Spanish Kimchi

January 19, 2021 • 0 comments

How do I explain how much I love these cultured veggies? The taste is so good and very different from regular kimchi. Hints of jalapeños and unique spices make this cultured vegetable one you’ll reach for again and again. I love it on tacos and as a side dish served with blue corn chips. In El Salvador, the country where this dish originated, it is called Curtido and is often served alongside pupusas, a dish made from corn flour pancake stuffed with a filling of shredded cheese. However you serve it, you’ll get billions of probiotics and a taste that can’t be beat.

Ingredients

(1/2 cup) Kefir Whey
(1 small head) Cabbage
(2 whole) Carrots
(1 whole, seeded, cored, thinly sliced) Jalapeno
(1) Onion, small
(1 Tbsp) Red Pepper Flakes
(1 Tbsp) Mexican Oregano (or regular)
(1/2 Tbsp) Chili Lime Seasoning
(1/2 Tbsp) Salt

Directions

If using Cutting Edge Starter Culture, place ½ cup water in a glass measuring cup. Then add the culture and stir until dissolved. Let the mixture sit while you chop your vegetables—anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. If using Kefir Whey, add it when the recipe calls for culture in step 4.

Remove the outer leaves and the core from the cabbage, and shred or chop the rest. Place the cabbage in a large bowl.

Shred or chop the carrots and onion, and add them to the bowl, along with the jalapeno.

Add vegetables to the bowl along with the red pepper flakes, oregano, chili lime salt, and Celtic Sea Salt. Combine all ingredients well.

Transfer the vegetable mixture to a half gallon glass or ceramic container that can be securely sealed and add the culture or kefir whey.

Press down firmly on the vegetables, then cover the vegetables with filtered water, leaving at least 2 inches of headroom at the top of the container.

Seal the container and let it sit on your counter, out of direct sunlight, for 6 days.

Check the vegetables every day to make sure they stay fully submerged in water. If they have risen above the water, simply push them down so they are fully covered by the water. If any white yeast formed because the veggies rose above the water, do not worry. Remember, this isn’t harmful. Just scoop out the vegetables that have molded and push the rest under the water.

After 6 days, place the vegetables in your refrigerator where they will last many months perfectly preserved.

Source: https://www.culturedfoodlife.c...