Ohhh Kimchi *^_^*
There isn’t enough words in the dictionary to describe my love for kimchi…
What’s so awesome about it? you can basically use it on/with everything! Eat it just like that as an appetizer, use it in all your stir fries, sandwiches, make a soup or a sauce with it, be creative and enjoy experimenting with kimchi because it will jazz up any dishes you create and feed your tummy a ton of probiotic bacterias that are extremely good for your digestive system and overall health.
Like all ferments, it shouldn’t be heated too much (think miso) to make sure not to kill the beneficial bacterias. Eating it straight up is officially the best way to appreciate and absorb all the benefice and flavours of the kimchi but it is totally ok to warm it up and add it to your favourite recipe 🙂
How long can you keep your kimchi?
At this point, it’s a question of personal taste. Some people will tell you to trash it after a few months and others will tell you that it never really go bad. I’m on the “never goes bad” team. The worst that can happen is that after a certain amount of time, some white mold might develop at the top of the jar. What do you do? Scoop it out and eat what’s under!
As the fermentation will happen, the colour and taste of your kimchi will evolve. My favourite kimchi is when it has been fermenting for a good month or two. You start it off by leaving it on the counter for a good week, making sure to press on it’s head every day to drown all the ingredients under the brine (tart temper wrapped in plastic wrap is the best tool for the job), then transfer your jars in the fridge and wait for a month. It’s obviously ready before and every day you can taste your kimchi to discover what level of fermentation you prefer.
This is my twist on the basic napa cabbage & daikon kimchi but you can be more creative and add green apple sliced, carrots for example.
Hope you get to try this recipe, kimchi away and happy!
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