Say 'KIMCHI!'

Taken from here.

Personal Comment: I'm nearly finished with my 2nd tub of kimchi (each tub is 1kg) and indeed, whenever I eat kimchi, I start farting without fail! Love it ttm :))

Jus saying, I always eat kimchi BEFORE my dinner, so I will eat lesser of my dinner haha.

The Health Benefits of Kimchi

If I have inspired you at all this summer, in any way, I hope that convincing you to consume fermented foods was one item you have now decided to include in your daily diets. If you have followed my blog you know how much I talk about and promote gut health. And, I have been on a journey this past year to heal my gut from a lot of stress and health ailments. Learning about fermented foods has been key in my healing and I have been seeing the evidence play out in my body!! So I am here today to briefly share with you the benefits of consuming fermented foods, kimchi in particular.

First off, Kimchi is a traditional Korean, usually  fermented, dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi but the most common varieties are fermented and made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onion or cucumber.The oldest references to kimchi can be found from 2600 to 3000 years ago. The first text-written evidence of its existence can be found in the first Chinese poetry book, Shi Jing (詩經). In this book, kimchi was referred to as jeo (菹). The term ji was used until the pre-modern terms chimchae (hanja: 沈菜, lit. soaked vegetables),dimchae, and timchae were adopted in the period of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.The word then was modified into jimchi, and is currently kimchi.

Early kimchi was made of cabbage and beef stock only. In the twelfth century other spices, creating flavors such as sweet and sour, and colors, such as white and orange, were added.  Red chili, a New World vegetable not found in Korea before European contact with the Americas, was added to kimchi recipes some time after 1500. Red chili pepper flakes are now used as the main ingredient for spice and source of heat for many varieties of kimchi. (source for last paragraph)

The definition of fermentation is “breaking down into simpler components”. Fermentation makes the foods easier to digest and the nutrients easier to assimilate. In effect, much of the work of digestion is done for you. Since it doesn’t use heat, fermentation also retains enzymes, vitamins, and other nutrients that are usually destroyed by food processing. The active cultures that pre-digest the food as part of the fermentation process actually generate nutrients. So there are more vitamins–especially B-vitamins–and minerals like iron are released from the chemical bonds that prevent them from being assimilated. In effect, the nutritional value of a food goes up when it has been fermented.. The fermentation process also preserves the food. You start with a wholesome, raw food and preserve it in a way that leaves its nutrients intact. This alone is crucial in this day and age of processed foods and improperly prepared foods in which people are getting so little actual nutrition in their foods. Additionally, you are getting powerful anti-toxins, anti-allergens and anti-biotics from the garlic, ginger and onions. Not to mention all the wonderful live enzymes that are kept in tact by the fermentation process. Kimchi promotes intestinal health by feeding the lacto-bacteria and bifido-bacteria that live in your intestines. These are the friendly bacteria that are needed to be healthy. Kimchi nourishes them so they can thrive and out number the ‘unfriendly’ bacteria that find their way into the gut. The lacto-bacteria prevent flatulence and keep sticky, sludge-like waste matter from accumulating in the intestinal tract, adhering to the intestinal walls, and interferring with nutrient absorption. Some studies show that kimchi has properties in it that in fact help prevent the growth of cancer. It’s quite possible the antioxidants the ferment possess has something to do with it.

One serving of kimchi provides up to 80% of the daily recommendation of vitamin C and carotene. Kimchi is also rich in vitamin a, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium and iron. According to Health Magazine, kimchi is one of the top 5 healthiest foods in the world. That’s a pretty awesome claim, and one I don’t take lightly. I just made kimchi, finally, for the first time and am already hooked. I can’t wait to make another batch and dice it up a bit. For now I will leave you with the basic recipe I followed.

Kimchi (Korean Sauerkraut)
1 head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup of carrots, grated
1/2 cup daikon radish, grated (optional)
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes ( I used chili paste!)
1 Tablespoon sea salt
4 Tablespoons whey, if not available use an additional 1 tablespoon of salt

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl. Leave to sit for 30 to an hour. Pound with a wooden pounder to release juices. Place in a quart sized mason jar (wide mouthed) and press down firmly until the juices cover the top of the veggies. Make sure to leave at least an inch of headroom. Cover and leave at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

Feel free to be creative with this and improvise. You could add bok choy, broccoli, sesame seeds, fish sauce, more chilies if you like spice, some grated apple to add a bit of sweetness. I can’t wait to try this again using some of these additions. Here is an awesome link for the Ultimate Kimchi, and another link listing all the various types of kimchi.

So, have I convinced you yet to try your hand at fermented foods?!!