Beginner's Kimchi

... with step by step photos

Jo Murphy, photographing my collection of fermentation jars. Simply hang on to any glass jars that make their merry way into your kitchen! Sterilise through a hot cycle of the dishwasher.

Here's a little ripper of a recipe to feed our dynasty of do-gooders. That’s right. Another ferment! Think of it as a bootcamp for our microbiota.

Other fabulous benefits include low cost, satisfying simplicity, explosive deliciousness, and halo-inducing smugness.

Looking at the current statistics in Ireland, chances are you've had a course of antibiotics in the past few years. Although a precious resource, antibiotics can wipe out many useful strains of good bacteria in our microbiome as well as the villainous ones. These are unintended consequences, of course. Collateral damage. Restoring our microbial balance is really important for proper digestion and immune support (just ask your GP or your health provider).

Time to repopulate your pipes! Beginner's Kimchi can help, as can the swag of prebiotic bean recipes in my Substack Recipe Index and other ferments such as fennel and kraut. Plain, natural, live yoghurt is a great choice too. And as many high-fibre plants or veggie varieties that you can delight in!

Pickled red onion (left); kimchi (top); sweetheart turmeric and yellow chilli ferment from last week (right)