Kimchi is one of the crown jewels of fermented foods. The popularity of this spicy, pickled side dish has grown worldwide in recent years. But the Koreans themselves have known for many years about the amazing health benefits of their national dish.
The practice of lactofermenting vegetables must have spread east with the Mongols just as it spread west to Europe. Fermented vegetables took firm root in Korea, a peninsula that enjoys nearly subtropical summers but also fiercely frozen winters. During this time of year, native sources of fresh food were scarce, and kimchi filled an important need.
Kimchi is prepared rather like sauerkraut, except with the additions of crushed garlic, ground chili peppers, and other seasonings like green onions and ginger. The most common base ingredient is Napa cabbage, sometimes known as Chinese cabbage. Cucumber and Daikon radish kimchis are also prevalent, along with less common side dishes like burdock root kimchi or perilla leaf kimchi. Less common supporting ingredients can include pine nuts, slices of Asian pear, sour green plums, or oysters. Ingredients can be added chopped or whole. Fermented shrimp or anchovy paste usually serves as the starter culture, generally including the unique species of lactobacteria known as L. kimchii, though a slower fermentation can occur by just letting the naturally present lactobacteria do their job. All in all, there are more than one hundred kinds of kimchi, including cold soups made in water brine called “water kimchi.”
Kimchi is dear to the heart of Korea’s national consciousness. The average Korean consumes forty pounds (more than eighteen kilograms) of it per year. Anyone you meet in Korea, where I lived for more than two years, swears by kimchi’s health benefits. Visitors may question some of the claims, since it seems like kimchi becomes a subject in almost every conversation, but its effects on improved digestion and immunity have been supported by several studies. It also packs a huge density of vitamins A and C, B complex vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes into every bite. Kimchi is a superfood and they are right to be proud of it.
Not only do Koreans enjoy kimchi as a raw side dish but they also use it to flavor many cooked dishes, including stews, noodles, dumplings, and fried rice. I have included two of these recipes, both of which are not cooked after the kimchi has been added. Most families still make their own kimchi at least once a year, many of them using the huge, traditional clay pots known as kimchi pots. When prepared in the warm days of early autumn, kimchi can be stored in these pots in the cold winter weather, though some kinds of kimchi are made at other times of the year.
Napa Cabbage Kimchi
As with sauerkraut, you will need a large jar or fermenting crock to make kimchi. This recipe will require two (preferably large) mixing bowls, one large and the other smaller.
• 1 large Napa cabbage, preferably organic
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2–3 green onions or scallions
• 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
• ⅔ cup hot red pepper powder
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons liquid culture, such as yogurt whey, sauerkraut or natural pickle juice, or water kefir
Take the outer layer of leaves off the Napa cabbage and discard. Wash the remaining cabbage well.
Chop the leaves. Their size should be similar to chopped lettuce in a typical salad.
Place the chopped cabbage in the large bowl. Sprinkle in a little sea salt, rub it into the leaves, and mix together.
In the smaller bowl, mix the crushed garlic, red pepper powder, sugar, remaining salt, and optional culture. This should form a pasty sauce. Add a spoonful or two of nonchlorinated water if it seems too dry.
Pour the sauce paste over the chopped cabbage. Add the chopped green onion. Toss gently until it is coated.
Put the kimchi mixture in a glass jar or crock. Cover it loosely with the lid or a cloth. Once the kimchi begins to give off a fermenting smell, probably in 2–3 days, then taste it. As soon as you believe it is ready, you can cover the container and move it to the refrigerator. The fermentation generally takes 3–10 days. Your kimchi will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator, where it will last for weeks or months (depending on how sour you can handle it!).
Radish Kimchi (Korean Kkaktugi)
While cabbage kimchi is the most well-known, there are other types also. One particular favorite is Radish kimchi. This recipe utilizes fermented shrimp paste as a source of lactobacteria, though you can substitute less authentic sources such as yogurt whey, sauerkraut juice, or vegetable culture. Both the shrimp paste and fish stock are available at Asian grocery stores. The sea salt in this recipe is used to coat and leech fluid from the radish cubes, but it is then rinsed off, so there is no added salt in the end product. If you decide to make this side dish without fermented shrimp paste, which is salty, then you may need to add additional sea salt near the end (to suit your taste).
• 2 large Korean Daikon radishes (larger than most other types), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, sliced or roughly chopped
• 5–7 scallions (green onions), finely chopped
• 5–7 cloves garlic
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• ⅓ cup dried red chili pepper powder
• ⅓ cup fermented shrimp paste
• ⅓ cup fish stock or fish sauce (such as anchovy)
• 4–5 tablespoons sea salt
• 1½ tablespoons sugar
• More salt, to taste
• Sesame seeds, to sprinkle on top
Trim Daikon radishes and cut them into cubes. Place radish cubes in a bowl, add salt, and mix well. Let them sit for 1 hour, during which time the salt will leech out some of the fluid. After 1 hour, rinse radishes and drain them in a colander or strainer. Use a blender to combine and purée the onion, garlic, ginger, and shrimp paste with the fish stock to make a thin paste. In a bowl, mix onion-garlic-ginger purée with fermented shrimp paste, fish stock, sugar, and chili pepper powder. Toss this sauce mixture with the radish cubes, coating them evenly. Then stir in scallions. Move radish kimchi to a large crock or jar, pouring and scraping over it any additional sauce that remains in the bowl. Cover and let kimchi ferment at room temperature. It should take 2–4 days, depending on temperature, but check it every day or so and feel free to taste. Once it has fermented, cover tightly and move to the refrigerator for storage. You can keep eating it and the kimchi will last for several weeks in the fridge.
Kimchi Bibimbap (Mixed Vegetable Rice)
Makes 1–2 servings
This is the probiotic version of the traditional Korean mixed rice meal known as bibimbap (pronounced “bee-bim-bop”). Essentially, cooked rice is served with a variety of stir-fried and raw vegetables, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, as well as a fried egg and/or ground beef. The person eating it simply adds in as much Korean hot sauce (gochujang) as he or she wants, then mixes up the whole dish in a big bowl and eats it. Koreans eat kimchi on the side, but our recipe adds this into the dish directly. This means that you get to decide whether you need any additional hot sauce (which you can do after mixing and tasting it). If it is spicy enough for you already, then adding a little extra soy sauce and/or sesame oil will give you enough moisture and flavor.
You can find all ingredients at an Asian grocery store. If you cannot find all of the vegetables/sprouts/mushrooms, etc., then just use what you have. Once you have at least three of these ingredients plus kimchi, go ahead and give this dish a try.
Start by cooking some rice (as a whole food person, I recommend brown rice, but you could use white rice, preferably the sticky sushi kind). For 100 percent raw food diets, soak and sprout some brown rice or wild rice to get it tender enough for eating. Personally, I am not able to eat large quantities of raw grains and I am not convinced that even soaked and sprouted rice is safe to eat in large amounts, but I will leave this up to you. Wild rice is fairly tender (like a wheatberry) once it has been properly soaked and sprouted, so if that alternative appeals to you, please seek more information online about preparing wild rice for raw food diets.
• 1½ cups cooked rice
• ½ cup bean sprouts (soybean and/or mung bean)
• ½ cup kimchi, chopped (more, to taste)
• ½ cup carrot, grated or cut into long, very thin strips
• ½ cup spinach, sautéed with a little garlic
• 5 shiitake mushrooms, chopped and sautéed with a little garlic
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (the toasted variety has the best flavor)
• Korean hot sauce (gochujang) or soy sauce, to taste
• Optional: 1 fried egg, ½ cup ground beef (cooked), ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
Part of the joy of eating bibimbap is getting to mix it yourself after seeing all the ingredients displayed separately in the bowl. Use a large bowl that someone can eat from. You will fill it nearly to the top, but leave enough space to allow the ingredients to be stirred. Put the cooked rice in the bowl first. Cover the rice with the fried egg, if you use one. Place the other ingredients on top of this, each in its own separate section or corner (not overlapping much). Over the top, sprinkle in the ground beef or sesame seeds (both optional) and drizzle a little sesame oil. Before eating, add some hot sauce or soy sauce, then break up the egg and mix up your dish as well as you can with a spoon. Yum!
Kimchi Noodles
Makes 1–2 servings
This recipe begins with your favorite noodles. Wheat noodles, either Asian or Western types, work best. Spaghetti, fettuccini, macaroni, or any raw food substitute should be fine.
• 2 cups cooked noodles
• ½–1 cup kimchi, chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• ½ cucumber, sliced lengthwise into thin ribbons that resemble noodles
• Soy sauce or salt to taste
• Optional: 1 sheet of sushi seaweed
Put fresh cooked noodles in a bowl, add other ingredients, and stir. This actually is a great cold dish, but if you need to warm them up, then stir-fry the noodles first in a little cooking oil on a skillet. While they are still warm, but no longer scalding hot, transfer to a bowl, then add other ingredients and stir. If you use the optional sheet of sushi seaweed, then crumble this over the top of your dish at the last minute just before eating.
