In the past Kimchi was just a sour and spicy Korean vegetable to me. It was just another complimentary appetizer serve at a Korean restaurant. Not until recently that I begin to pay attention to this beneficial fermented vegetable.
Due to the fermentation process Kimchi is actually an excellent source of probiotics, which is the good bacteria that help your body fight off various infections. It can also aid digestion, especially when consumed before your meal and also allows nutrients to be absorbed properly.
No wonder Korean usually begin their meal with eating kimchi!
Kimchi can be found easily in most grocery store. But some of them do tasted too sweet for me, I guess it may contain too much sugar as part of their ingredients. So, I decided to make kimchi at home with the fresh ingredients.
Fermented kimchi can also use to cook a quick delicious seafood meal or soup. Having a bottle of kimchi ready at all time help me to prepare a nutritious and tasty meal when I wan to make a quick meal. Check out my later posts on how to cook a delicious dish with kimchi.
Here’s how I made my Korean kimchi.
- 1 small head Napa cabbage (about 6 cups)
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 2 stalk scallion, chopped
- ½ cup sweet onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 2 teaspoon Xylitor
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3 teaspoon Korean chili powder
- Cut the stem part of the cabbage and discard. Cut cabbage about 2” apart. Place the cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle salt on the leaves so they are evenly coated. Rub the salt in to the leaves. Cover and leave at room temperature for 6 hours.
- Rinse the salt thoroughly from the cabbage leaves, three times with water. Drain and squeeze out any excess liquid. Place the cabbage in a container with a tight fitting lid.
- In another small bowl, mix ginger, garlic, scallion, onion, fish sauce, and sweetener. Sprinkle mixture onto cabbage. Sprinkle the Korean chili powder over the cabbage. Wear a plastic glove and use your fingers to make sure the mixture gets in between the cabbage and evenly coated.
- Seal the container and set in the refrigerator, undisturbed for at least 4 days before enjoying it. Kimchi store up to 1 month.
Each serving contains 4.5g net carbs, 1.5g protein and 0.5g fat.
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Really helpful and thanks. Love kimchi so much.
Hi,Kelly. I started my keto journey about a month ago n I received your recipe for Kimchi! Thanks.. should like to ask if it is ok to replace chive for scallion? Thanks!
You can certainly use chives to replace scallion.
Thanks Kelly!
Thanks for the recipe. Where do you buy xylitol?
Most organic grocery store should have xylitol. Or you can try http://www.iherb.com
Hi Kelly,
Is it advisable to take it everyday as a side dish to my meals , as I saw the carbs are a bit high. Unless I have totally no carbs in my main meals except it comes from the kimchi, right?
Fermented vegetable like kimchi can be eaten as a side dish everyday for probiotic purposes.
You can portion it between your other green leafy vegetable in the meals. Depending on your daily total carb intake goal, if you stick to eating mainly leafy vegetables, you shouldn’t need to worry about eating too much.
Thanks Kelly! I get Kimchi at a local Korean grocery. Unfortunately, it has some sugar in it. If I make it myself, I can control any sweeteners. I will probably try it without first.
Thank you Kelly,
Fish sauce makes it taste better; i even used to sprinkle a handfull of dried anchovy on each layer of the cabbage. The result is also good.
Adding anchovy is a good idea! Thanks!
Can i actually skip the Xylitor and Fish Sauce?
Yes you can skip the xylitol and fish sauce.
Love Kimchi, haven’t had it in years,it would probebly be too salty for a person with blood pressure problems like me
Hi Agnes, you will be surprise that many people after adopting a low carb high fat eating lifestyle eventually improved their blood pressure. 🙂
I am on the low carb diet and high fat diet and I’ve lost 18 lbs already but I still have problems with my blood pressure. I chose this diet because I have CKD. A Korean lady used to make Kimchi for me years ago when I was visiting my brother in the States but I believe it has a lot of salt in it. Thanks for the many nice recipes I especially liked the chili and always use cauliflower now as a substitute for potatoes because of my potassium restriction.
Agnes, congrats to your weight loss! if you hasn’t join my FB support group, you may consider so. https://www.facebook.com/groups/eatliveandlovelowcarb/ May be the some of my members can share with you how their blood pressure has improved.
I love kimchi.
Will definitely try this out.
Tqvm Kelly for sharing! ♡