How to Make Easy Cabbage Kimchi at Home
Health benefits of Napa (Chinese) cabbage
Napa cabbage is an incredibly low-calorie green-leafy vegetable. 100 g fresh leaves carry just 16 calories. It easily fits into the neo-class of zero calorie or negative calorie group of vegetables as oftentimes advocated by dieticians.
Napa packed with many antioxidant plant compounds such as carotenes, thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zeaxanthin, sulforaphane and isothiocyanates. Also, it is an abundant source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Scientific studies suggest these compounds are known to offer protection against breast, colon, and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" levels in the blood.
Fresh napa is an excellent source of folates. 100 g provides 79 µg or 20% of daily required levels of this B-complex vitamin. Folic acid is one of the essential components of DNA.
Further, Napa cabbage has great levels of vitamin-C. 100 g of fresh napa provides about 45% of the daily requirements of this vitamin. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and hunts harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
Likewise in other cabbages, napa too has moderate levels of vitamin-K, provides about 38% of RDA levels. Vitamin-K has a potential role in bone metabolism by promoting osteoblastic activity in bone cells. Therefore, sufficient levels of vitamin K in the diet make the bone stronger, healthier and help delay osteoporosis. Further, vitamin-K also has established a role to play in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.
Napa cabbage has small levels of vitamin-A. However, it also contains flavonoid polyphenolic compounds such as carotenes, lutein, and xanthin which convert to vitamin-A in the human body.
As in other green vegetables, it is a good source of many essential vitamins such as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine (185 of RDA) and thiamin. These vitamins are essential in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to replenish.
Also, it is a very natural source of electrolytes and minerals like calcium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is the chief component of cell and body fluids and helps in regulating heart rate and blood pressure. The human body employs manganese as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is essential for the red blood cell formation.
How to Make Easy Cabbage Kimchi at Home
Makes 1 quart
INGREDIENTS
1 medium head napa cabbage (about 2 pounds)
1/4 cup iodine-free sea salt or kosher salt (see Recipe Notes)
Water, preferably distilled or filtered
1 tablespoon grated garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or salted shrimp paste, or 3 tablespoons water
1 to 5 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes
8 ounces Korean radish or daikon radish, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 medium scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the cabbage. Cut the cabbage lengthwise through the stem into quarters. Cut the cores from each piece. Cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips.
Salt the cabbage. Place the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Using your hands, massage the salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit. Add enough water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top of the cabbage and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours.
Rinse and drain the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times. Set aside to drain in a colander for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the spice paste.
Make the spice paste. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting. Add the garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce, shrimp paste, or water and stir into a smooth paste. Stir in the red pepper flakes, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons); set aside until the cabbage is ready.
Combine the vegetables and spice paste. Gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage and add it to the spice paste. Add the radish and scallions.
Mix thoroughly. Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated. The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!
Pack the kimchi into the jar. Pack the kimchi into a 1-quart jar. Press down on the kimchi until the brine (the liquid that comes out) rises to cover the vegetables, leaving at least 1 inch of space at the top. Seal the jar.
Let it ferment for 1 to 5 days. Place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow. Let the jar stand at cool room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 5 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine may seep out of the lid.
Check it daily and refrigerate when ready. Check the kimchi once a day, opening the jar and pressing down on the vegetables with a clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it's best after another week or two.
Recipe Notes
Salt: Use salt that is free of iodine and anti-caking agents, which can inhibit fermentation.
Water: Chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation, so use spring, distilled, or filtered water if you can.
Seafood flavor and vegetarian alternatives: Seafood gives kimchi an umami flavor. Different regions and families may use fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, oysters, and other seafood. Use about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, or a combination of the two. For vegetarian kimchi, I like using 3/4 teaspoon kelp powder mixed with 3 tablespoons water, or simply 3 tablespoons of water.
Storage: Kimchi can be refrigerated for up to a few months. Use clean utensils each time to extract the kimchi from the jar.