Beet Kimchi

Use a mandoline slicer to quickly turn the carrots and beets into thin matchsticks for this salt-fermented kimchi. Photo by Jenna Alexander.

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

4 cups filtered water

4 tablespoons salt

1 large red cabbage or Chinese cabbage

2-3 large carrots

1-2 beets

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 hot chilies or 3-4 tablespoons chili paste

Quart Mason jar or a large crock

About this recipe

This recipe employs a traditional fermentation process using a salt brine to ferment vegetables into tangy kimchi. While optimal fermentation temperature is 76° it is not necessary. Depending on the temperature conditions in your household it could take longer if cooler, or less time to ferment if warmer.

Instructions

To make the brine, mix the water and salt in a large bowl. Make sure salt is dissolved.

Set aside a few washed whole cabbage leaves for later use. Chop remaining cabbage. Slice beets and carrots. Let the vegetables soak in the brine for a few hours or overnight. Cover them with a plate to keep them submerged under the brine. If needed, make more brine to completely cover the vegetables.

Chop garlic and peppers, then mix together, or mix garlic into chili paste if using that. Kimchi is supposed to be a spicy dish, but you can tone down or omit the heat if you need to. Drain brine off vegetables and reserve it. Taste vegetables for saltiness. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot taste salt, then sprinkle on some salt and toss. Mix brined vegetables with garlic and pepper mixture. Stuff and pack it into clean quart-sized Mason jar. Pack it tightly, pressing down to make sure the brine rises over your vegetables. If needed, add some of the reserved brine. Weigh the vegetables down with the reserved cabbage leaves by folding them up and stuffing them into the jar on top of the vegetables.

Screw jar lid on, but not completely tight. Set jar into a baking pan to catch any juices that may escape during fermentation. Set in a cool, dry place out of sunlight. Taste vegetables daily; in about a week they should be ready to eat. Remove the top large cabbage leaves. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.