fermented, and it is turned into organic acids, so there's no sugar left in the final product.
At this point we start putting all the ingredients together for coating with our Kimchi paste:
Next, we mix everything, and we adjust the seasoning.
When all the mixing is done, it is time to fill up our 15 liter fermenters.
Next, we put some weights on top of Kimchi, and then the lids.
A note here:
we use our regulars stone crocks, and not the traditional Onggi because it is almost impossible to get good quality Onggi in Europe, which would be big enough for our batches.
Occasionally, some of the Kimchi goes into our glass Fermentation Jars to serve as the showcase pieces on our window.
Now, we let it ferment for a minimum of one month. The actual average time is usually 2-3 months.
When that time is up, we transfer our Kimchi into our retail jars:
And when it's all done, it looks like this:
Here's a close up of our Kimchi jar, and of the label:
Our label lists unrefined raw sugar as an ingredient. Yes, we add couple of table spoons of sugar to the rice flour paste. But that sugar is actually all gone at the end of the fermentation. It gets all broken down into beneficial organic acids
Our Kimchi has a nice bite, but it is not overly spicy. It has nice sour notes, as we ferment it for a lot longer time than most Kimchi producers.
Kimchi is available in two different sizes: 410 gr and 175 gr.
Kimchi can be used in many, many ways. The simplest way is to use it as a side dish.
We have used Kimchi like this:
Kimchi - Avocado Salad with Mung Sprouts, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
On a sandwich with Hummus, Tomatoes and Avocado.
Ingredients: Napa Cabbage, Daikon Radishes, Carrots, Chives, Rice Flower Paste (Sweet Rice Flower, Water and Unrefined Sugar), Kimchi Paste (Sweet and Hot Peppers, Garlic, Ginger and unrefined Sea Salt)
A bonus!
A beautiful video about Kimchi making from one of our favorite YouTube channels.
To watch it, just click on the pic below.
To purchase / zum Kaufen klicke bitte unten.
Disclaimer: All medical information in this post is merely information & not advise. If you need medical advice, please consult your doctor or other appropriate medical professional.