We’ve all heard of the cure-all properties of chicken noodle soup. We now know it’s the probiotic rich bone broth of “Jewish penicillin” that supercharges the immune system and gives sniffles the boot.
Kimchi is another ancient healer, this time from Korea. It’s made by a simple fermentation process that produces lots of lovely healthy bacteria that improve our gut flora.
We’re learning more and more about the importance of a healthy gut to optimise health and adding fermented foods to your diet is a simple way to restore the bacterial balance.
(Look out on Tuesday for our article on other steps you can take to love your gut and why it’s central to our health overall.)
Like a traditional bone broth, fermented foods aren’t difficult to make but they do take time. Perhaps the ritual contributes to its healing benefits.
Warning: this stuff has a strong taste but it’s seriously addictive. Give it a go, and you will find it makes the perfect punchy flavor complement to just about any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 wombok cabbage
- ¼ cup salt
- 4 radishes
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 2cm piece of ginger, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 spring onions
Method
- Chop cabbage into small pieces.
- Place cabbage in a big bowl and sprinkle with salt. Then cover with enough water to ensure the cabbage is submerged under the salty water. with cling wrap and leave on the bench to soak overnight.
- The next day, drain the cabbage and place into another large bowl. Use an end of a rolling pin to bash up the salted cabbage to release the juices.
- Place radishes, carrots, ginger, garlic and spring onions in a food processor and whiz until they’re evenly chopped. Tip into the bowl with the cabbage.
- Spoon veggie mixture into a glass jar and pack very tightly. It’s important that the juices cover the top of the mixture to allow for fermentation.
- Place the lid on, and place the jar in a pan to catch the juices.
- Leave on your benchtop at room temperature for 48 hours. Magic! Your fermented kimchi is ready to eat. For a stronger taste and more healthy bacteria to grow, you can leave it for another couple of days.
