Kim Chi

I decided to try my hand at making kim chi.  It’s the first time that I’ve ever done anything in the pickling department but I’ve read that things like kim chi are supposed to be good for digestion.  Since I’m not eating yogurt anymore, which is where I was getting my probiotics from, I figure my stomach could benefit from some kim chi.

So, I went looking for a recipe and the first cookbook I picked up, which I did so because I figured if any of my vegan cookbooks would have this recipe it would be this one, had a recipe for it and it sounded easy enough to me.  I’m quite sure that this will not be the last time that I reference “The 30 Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East” by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray (http://veganfusion.com/best-rated-vegan-vegetarian-raw-food-cookbooks/30-minute-vegan-taste-of-the-east/).  I have a bunch of pages marked of recipes that I would like to try out, including a coconut ice cream…mmmmm :-)

Since I’m not sure if it’s actually legal for me to type out and post the recipe, I tried to find it online but couldn’t.  But I will tell you some things I did/learned along the way while I made it.

The recipe calls for unpasteurized miso paste, I used a sweet white miso.  It also says to use agave nectar, Sucanat, or organic sugar; I used the agave.  And it calls for  an optional 1 cup diced mixed vegetables; I put in a half cup each cucumber and cauliflower.  Since cauliflower wasn’t on sale, I ended up buying frozen, let them thaw out, chopped them a little, and they worked great!

When making the paste, which is step 2 in the directions, I used a little less then 1 tablespoon of sea salt.

The recipe says it’s supposed to be made in a 2-quart mason jar (or two 1-quart jars).  It also calls for 1 large head of cabbage, so I bought the largest head that the store had and I ended up with 3 different sized jars of kim chi… I’ve got quite a bit to eat now.

So, I finished making it and put it into the jars, loosely covering them and left them for about 4 days at room temperature.  I did try some as I was putting the lids on to move them to the fridge on that 4^th day, and I was like, eh, I’ll probably like it better cold.  I was happy to be right on this one!  It’s much better cold!  The recipe says it “should have a spicy and tangy flavor” and it sure does.  And the more it sits, of course, the more the spiciness kicks in… which I’m loving!  I do say this as a slight warning if you’re not into spicy you may not like this as much as I do.

I’ve been eating the kim chi as a snack or side dish and plan on trying it wrapped with some brown rice in a sheet of nori… we’ll see how that goes.

Next on my pickling agenda: pickles!  (I know this will definitely make my sister happy!)