Exploring the World of Fermented Foods: Sauerkraut, Kimchi, and More
Mary McCabe • September 12, 2022
How to make fermented foods part of your life without much fuss.
SHORT AND LONG-TERM SEASONAL PICKLING
SAUERKRAUT
Ingredients
The standard proportion for cabbage to salt:
- 5 lbs. cabbage and other crisp vegetables to 3 Tbsp. sea salt or Himalayan salt
- Brine - 1 qt water to 1 ½ Tbsp. Sea salt
Math can be confusing since most of us don’t make 5 lbs. at a time.
I made 2 ½ lbs. Cabbage to keep it simple, with 1 ½ Tbsp. sea salt
It is essential to use a digital scale to weigh the vegetables to know the correct amount of salt.
A salinity ratio of 1.5% to 2.5% ensures a safe and delicious fermentation.
Preparation
- Shred the cabbage thinly and evenly. Put in a non-metal, food-grade container. Add the sea salt and mix lightly with clean hands. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Begin to “massage” cabbage and sea salt with clean, well-rinsed hands, with no soap residue. Continue to rub the cabbage mixture until a good amount of liquid is released, about 10 minutes.
- Place a portion of cabbage in a sterilized jar or crock. Use a tool such as a kraut pounder, wooden spoon, or smasher to push down the cabbage, so the brine is ½ inch above the kraut. Repeat in batches, pressing down until all the kraut is in the container, leaving 2 inches of head space open to the top.
- Press so the brine is above the kraut. Use a fermentation weight or food-grade plastic a bag full of brine to set on top of the kraut.
- Use cheesecloth or clean cotton to cover and a fermenting lid. Do not close the lid tightly. It needs to allow any gas to be released. Place the kraut container on a shallow dish to catch any brine overflow.
- Leave the new kraut in an area for 5 to 8 days, not in direct sunlight, depending on the temperature. The ideal temperature is 68 to 75 degrees. Check every day, and look for bubbles. Once the liquid has a chance to settle and the bubbles no longer rise to the surface, it indicates that the fermentation has stopped. As a result, the color has gone from
white to golden yellow. - Smell it. It should smell and taste like sauerkraut. You can store the kraut in the refrigerator, tightly covered for 2 to 3 months, ensuring the brine covers the kraut.
*Mary's Notes
Amazon offers various fermentation products, such as Mason jars and Ball lids.
Sauerkraut needs an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment to ferment successfully.
To achieve this, you must ensure no air gets into the kraut mixture by using the weights or brine bag to keep the air out. Also, keep the kraut submerged under the brine to prevent spoilage.
Lay the outer cabbage leaves on top to keep any floaters from jumping to the top
KIMCHI
Ingredients
One large, heavy napa cabbage washed and well drained
3 or 4 scallions cut into two” lengths
One small carrot cut into two” slivers
¼ onion in half moons
6- 8 cloves of garlic minced
Thumb size piece of peeled ginger, julienne
1 Asian or Bosc pear slice thin strips
2 to 3-inch daikon radish, julienne
3 to 4 Nira cut into two” lengths
⅓ to ½ cup sea salt, kosher, or pure salt
Gochutgaru - Korean red pepper flakes or powder
Cut Vegetables before Mixing with Starch to go inside the Napa
STARCH GRAVY
¼ cup sweet rice flour
One cup of dashi stock (1 ½ cup water to two” piece kombu slow boil to one cup)
Method
- Cut napa cabbage in half and quarters. Carefully spread loose cabbage leaves, and sprinkle salt between each layer. Place in a bowl, covered, cut side down for
- Four hours up to overnight.
- You can tell the cabbage is ready by bending and rolling the thick part back and forth.
- Rinse between each leaf at least three times in a bowl and then under running water. Be gentle.
- Drain the rinsed cabbage in a strainer for 30 minutes.
- Tasting is the best way to see if the cabbage is salted correctly.
- Mix all the sliced veggies for the stuffing with two teaspoons of salt and the starch mixture to create the kimchi paste.
- Add red pepper spice to your taste. Optional.
- Add part of the paste to the inside of the thickest part of the napa cabbage. Repeat until the mixture is on each layer of the leaves. Finally, coat the outside of the cabbage with paste, and wrap the last two leaves around the bundle to secure.
- Preferably place in a large container to fit all the kimchi. Cover with plastic wrap to keep the juices in. Keep on a counter away from heat or sun for 10-12 hours, then refrigerate.
- You can begin eating kimchi after five days. It will keep for 3 to 6 months in the refrigerator.
- Take out what you eat in a week and leave the rest untouched during storage.
AMAZUKE - TSUKEMONO SWEET PICKLES
Ama means sweet, and zuke means pickling.
Ingredients #1
One cup Rice vinegar
½ cup Maple syrup
2 tsp. Sea salt
Method #1
Bring all ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Once boiled, turn the heat off. Allow it to cool.
Ingredients #2
Carrot two inches sliced into thin strips
Daikon two inches cut in ¼ inch sticks
½ tsp. Sea salt
Method #2
- Mix the daikon and carrot with the salt in a sealed bag or bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Pour off excess liquid from the salted veggies. Add cooled vinegar mixture, place in a jar and allow to marinate. Good to eat in two weeks. Serve in a bowl with brine. Squeeze lemon juice for taste. I like to add green shiso feathers and chili threads for a spicy color.
RED RADISH PICKLES
Ingredients
Small bunch of red radish 8 oz.
½ tsp sea salt
Two Tbsp. Ume vinegar
Method
- Slice the radish into thin slivers and mix well with salt in a bowl. Place a lid with a weight on top. Below shows a salad press, which makes it easier to press.
- Allow the excess juice to be released and strain off excess.
- Place in a glass jar, mix in Ume juice and marinate with a lid and a weight overnight.
- Keep it in the refrigerator. It will be pink and suitable for weeks.
- You can add ginger juice, sesame seeds, etc., when serving.
PICKLED GINGER
Ingredients
3 oz. Peeled ginger sliced thin with peeler
½ tsp. Sea salt
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. Ume juice
Method
- Mix sliced ginger with sea salt well in a bowl and press a weighted lid to pull out excess liquid for 30 minutes.
- Squeeze it out with your hands. Discard excess liquid. Mix in a jar with the rest of the ingredients. Cover with a cloth and leave overnight. Keep the brine over the ginger in storage.
ASASUKE SALAD
Ingredients
For Brine - 1 ½ tsp. Sea salt two cups good water One two-inch piece Kombu
½ lb. cabbage cut into 1-inch chunks
½ lb. carrot cut in matchsticks
½ tsp. Sea salt
Method
- Bring the brine to 140 degrees, turn it off, and allow it to cool
- Mix ½ tsp. Add salt, cabbage, and carrots, and sit for 30 - 40 minutes.
- Squeeze off excess salt. Pour the cooled brine over the cabbage and carrot mixture into a jar and marinate for 2 to 6 hours. Refrigerate, ready to serve.
CUCUMBER SALAD
Join Mary as she guides you through the ins & outs of Plant-based & Clean cooking. Previous experience not required!
Ingredients Half cup dried whole barley One cup split pea One inch piece Kombu Two carrots diced Three stalks of celery diced One onion diced Eight cups water (approximately) One bay leaf 1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt Soy sauce seasoning to taste Thyme, parsley, chives, scallions, parsley, and celery leaves your choice, try all, they make great flavor and nutrients.
Preparation Bring the water and kombu to a slow boil, remove kombu, set aside for later use. Add onions, allow to become transparent, add tofu, when tofu floats to the top, add wakame and mushrooms. Ladle some broth into a cup with the miso to soften, lower the flame to a simmer, add the melted miso. Do not boil miso, since miso is a live food, boiling will kill the microorganisms contained in the life of the miso. When the broth begins to move in a waving motion, 3 to 5 minutes turn it off and serve with the fresh scallions on top. This soup does not take long to make. It will keep in the fridge if leftover, but best served right away.
INGREDIENTS Three cups of oat flakes 1 tsp. Sea salt ⅓ cup flax seeds ⅔ cup chopped walnuts One cup chopped almonds ⅓ cup sunflower avocado oil ¼ + cup maple or rice syrup ¾ cup dried apricots diced ½ tsp. Vanilla ¼ tsp. Almond extract 1 tsp. Cinnamon One cup of raisins
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STUFFED CUCUMBER ROLLS
Natto is made from cooked whole soybeans that have been fermented with koji spores. Once it is prepared, there is no need for further cooking. It is usually served as a side dish as an accompaniment with grains and noodles. It can be prepared by stirring it to bring out the stickiness, then adding different flavors, such as soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, daikon radish, jinenjo mountain potato, mustard, horse radish, chives, scallions, nori slivers, and other seasonings. It can be made at home with a bit of preparation and can be purchased in Asian markets or online. I find it is difficult to find Natto made with organic soybeans, so I am going to attempt to make it at home. I ordered the Kawashima Natto Starter Powder through Amazon, will update when I do it. I made it years ago with Sensei Muramoto, and remember that it was very different and more delicious than the frozen packages available. Natto has a distinctive smell and flavor that people either love it or hate it. I have heard that people who eat a lot of dairy do not like it, I am not sure how true that is. The benefits to enjoying Natto are enormous. It is a super nutritious food. It is originated in Japan, where the cooked soybeans were wrapped in rice straw which naturally had the bacillus subtillis bacteria on its surface. This allowed the sugar in the beans to ferment creating Natto. Soybeans are a very hard bean. It takes a long time to cook them. Soybeans are a very important part of the vegetarian diet because they are a one of the highest quality sources of plant based protein, vitamins, minerals and isoflavones. They do contain anti-nutrients such as lectins, however, it has been studied that fermentation reduces the content by 95%.
When I lived in Southern California, studying with Sensei Muramoto, we made dried persimmons. We would get cases of them. It was early winter and he had a wood burning stove, since it would get chilly. He built what appeared to be a makeshift fort to dry the peeled persimmons. He used grass mats and built them all around the wood burning stove. We would sit for hours peeling them. He took great pride in being able to peel the whole fruit with one long peel. I never could do it. Every day, he would turn them. When they began to be more dry, he would press them slightly in the middle. It took several weeks before they were ready. In the morning, we would slice them in slivers and serve them with green tea. It was the most delightful combination. He said it created a seventh taste. After I moved back to Philadelphia, we remained good friends. Every year, he would send me a big box of dried persimmons for Christmas. And every year, I would send him a wool vest with leather buttons from Lord & Taylor. My children and I loved them. His persimmons were the most beautiful, they would have a natural sugary coating and beautiful texture and sweetness. His hands had golden microbes. Every food he touched blossomed into it's most highest potential. There is no real recipe to creating dried persimmons. Buy fresh persimmons not too ripe. Wash and then carefully peel the skin off, leaving as much fruit as possible. Set them out on a clean straw mat or something that would be makeshift. The area should be warm, near a wood burning stove. Make sure they don't touch each other. With clean dry hands, turn them each day. When they begin to crystalize on the outside, press the center slightly. When they are completely dried yet tender, store them in a dry air paper box, like cardboard, with wax or parchment paper to store. I would slice them and best serve with green tea.
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