How to Make Kim Chi
Day 6: Wild Women Writing Challenge
Did you know there are trillions of micro-organisms in the human digestive system? There are more bacteria in our gut than there are human DNA cells in the body! But don’t worry, it’s good bacteria, or at least we hope so. A healthy micro-biome should have plenty of probiotics, or beneficial bacteria in order to keep the digestive tract on track.
Our digestive system makes up 70% of our immune system. Therefore, our immunity is directly linked to what we’re eating! So, we should be careful about what we’re putting down the ol’ hatch and make sure to get plenty of probiotics! Today, I’m going to share with you how to make probiotic-rich kim chi!
Things you’ll need: A big bowl (preferably glass), clean knife and cutting board. Big jars- a few quart jars, half gallon or gallon, depending on how much deliciousness you want to whip up! 1–2 heads of cabbage (I like using one purple and one green), 4–5 large carrots, 2 large onions, 2–3 daikon (I don’t always have or use in my version of kim chi), 1 bulb of garlic (more or less, depending on your preference), knob of peeled ginger, red chili flakes (optional), sea salt or Himalayan salt (not table salt) and non-chlorinated water (REALLY IMPORTANT that it’s non-chlorinated, otherwise it won’t ferment).
This is just a guideline, but don’t be afraid to improvise. I personally don’t measure my ingredients, I just throw in what I have and it always comes out tasty!
