| title | source | img | tags | category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Kimchi |
kimchi, cabbage, fermented food |
basic preparations |
- 1.5 to 2.0kg chinese cabbage (brassica rapa pekinsis)
- 0.3 to 0.5kg carrots (daucus carota subsp. sativus)
- 0.2 to 0.3kg (garden) radish (raphanus sativus)
- 2 to 4 green onions (allium fistulosum)
- 20 to 40gr ginger (singiber officinale)
- 3 to 5 cloves of garlic (allium sativum)
- 1tbsp whole grain flour (spelt prefered because of the natural yeasts living on it)
- 2tbsp fish sauce
- 2tbsp ground chili
- 4tbsp of salt
Prepare the cabbage by cutting it in 10mm wide stripes. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt in 1.5l boiling water. Put the cabbage into a pot, submerge it in the brine and put a plate on it. Use a weight (e.g. large glass filled with water) to make sure the cabbage stays submerged. Leave it for 12 to 36 hours at room temperature to start fermentation.
The next day prepare the radish in small cubes. Then julienne the carrots. Add the green onions.
Prepare the paste by cutting garlic and ginger to small cubes, add fish sauce, chili and one tablespoon of salt. Add 150ml boiling water and use a (stick) blender to shred everything.
Now keep only about 250ml of the brine, pour away the rest. The cabbage still contains enough liquid. Properly mix everything and put it to the glasses. You might have to stuff very hard to get densely packed glasses. If not everything is submerged, add a tablespoon of the brine. Close the glasses and leave for two to three weeks. You might put them to the fridge after 10 days to slow down fermentation to keep it less sour. After about four weeks enough acid is generated that most of the lactobacillii killed themselves. At this point the whole stuff might be edible for more than one year.
Having a brine with lots of salt generates osmotic pressure to pull out water from the cabbage while keeping vitamines and stuff in. Think of it like "concentrated cabbage". Yeasts and lactobacilli from the spelt are in perfect ratio for a great taste.
Variation: In winter I use red cabbage (brassica oleracea convar. capitata var. rubra) and an apple (keep the skin as part of the Kimchi for yeasts settling there) and less flour. In autumn I use bruxelles sprouts (brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) mixed with savoy cabbage (brassica oleracea var. sabauda).