My unauthentic kimchi

Even though this recipe is hardly authentic, it's easy & quite tasty.

Happy Recipe ReDux Day!

"What's that?" you might ask.

Well, Recipe ReDux is a recipe challenge started by registered dietitians. "The Recipe ReDux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you."

This month's Recipe ReDux is fermented foods.

Honestly, when I read that, I thought "um whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! What can I possibly do...fermented foods?...hmmm..."

Fermented foods... {Still puzzled}

What kind of fermented foods should I work with or use in my recipe? What should I make?

So so many questions.

Sauerkraut seemed obvious to me, and I've never been a huge fan of sauerkraut.

What about kimchi...?

I mean, it's a great way to get in some veggies, and cabbage is a great cancer-fighting veggie.

Cabbage has multiple health benefits including its anti-inflammatory effects & cholesterol lowering benefits; plus it's high in vitamins C & K and very low in calories.

Since cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable {like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower}, it can reduce rates of cancer.

It's obvious that cabbage is a great addition to a healthy diet, but not many people are jumping the gun to go out and fix cabbage every night. It's time to change that...

So I did a little research and thought it'd be fun to make something I would never have made if not for the monthly Recipe ReDux. Why not take advantage of this chance?

If anything, I could just write about how I failed miserably to make my own kimchi, so you wouldn't make that mistake yourself.

Luckily {!!} my experiment worked! It actually worked! Ha!

First things first...

This is not an authentic recipe for kimchi.

Let me repeat that... this recipe is not authentic.

It's a little sad but as much as I tried, I could not find Korean hot pepper paste or Korean hot chili powder.

Four {different} grocery store trips later, I decided I was just going to have to make do with what I could find.

I was determined to try to make kimchi with or without Korean hot pepper paste and chili powder.
Oh and I also accidentally bought regular green cabbage instead of Napa cabbage...

Anywho, I found a recipe from David Lebovitz and based mine off his & the recipe he used for his inspiration.

Here is my unauthentic interpretation of kimchi:

Kimchi

Even though this recipe is hardly authentic, it's easy & quite tasty.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes

Fermenting Time: 6 days

Total Time: 6 days 30 minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 (2-3 lb. head) Napa cabbage or green cabbage
• ▢ 2 tablespoon salt Kosher or sea salt
• ▢ ½ cup rice vinegar {plain not seasoned}
• ▢ ½ tablespoon fresh ginger minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ▢ 3 tablespoon red chili paste
• ▢ ⅜ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• ▢ 5 green onions sliced

Instructions

• Cut cabbage in quarters. Cut the core out of each section.
• Slice cabbage leaves into about 2 inch strips.
• Put cabbage in a large plastic or glass bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoon salt.
• Place the salt covered cabbage leaves in a plastic colander {you can use the basket of a lettuce spinner if you don't have a plastic colander}.
• Put the colander over the large bowl {the one you used to toss the cabbage in}.
• Put a plate or bowl over the cabbage to weigh it down.
• Let sit 24-48 hours at room temperature.
• In a plastic or glass bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, red chili paste, cayenne pepper, and Sriracha sauce. Stir in the green onions and set aside.
• Take a little cabbage at a time and squeeze it over a bowl or sink to remove any liquid.
• Transfer the squeezed cabbage to a bowl, and stir in vinegar-chili mixture. Stir so all cabbage leaves are completely coated.
• Pack the coated cabbage leaves into glass jars or other airtight glass container; cover & ferment {you have two options: room temp or refrigerate for at least 4 days before use.}
• Kimchi keeps about 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.
• You can serve it as a side or on top of things like burgers, baked potatoes, or eggs.

Notes

This recipe is based on Betelnut's Cabbage Kimchi from Alex Ong and this one from David Lebovitz

Makes 4 cups

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

Meme