nourishing kimchi soup

I don't do much Korean cooking otherwise, but I'm crazy about kimchi. In the U.S., we know kimchi specifically as the spicy fermented cabbage condiment, but in traditional Korean cookery, kimchi refers more broadly to any cultured vegetable. Endless variations exist, varying between regions and even between families. Here's my method.


I always use Chinese (Napa) cabbage. I've tried it with other kinds of cabbage, trying to increase the nutrient potential, but the texture isn't quite right without this particular variety. I shred mine, but I recently found a recipe that keeps the cabbage intact, layering the seasonings between the leaves and then packing the whole thing into a brine. After fermentation, the whole cabbage can be sliced to expose the layers. I'd love to try this method.


For the best flavor, the cabbage will steep in a brine of its own juices with little or no water added. This is accomplished by tossing the shredded cabbage with salt and letting it sit overnight to draw out the liquid. Then the cabbage is mixed with a paste of crushed peppers (preferably gochu garu, though other crushed peppers can be substituted), garlic, and ginger, and packed into crocks or jars. This combination is fermented at room temperature for several days. The smell can get pretty intense. Personally, I love that combination of garlic, ginger, spicy stuff, and lactic acid, but your mileage may vary. Traditionally, kimchi is packed into ceramic jars and buried, so perhaps it's true that even Koreans are sensitive to the smell. You might like to stash it in your garage or a closet while it's busy gettin' fizzy.

After fermentation, kimchi continues to ripen in the refrigerator, ideally for several months. I'm not that patient, so most of a batch is gone within a week or so. In Korean cookery, kimchi is consumed with almost every meal as a condiment and digestive tonic, and it's also included as a main ingredient in many traditional dishes, such as pancakes.


Kimchi, like other cultured foods such as yogurt, miso, and sauerkraut, is rich in beneficial bacteria that are essential for proper balance of intestinal flora. My whole body breathes a sigh of relief when I eat kimchi.

Of course, everybody worries about contamination. We've all been trained against leaving food "out." So I can't say this often enough. Lacto-fermentation is an ancient method of food preservation, having been refined over tens of thousands of years, and biologically, it is the safest method. Here are some words of wisdom from this article.

U.S. Department of Agriculture research service microbiologist Fred Breidt says properly fermented vegetables are actually safer than raw vegetables, which might have been exposed to pathogens like E. coli on the farm.

“With fermented products there is no safety concern. I can flat-out say that. The reason is the lactic acid bacteria that carry out the fermentation are the world’s best killers of other bacteria,” says Breidt, who works at a lab at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, where scientists have been studying fermented and other pickled foods since the 1930s.

Breidt adds that fermented vegetables, for which there are no documented cases of food-borne illness, are safer for novices to make than canned vegetables. Pressurized canning creates an anaerobic environment that increases the risk of deadly botulism, particularly with low-acid foods.

Most important, in my opinion, is the blatant fact that you will know if your kimchi (or any other fermentation project) goes bad. In such a situation, nothing could convince you to eat it. I had a batch of kimchi go bad just once. There wasn't enough liquid in the jar. I could hardly manage to dump that stuff down the toilet, and I think I threw the jar away rather than deal with washing it.

The biggest issues at stake are keeping the food below the water line and using enough salt, both of which are instrumental in staving off undesirable bacteria and mold. Generally, you will want slightly less than one tablespoon of salt for each cup of liquid, but there is a bit of wiggle room, so don't obsess about it. Mold can be skimmed off and the rest of a batch salvaged, but it's best to prevent it by tightly packing, adding water as needed, or using a weight. It's also important to cover the container only lightly during fermentation, or carbon dioxide will build up and the crock or jar may shatter. (After a culture is refrigerated, it's good to release pressure occasionally by opening the jar.)

Many Korean soups make use of kimchi, in combination with pork, beef broth, seafood, or tofu, with various vegetables. I used sprouted tofu in this case, along with spinach and jasmine rice. This is my very favorite soup for an upset stomach or a cold. It even helps a sore throat. If you can't have soy, you could use shreds of pastured meat instead, or skip a protein altogether for a lighter meal. I prefer white rice for this dish, especially for digestive upset. If you use brown rice, you might like to cook it beforehand, or use leftover rice, to make it a quicker meal. To maintain the benefits of lacto-fermentation, I break from tradition by adding the kimchi at the end of cooking and not allowing it to get too hot.

KIMCHI SOUP WITH TOFU & SPINACH
1 T. fresh garlic, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 c. preferred broth or stock (water is fine)
1 c. jasmine rice
8 oz. tofu, preferably sprouted, cubed
1 bunch of spinach, sliced thinly
2 c. kimchi (recipe below)
a few garlic chives or scallions, sliced, for garnish

Heat 2 T. olive oil in a soup pot. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, rice, and tofu. Cover the pot and cook the rice through. Uncover and stir in the spinach. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the kimchi. Keep stirring until the kimchi is heated through.

Serve garnished with chives or scallions, with a little dish of chili-garlic paste.

KIMCHI METHOD
1 large head of Chinese (Napa) cabbage
3 T. unrefined sea salt
1 head of garlic, separated into peeled cloves
1/3 c. Korean pepper flakes (gochu garu), or another type of pepper
3" piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 bunch of garlic chives or scallions, sliced

Core and shred the cabbage as finely as you like. Toss the cabbage with the salt and leave in a large bowl overnight. The salt will draw out liquid from the cabbage.

The next day, combine the garlic cloves, pepper flakes, and ginger in a mortar or processor. Press or process into a paste and mix with the cabbage. Fold in the chives or scallions.

Pack the kimchi as tightly as you can into crocks or wide-mouth jars. The liquid should rise to meet the level of the cabbage. Keep packing and pressing until there is plenty of liquid to top the cabbage.
Don't ever let the water line fall below the level of the cabbage! That will introduce mold, which can be skimmed off, but it's best to prevent it. Use a weight if necessary; a zipper-lock bag full of water works well.

Loosely cover the container to keep out dust and insects. Leave out the kimchi at room temperate for 3-7 days. Taste it daily. It will become fizzy and flavorful. When you like its flavor, store the kimchi in the refrigerator. The flavor will continue to ripen.