November 2007
Dear Friends,
With the Holiday Season quickly approaching I would love to share this Kimchi recipe with you.
It’s simple to make and healthy to eat because it aids digestion by it introducing healthy bacteria into the intestines. To learn more on this please see the “Candida” page on The Healing Path website.
Kimchi has been made in Korea for thousands of years making cleaver use of natural fermentation for preservation. Eating a small serving of kimchi each day helps to keep the body’s PH in balance and helps you to absorb vitamins more easily. It is loaded with fiber, beta carotene, natural enzymes and minerals.
Autumn Kimchi
It is customary in Korea to eat kimchi with every meal, and there are infinite variations, depending upon the season, region and family tradition.
Makes 1 quart
Preparation time: approximately 15 minutes
Fermentation time: 1 week or more
Ingredients (for 1 quart)
- 1 lb. Napa cabbage or bok choy, coarsely chopped
- 1 daikon radish or a few red radishes, sliced into half moons
- 2 carrots, sliced into half moons
- 2 green tomatoes or tomatillos, chopped
- 6 inches dulse or other seaweed, cut with scissors
- 1 onion or leek (and/or a few scallions/shallots), chopped
- 3 or 4 bulbs garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3 or 4 hot peppers (or more, depending on how hot you like your food), chopped
- 3 tbsp. (or more) fresh grated gingerroot
- 1 tbsp. unrefined sea salt
- Method
1. Mix the chopped vegetables with spices and salt in a bowl. Incorporate other vegetables if you wish, including turnips, okra, beans or peas, Jerusalem artichokes, eggplant, cauliflower or squash. With clean hands squeeze and mix vegetables between your fingers.
2. Stuff the kimchi mixture into a quart-size, wide-mouth jar. Pack it tightly into the jar, pressing down hard until the juices squeeze out from the vegetables. The salt will draw the juices out of the vegetables and form a brine. The vegetables must be submerged in liquid to prevent mould from forming.
3. Place the lid loosely on the jar; do not tighten.
4. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 1 week. Press the kimchi down each day so the vegetables at the top get submerged under the brine. The longer the kimchi ferments [up to 3 weeks] the more sour it will become. When it tastes ripe, eat or store in the refrigerator.
I hope you will try this recipe. It may not be what you are accustomed to but isn’t it great to try something new. Who wants to be boring??? Have a wonderful holiday season and maybe you’ll want to consider bringing some kimchi to Aunt Dot’s for your holiday gathering.
Love and Light, Lori Jacobs
