Grandma's Homemade Kimchi

Some of you already know, but I am part Korean. My grandmother was from South Korea, and moved to the US when my mother was just a child. I grew up eating an array of "odd" foods for the time. Seaweed, fish cakes, dried Squid, fermented bean paste, and of course KIMCHI! Kimchi is a Korean staple, served at most every meal. I remember my grandmother eating rice/keem (roasted Seaweed)/kimchi for breakfast (really I think she ate it at every meal).

Kimchi has started making its delicious presence known. You can now find it at most grocery stores, and many restaurants have their own version. But, I will be honest…I have not found a version yet that compares to the homemade version my grandmother made (I could be slightly bias.)

I am going to share that recipe with you today!

So, What's so Good About Kim Chi?

…ummmmm…everything!

No, but seriously, there is so many health benefits associated with consuming raw/fermented vegetables. These foods, in general, are super rich in immune healthy probiotics. These good bacteria are the backbone of the immune system and our body's first line of defense against bacteria and viruses. By fermenting/culturing the vegetables, we extract vital nutrition from the plants as well (B/D/K vitamins).

The ingredients found in the making of kimchi have their own added benefits when combined and cultured in this amazing food.

Chinese Cabbage

• Contain Bio-chemicals that detoxify heavy metals in the Liver and Kidneys
• Indole-3-Carbinol helps reduce the chance of developing stomach cancer
•  Chlorophyll in Kimchi helps prevent cells from absorbing carcinogen.Daikon Radish

Daikon Radish

• Contains Bio-chemicals that detoxify heavy metals in the Liver, Kidneys, and Small Intestines

Gochugaru (Korean Red Pepper flakes)

• High source of Vitamin K and C
• Capcaicin reduces chance of developing Lung Cancer
• kills bacteria that cause gastritis, such as Helicobacter Pylori

Garlic

• kills bacteria that cause gastritis, such as Helicobacter Pylori
• Allicin helps reduce the chance of developing liver, stomach, and thyroid cancer.

Overall Kimchi  has the benefits of….

• Inhibits the formation of blood clots
• Kimchi, After two weeks of fermentation, is abundant in anti-oxidants Vitamin C, chlorophyll and β-Carotene which prevent dry flaky skin, relieve the cell toxicity, protect the skin by protecting skin cells, and slow down the aging process for skin.
• 1 gram of well-fermented Kimchi produces more than 8 hundred million lactobacilli (4x that of yogurt). These bacteria clean the colon, prevent constipation and reduce inflammation of the intestines.
• Kimchi provides a variety of nutrition: Inorganic nitrogenous compounds such as calcium, copper, phosphor and iron. It is also rich in Vitamins, such as Vitamin A, C, B1 and B2 

The Ingredients

• 1 Head Napa Cabbage
• 1/4 Cup Sea Salt
• 2 TBSP Minced Garlic
• 2 tsp Grated Ginger
• 2-10 TBSP Gochugaru
• 2 tsp Sugar

• 1 Daikon Radish
• 6 Scallions
• 1 cup Grated Carrot
• 4-6 TBSP Fish Sauce or Dried Shrimp
• 
  

1. Cut the Cabbage into desired size. Coat with Salt, massage and let sit 1-2 hours. Check every hour, there should a brine starting to form.
2. While the Cabbage sits, make a paste with sugar, garlic, ginger, gochugaru and shrimp/fish sauce.
3. Quick rinse Cabbage and return to bowl, do not dry
4. Slice Daikon and Green onions, mix with Carrots and Drained Cabbage
5. Coat vegetables with paste and massage until the vegetables being to release a thick juice.
6. Take clean glass jars and pack tightly. Push down firmly as you fill the jars to cover with brine. Leave 1 inch of head room for expansion. Let set on the counter for 1-3 days. Check/burp daily, once you are happy with the fermentation level, place in the fridge. It will last months (if you don't eat it very fast, but we usually go through this whole recipe in one month).

*NOTE: Use a stainless steel bowl to do your mixing. Plastic will stain and retain fishy smell.

* NOTE: My kids will eat this mix with 2 TBSP of Gochugaru. So I will make it mild, fill their jar, and then add the rest of the pepper flakes to match mine and my husbands taste levels.

*NOTE: Should fill Approximately 3-4 pint jars.