Spicy Kimchi Soup

I like to make myself promises when I move. Promises like: Hey Sonnet, if you take this box of beads with you, you'd better make some earrings soon. Or, if you pack this book, you better promise to read it. Truth be told, that book is still unread and that box of beads is still taped shut from my last move, but I'm taking it with me anyways. 

But, I made myself a big promise when I moved a few months ago. I had a giant jar of homemade kimchi in my fridge and I told myself that I would eat it all before my next move - or else! Since my next move came up a little sooner than expected and I hadn't quite worked through that jar of kimchi yet I found myself in a panic this week. What could I possibly do with three pounds of kimchi? 

The solution... make soup of course! Making this soup was an experiment and I knew it could go one of two ways: it would either be a great success or a total failure. Lucky for both of us it turned out to be a success and is now one of my favorite soups of all time.

Kimchi is an incredible fermented food that is filled with healthy, gut-loving bacteria (you can read more about the benefits in my homemade kimchi post). Heat kills the healthy probiotics so it's important not to cook the kimchi directly. Instead, add the kimchi to the soup just prior to serving.
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Since kimchi flavors and spices vary depending the recipe, I had a hard time writing a specific amount into this recipe. I recommend starting with a small amount of kimchi and adding more as desired. Since I was trying to use up my kimchi, I actually added 4 cups to my batch of soup, but I think most people would find 1 - 2 cups of kimchi to be flavorful enough.

If you are storing the soup for leftovers, add the kimchi to the individual bowls prior to serving instead of to the entire pot (to prevent the probiotics from being killed during the reheating process). Depending on the spiciness and flavor of your kimchi, this will alter the taste of the final soup so be sure to wait until the kimchi has been added before adding any gochugaru, or red pepper flakes.

Spicy Kimchi Soup
Serves 6 - 8

8 cups vegetable stock
1 med yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1 block organic extra-firm tofu, cubed
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1 - 2 cups kimchi (or more if desired)
gochugaru or red pepper flakes to taste, if desired (see note above)
sliced green onions or fresh herbs for garnish

Add vegetable stock to a large pot along with onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until carrots are slightly tender, then add the broccoli, tofu, mushrooms, and bell pepper, and continue simmering about 5 - 10 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat and stir in kimchi. If additional spiciness is desired, add gochugaru or red pepper flakes to taste. Garnish with green onions or fresh herbs and serve.

Recipe shared over at Wellness Weekend

How to Make Kimchi

I think it's time that we talked about fermentation, and specifically, kimchi.  Kimchi is a spicy and tangy fermented Korean food.  In Korea it is typically eaten with each meal and making it is a day-long family affair.  I really enjoy it as a digestive aid before dinner and it's great in fried rice.  If you have never tried fermented foods before, this is the perfect time to start.

Fermented foods are a really important part of our diet and have been used in many cultures as a way to preserve foods and make them more digestible.  Why are fermented foods important?  Here's the deal.  We all have microflora (bacteria) in our intestine which is absolutely necessary to keep us healthy.  In the body, there is "good" bacteria and "bad" bacteria and it's important to keep the "good" bacteria thriving. Fermented foods contain populations of the "good" bacteria that help to keep the microflora balanced.  This is necessary because antibiotics are so prevalent in our world (especially in modern agriculture production) and they kill the bacteria in your body, regardless of whether it is "good" or "bad."

You still with me?  Good.  I think it's also important to note here that fermented foods (e.g. kimchi, sauerkraut) are slightly different from cultured foods because they ferment with the bacteria that are naturally present in the food, rather than adding bacteria.  Cultured foods (e.g. yogurt, tempeh) add certain bacteria and require a starter to make.  Both fermented and cultured foods add "good" bacteria to your digestive system; they simply are made using different processes.


For a long time, I was very wary of making my own kimchi because I was convinced that I was going to do something wrong and poison myself.  If you have this same fear I completely understand.  However, making fermented vegetables is completely safe - as long as you follow the proper procedures.  Over the past year, I've done a ton of research on fermentation, attended two classes on vegetable fermenting, and have made quite a few batches of kimchi and sauerkraut on my own.  If you are new to the process of fermentation, I highly recommend that you take a class because it will help you to learn the proper methods and dispel any fears about hurting yourself.

If you are unable to attend a class, then I definitely recommend reading Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz

This book is a wealth of information about the fermentation process and the basics of vegetable ferments.  The following method that I demonstrate is based on Katz's book.  Once you get the hang of making fermented foods, you'll realize how easy and fun it is.

Kimchi
Adapted from Wild Fermentation

Yields: 40 oz

4 Tablespoons of sea salt or kosher salt
4 cups of water
1.5 pounds Napa cabbage
1 daikon radish, thinly sliced in half moons
3 carrots
1 medium yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
2-inch knob of ginger
1 - 2 Tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
4 green onions, chopped

Mix a brine from the sea salt and water.  Stir well to thoroughly dissolve salt.

Coarsely chop cabbage, slice radish and carrots and let vegetables soak in brine, covered by a plate or other weight to keep the vegetables submerged.  Soak for at least 5 hours, and up to 24 hours.

Prepare spices: dice the onion and garlic.  Use a food processor to process onion, garlic, and ginger into a paste.  Mix in the gochugaru and green onions.

Drain brine off of vegetables, reserving brine.  Taste vegetables for saltiness.  You want them to taste decidedly salt, but not surprisingly so.  If they are too salty, rinse them with water.  If you cannot taste salt, sprinkle the vegetables with a couple of teaspoons of salt and mix.

Mix the vegetables throughly with the spice paste.  Pack them tightly into a clean jar, pressing down until the brine rises.  If necessary, add a little of the reserved vegetable-soaking brine to submerge the vegetables.  Weight the vegetables down with a smaller jar if necessary (fill the smaller jar with liquid to keep everything weighted down).  Cover the jar with a towel to keep flies and dust out.

Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place.  Taste the kimchi every day and check it to make sure it is still submerged under the brine.  Depending on your tastes and the temperature of where it is stored, the kimchi can be ready in as soon as a few days or a few weeks.  The fermentation process generally takes longer in cool weather and shorter in warm weather.  When your kimchi tastes ripe (sour and tangy), move it to the refrigerator.  It can last for several months, if not longer, in the fridge as long as it still has some brine in the jar.

Some important notes:

• Be sure to ferment your kimchi in a glass jar or glazed ceramic crock.  Since the brine and vegetables are heavily salted, it is important to avoid using metal or plastic.  
• Do not use iodized salt or any product with preservatives in your kimchi.  Iodine is antimicrobial and will prevent the kimchi from fermenting.  
• You do not want air touching your vegetables.  It is vital to keep everything submerged under the brine.  As long as everything is submerged under liquid, mold will not develop. 
• After your vegetables have soaked in the brine, they will lose a lot of moisture and will decrease in volume.
• Gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) can be found at any Asian grocery store or ordered online  

Kimchee Fried Rice

I am definitely an animal lover.  I am the kind of person that will help a lost dog find its owner, cry over roadkill, and talk about cats for hours on end.  I am also vegan and although initially this decision was not based on my love for animals, I now think it's an important factor.

It took me many years to decide that I was ready for a cat because I wanted to be responsible and take that animal's life very seriously.  I did everything right... I rescued it from a shelter.  I play with it every day.  I feed it only the best cat food recommended by the vet.  Heck, that cat eats more organic and healthier food than I do most days.

I love my cat... even though he is extremely needy.  So needy that he cries. Constantly.  He cries when he's alone, he cries when I'm home, and he cries all through the night.  I have not had a full night's sleep since bringing him home.  But I still love him. Clearly, too much.

The funny thing is that when I first got him, I was so excited.  I was so happy to have a pet to call my own and I thought that spending quality time with him would make me feel more content and present in my life.

Well, let me tell you, there is nothing that will make you feel more present than walking in the door after an extremely long day at work only to discover that  your little pet has vomited on every single surface in your apartment.  That is a zen moment right there.

But, being the amazing animal lover that you are you immediately check the cat and call the vet after, of course, accidentally stepping in vomit.  Your vet then informs you that this is only the latest incident in your cat's needy behavior because being away from you causes stress, which causes excessive grooming, which causes hairballs, which (yes, you guessed it) causes vomiting.

So, you suck it up.  You clean up the vomit.  You wash your hands.  You play with your cat.  And then you go out to your garden.

Ah, the garden.  It's such a happy place.  A place to get away from it all, to relax, to feel connected to the earth, and to take in a deep breath of... um, what is that smell? 

You have got to be kidding me.

Ah, the garden.  It's such a happy place for the neighbor's cats.  A place for them to get away from it all, to relax, and to feel connected to the earth by digging up your seedlings and taking a giant... ahem. I'll leave that to the imagination.

So, that was my day.  How was yours?

I'm sure after that lovely story all you want to think about right now is food.  And especially, food from my garden.  But, let's continue.  Maybe I can take both of our minds off of it by talking about kimchee. 

Kimchee is a traditional Korean dish made by fermenting vegetables and adding gochu garu (spicy red pepper flakes).  One of these days I will get around to posting a tutorial on how to make your own kimchee.  Until then, if you're buying it from the store just double check that it doesn't contain any fish sauce (assuming that you are desiring an entirely vegan/vegetarian dish).  If you haven't tried kimchee before, expect some spice, a little tang, and lots of deliciousness.

Kimchee fried rice is so flavorful, yet, quick and easy to make that you will wonder why you haven't been making this all week.  Plus, the only labor involved after dicing is standing over the stove and stirring.  Super easy.  You can substitute any vegetables you desire so feel free to be creative.  This is great for any weeknight dinner and you can make it a complete meal by serving it with tempeh, tofu, or beans.  It's the perfect meal to ease your hunger pains and take your mind off of your crazy day.

Kimchee Fried Rice
Serves 2
Inspired by Orangette

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium carrot, diced
3 green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup broccoli florets, diced
1/2 cup sugar peas, diced
1 1/2 cups rice, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup kimchee
1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add the olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the carrot and saute in the oil for about 3 minutes.  Next, add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 1 minute.  Then add the bell pepper, broccoli, and sugar peas and saute for about 2 - 3 minutes.  Add the rice, kimchee, and soy sauce and saute for 3 - 5 minutes.  Add any freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve hot.