Recipe: Paleo Kimchi
I hadn’t had Kimchi until I moved to Australia and ventured to some Korean barbeque restaurants. Not only does it taste amazing, as a fermented food, Kimchi is really good for gut health – a great inclusion in a Paleo diet.
One of my New Years resolutions this year was to eat more fermented food, so after coming up with a good Kombucha recipe – it was time to get experimenting with Kimchi.
This is how I made my batch of Kimchi. I’d love to hear how you make yours – and what other fermented food you include in your diet. Let me know in the comments below!
Kimchi Ingredients
- 1 large Chinese cabbage
- 4 litres (1 gallon) of water
- 100g (1/2 cup) of Celtic sea salt (though any salt would be fine)
- One clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- One 6cm (2 inch) strip of ginger, peeled and grated
- 100ml (1/2 cup) Korean chilli powder (I found this in an Asian supermarket)
- Dash of coconut aminos
- Small bunch of spring onions, cut into strips
- 1 radish, peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon of honey (this is needed to get the fermentation going – and the duration of the fermentation determines how much sugar remains in the end product)
How To Make Kimchi
Chop the cabbage into rough pieces, discarding the tough stem.
In a large bowl or stock pot, fully dissolve the salt in the water. Once dissolved, immerse the cabbage pieces in the water, using a plate to keep them submerged. Keep the cabbage underwater for two hours.
In another mixing bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients.
Once the cabbage has been underwater for two hours, remove it, drain it, rinse the salt water off and dry it thoroughly.
Now, mix all of the ingredients together.
Spoon the Kimchi into a clean glass jar and cover it firmly. Keeping the jar in a cool dry place, leave it alone for two days.
After a day or two, check the Kimchi. If it is bubbling, it is ready and can be eaten – or stored in the fridge. If not, it’s not quite ready, so leave it for another day and check again.
When it’s ready make sure you store it in the fridge. I’m sure there won’t be any left after a few days – but it’s best to eat it within two or three weeks before it becomes “too” fermented!
Enjoy!
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just a suggestion – grated apple and pear can replace the honey for those who either dislike or are sensitive to it – achieves the same results
Great Tip!
I can’t wait to make Kimchi!
What a great suggestion – pear would be amazing!
Can you use standard chilli powder? Thanks.
I make it with Fuji apple in the paste and Nashi pear matchsticks in with the daikon etc. It gives a great flavour, and I never found a reason to add fish sauce or such to it… as some do.
If you can’t find gochugaru, ordinary chilli won’t cut it. You need chillis with a bright citrusy flavour like habaneros. Look for sun dried gochugaru… it’s the best colour and flavour.
What is coconut aminos?
Hi Joanne, you can find out more about coconut aminos here: http://paleo.com.au/coconut-aminos/