A friend made a great suggestion during one of our online book club chats…. She challenged us to share some recipes on using ‘leftover / waste’ food. For example, a potato skin recipe. In this way, we could repurpose our food when we need it most…. during lockdown…. to ensure minimum waste in our kitchens. While we haven’t gotten around to making something with our potato skins (I love this idea, I am definitely going to try something here… suggestions welcome) – we did make a homemade Kimchi using vegetables from our fridge, especially those veggies that weren’t planning on hanging around for much longer.
A quick search on Google will offer many health benefits of Kimchi, to list a few:
- It is nutrient dense while low in calories
- Contains probiotics which are good for boosting your immune system
- May reduce inflammation
- May slow ageing (bring it on!)
- May prevent yeast infections
- Source: www.healthline.com
We have a simple way to make Kimchi in your own kitchen – using whatever vegetables and fruit you have available. Here goes… from the pen of Pauli:
Pauli’s Easy Stay At Home Kimchi
The really fun part of this recipe is that this is a guide, you can crank up whatever parts you want to make it for your own palate.
I have used various greens with the cabbage, to preserve wilting greens in the fridge. Apples also really add to the flavour, and you can substitute sugar for honey.
Have fun and reduce the waste, by making something tasty and really good for your health too.
Please let me know how it worked out for you.
Stay Home Stay Safe – yours in Good Food, Pauli and Di.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
| Stage 1: | ||
| Cabbage | 200g | Thinly sliced (Have fun and mix them up) |
| Carrots | 80g | Julienne the carrots |
| Salt | 1 *Tbsp | *Tbsp = Tablespoon **tsp = teaspoon |
| Sugar/Honey | 1 **tsp | If you want it sweeter then add more. Method: Add the sugar and salt into the cabbage and macerate (soften together); add the carrots in a bowl until the cabbage starts to wilt. |
| Stage 2: | ||
| Chopped Chilies | 2-4 chilies | Depending on how hot you want it |
| Red Pepper | 40g | Chop or julienne the peppers |
| Herbs | 10g | Add any herbs that you have |
| Ginger | 10g | Finely sliced or chopped, you can even used picked Ginger (ginger used for Sushi) |
| Chilli Flakes | 1 Tbsp | |
| Fish Sauce | 1 tsp | |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tsp | |
| Sesame Seed Oil | 1/4 tsp | |
| Rice Vinegar | 1 tsp | You can use pretty much any vinegar you like |
| Thai Lime Juice | 1 tsp | Or fresh lemon juice, whatever citrus you have |
Mix it all together put it into a storage container and leave out overnight, this will ensure a great flavour, then refrigerate and eat with everything!
