Summary
Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean dish that is in the main produced from cabbage but it can also be made from many other vegetables and spices. Whilst it is a food staple in Korea it has only recently begun to gain popularity in the Western World, this mainly due to its health properties in maintaining gut health. Fermented Kimchi contain what is known as ‘friendly bacteria’, or ‘probiotics’. There are a number of different bacteria involved in the fermentation process of Kimchi with the predominant being the beneficial gut-boosting lactobacilli. It has the ability to boost and support the immune system along with being a powerful antioxidant.
It is said that in Korea that the taste of your Kimchi can be a source of social embarassment and so to save the blushes of your family you may want to buy it off the shelf of your local health food store. It is fairly simple to make but still if you are time pressed go get it from the store and save on the effort required! For the purposes of this recipe this kimchi was sourced from a local producer. Interestingly Koreans use the expression ‘say kimchi’ when smiling at the camera!
Ingredients
- Serves 2
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 150g pork belly
- 120g preferred kimchi
- 1 tbsp doenjang paste (Adjust to taste)
- 200g fresh tofu chopped into cubes
- 4 spring onions finely sliced
Method
- With a good sharp knife remove the rind from the pork belly and cut into 1cm chunks. You can also have your butcher do this if you prefer. (Keep the rind, I cooked it in the oven and made pork scratchings with it!)
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan until hot and add the pork belly chunks. Fry until golden.
- Strain and chop the kimchi up, reserving the juice. Add to the pan and stir for around 2 minutes.
- Add in the doenjang and stir well.
- Add 350ml water along with the reserved kimchi juice and bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Pop in the cured tofu and simmer for a further 5 minutes keeping an eye on the water - add more if necessary.
- Top with spring onion and serve with your favourite rice such as cauliflower or brown.
- SAY KIMCHI :-)
Nutritional Content (per serving)
Calories
1050kcal
Fat
75g
Sat Fat
28g
Protein
79g
Carbs
18g
Sugar
8g
Fibre
6g
