Kimchi (aka Baechu Kimchi)
Try this tasty Kimchi recipe by our "fermentation guru" Sandor Katz. Before refrigeration and food mass-transit, how did northern people eat fresh vegetables during the winter?
You guessed it, kimchi and sauerkraut! Traditionally, cabbage is grown late into the fall and made into fermented vegetables to enjoy over winter. Turns out our ancestors were on to something. Naturally fermented foods contain both natural probiotics, which nourish the gut, as well as pre-digested nutrients making them an integral part of a healthy diet... and they are yummy to boot!
Sea salt
1 pound/500 grams Chinese cabbage (napa or bok choi)
A few red radishes (optional)
1-2 carrots (optional)
1-2 onions and/or leeks and/or a few scallions
3-4 cloves of garlic
3-4 hot red chilies (Erica loves sweet peppers in here instead of hot - you can just substitute if you like)
3 tablespoons fresh grated gingerroot
1. Chop and soak the cabbage, radish, and carrot in a brine overnight. The brine should be made up of about 4 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of sea salt.
2. Prepare the paste (ginger, garlic, onion, hot/sweet peppers) - this can be easily done in food processor.
3. Strain the brine off of the cabbage.
4. Mix the vegetables and the paste together.
5. Stuff the vegetable-paste mixture into a jar and pour the brine over it to fill the jar. Cover with a cloth and rubber band and ferment at room temperature for 1-3 days. Then, store in the refrigerator.
-- Recipe adapted from "Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods" by Sandor Ellix Katz, pg. 47 (2003).
Grace's Cabbage Stir Fry
Carrots, diced
Cabbage, cut into thin strips
Onion, chopped
Tofu, cubed
Garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, ground ginger to taste
Olive oil
For the sauce:
Peanut butter
Mirin
Sriracha or some other sweet hot sauce
Soy sauce
Red pepper flakes
1. Heat wok or large skillet on stove-top on medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil after a minute or two.
2. Sauté minced garlic and chopped onion in the wok.
3. While garlic and onion cook, place tofu cubes in towels or paper towels and place cutting board with weight on top to press out some of the liquid before cooking.
4. After garlic and onion turn golden brown, add diced carrots to the wok. Sauté 5 minutes or so and then add the cabbage.
5. While you wait for the cabbage to cook, start another frying pan on the stovetop at medium-high heat. Add a generous amount of olive oil to the pan. Once tiny bubbles start to appear in the oil, you can add the tofu. Wait for 3-5 minutes for the bottom of the tofu to get lightly fried, and then flip tofu to the other side. Cook the other side the same. Set aside
6. Once the cabbage has cooked down but not too much (you still want a bit of a crunch when you bite it!), add salt, pepper, and ground ginger to taste.
7. In a small bowl or cup, mix together all ingredients in the sauce to taste. The consistency should be smooth and creamy.
8. For each bowl, serve stir fry on top of white rice, and mix in sauce to your liking. Enjoy!
-- Recipe by Grace Pernecky, with inspiration by her friends Caroline and Steve
Far East Shredded SaladFresh vegetables for the base, about 5-6 cups total, to serve 3 or 4 as a main course:
Any combination of green and red cabbage, kale, chard, arugula, or other hearty leafy greens, shredded or chopped
Carrots, grated, julienned, spiraled, or use carrot peeler to make long curls
Cucumbers, cut in chunks or thin slices
Summer squash, cut in chunks or thin slices
Sweet pepper, cut in chunks or tin slices
Red onion, chopped or thin slices
Chives, regular or garlic, mince
Radish, any variety, thinly sliced
For the toppings:
1/2 c. Peanuts, roasted, no salt
1-2 Eggs, boiled and sliced or scrambled, OR cooked chicken or other meat
2 T. Basil, chopped
2 T. Cilantro, chopped
2 T. Mint, chopped
1 Hot pepper, chopped, or red pepper flakes to taste
For the toppings:
1 T. Toasted sesame seed oil
1 1/2 T. Lime juice
1 1/2 t. Rice vinegar
1 T. Fish Sauce (Vietnamese, preferably containing only anchovies, salt, sugar)
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 t. Sugar
1. Combine the chopped or shredded vegetables in a large bowl.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a lidded jar, shake to mix.
3. Add dressing to salad base, to taste.
4. Add toppings as you wish, or serve toppings on the side.
-- Recipe by Janet Osborn
Czech Style Sweet-Sour Cabbage
Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, chopped
Dried dill to taste
(For rue) 1 onion, chopped
(For rue) A couple tablespoons flour
(For rue) 2 Tbsp fat (butter or oil)
Sugar and vinegar to taste
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Instructions:
1. Put the chopped cabbage in a large pot on the stove. Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of salt (you can add more later if you like). Add about 2 inches or so of water to the pot. Add dried dill to the pot and mix it all together.
2. Cover and cook slowly for about 45 minutes. Depending on the size of the head of cabbage, you might need more time. Once the cabbage starts cooking, let the gases out by opening the lid partially.
3. While the cabbage is cooking, prepare the sugar/vinegar mixture. We use about 2 cups of vinegar to 4 Tbsp sugar, but if you like your sweet-sour cabbage on the sweeter side, add more sugar to your liking.
4. Once the cabbage is cooked and you can easily pierce it with a fork, empty out the water from the pot. Put the pot with the cabbage back on the stovetop, and add the sugar/vinegar mixture. Partially cover with a lid and boil at a low heat for about 20 minutes.
3. While the cabbage is cooking, make the rue. Sauté the chopped onion in fat (we use butter), and add about 2 Tbsp flour to the pan. Fry until onion is lightly browned.
4. Once the cabbage has finished cooking, let it cool a bit and remove the dried dill as best you can. Combine the rue and the cabbage. Traditionally served with roast duck and potato dumplings.
-- Recipe by Sandy Pernecky, adapted from The Best Czech Cooking and Collected Recipes of Helen Fiala, 1993, General Publishing and Binding, Inc.
Equipment:
Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, 1-gallon/4-liter capacity or greater
Plate that fits inside crock or bucket
1 gallon/4-liter jug filled with water
Cloth cover
Ingredients (for 1 gallon/4 liters):
5 pounds/2 kilograms cabbage
3 tablespoons/45 milliliters sea salt
1. Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely. Place in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go.
2. Add other vegetables if you like (e.g. carrots, onions, garlic, greens, Brussels sprouts, turnips, etc.). You can also add herbs and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, etc.) - Mike loves caraway seeds in his Kraut.
3. Mix ingredients together and pack into crock. Tamp down the cabbage hard, either with fists, or any other sturdy kitchen implement, to help force water out of the cabbage.
4. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight (such as a glass jug filled with water) on the cover. Cover the whole thing with a cloth.
5. Press down on the weight every so often (every few hours) until the brine rises above the cover. This can take up to 24 hours.
6. Leave the kraut to ferment. Check it every day or two. Enjoy the kraut as its flavor evolves over time.
-- Recipe adapted from "Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods" by Sandor Ellix Katz, pg. 41 (2003).
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