Sourdough isn’t the only culture in my life. Last night I started a batch of Korean kimchi, the fermented superfood eaten with almost every meal in Korea.
Kimchi is deliciously crunchy, sweet and sour and chilli hot. I would eat it for the taste alone, but it being rich in lactic acid bacteria seals the deal.
Lactic Acid Bacteria for me
There are two main types of lactic acid bacteria which will act as the dominant cultures in my jar over the course of the next week. The first is Leuconostoc mesenteroides. These bacteria produce lactic acid, facilitating the take over of Lactobacillus plantarum. This duo keeps unwanted pathogenic bacteria at bay, while breaking down the vegetables in the kimchi to make them more digestible.
Jungle in a jar
Aristotle said that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’, whether that be the emergent layer of a rainforest, stretching for the sunlight, or the bacteria in a jar of kimchi.
The great thing about this kind of ferment is that we needn’t worry about the microbial pecking order.
Better to let lactic acid bacteria do their thing than to interfere any further than daily releasing the carbon dioxide produced, via the clip on the jar.
As long as everyone in the house is partaking of kimchi, a happy co-habitation is guaranteed. The pungent concoction of ginger, onion, chilli and garlic is enough to turn the most persistent mint-suckers and gum-chewers into fire-breathing dragons. Traditionally dried shrimp and anchovy sauce augment the pong, though I leave these out.
The combination of flavours is addictive enough for me to embrace smelly breath as part of having a healthy gut.
Squeeze your cabbage
Last night I chopped two organic pointed cabbages* and left them soaking in a 5% brine for 12 hours – 5g salt for every 100g water. This morning I drained off the brine and added a paste made from ginger, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper and a few tablespoons of the brine. After adding four thinly sliced organic carrots, I mixed the whole batch with my hands, squeezing fragrant orange juice from the vegetables.
(*Chinese cabbage is preferable)
While the 5% brine and soak time should be accurately observed, the balance of roots and chilli are to suit your taste. I like lots of ginger and not too much chilli, though traditionally the dish is made with cups of hot dried chillies.
I packed the kimchi into clean Kilner jars and wedged cabbage-ends against the closed lids. This forces the vegetables under the level of the spicy liquid. The kimchi will stay out on the counter for a week or so, before going in the fridge.
Kimchi for you
Like to join my Kimchi Club? Membership costs a chunk of ginger, a bulb of garlic, two heads of cabbage, a few chillies and a handful of sea salt.
Recommended reading – Sandor Ellix Katz, The Art of Fermentation.
Bakes and Blogs 