How much do you value your probiotic foods? According to Mark McDonald of the New York Times Koreans considered it a “national tragedy” in 2010 when they experienced a cabbage crop failure. Protect your gut and your overall health by starting a batch of kim-chi or sauerkraut today. Kim-chi is easy to make and is a wonderful addition to a real food diet. It will take you about 20 minutes to prep and save you dollars over purchasing real kim-chi in the markets.
For more detailed information about this bacteria-building food, read The Kim-chee Cookbook by Lauryn Chun, The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Enjoy our variation of Sally Fallon’s kim-chi recipe below. We’ve spiced it up a wee bit to warm you up and bring down inflammation in the gut.
Kim-chi
makes two quarts
- 1 head Napa cabbage or 1 pound bok choy, cored and shredded
- 2 carrots, grated
- ½ cup daikon radish, grated
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ½-1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
- 1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt
- 4 tablespoons whey or additional 1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt
- purified, non-chlorinated water
Directions:
- Prepare vegetables.
- Place all ingredients except water in a bowl and pound with a kraut pounder or meat hammer for 10-15 minutes, until juices are released from vegetables to the point of completely covering the vegetable mixture with the brine. If necessary, add Celtic sea salt to purified water creating additional brine.
- Place vegetable mixture in mason jars or Pickl-It jars.
- Pour the brine over the vegetable to completely cover vegetables.
- Cover kraut with a plate or lid that fits snugly inside the crock or glass container.
- Cover tightly and place in pantry at room temperature for approximately a week.
- Begin checking and tasting the kim-chi after five to seven days. In cooler temperature the kim-chi will need up to three weeks to ferment.
- Once taste is ripe, transfer container to refrigerator.
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