FODMAP Recipes | Gut Health | Recipes
ByManonUpdated on
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Kimchi is widely mentioned as a healthy supplier of probiotics. It is a new product by Dutch standards. But in Asia, it has been used for decades. But what exactly is Kimchi? And I’m sharing a low FODMAP Kimchi recipe!
What is Kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional recipe from Korea, which is mostly eaten as a side dish. It is a mix of fermented cabbage with other vegetables and herbs and spices. Because of the fermentation, the vegetables contain probiotics (healthy bacteria) and vitamins that the bacteria made during the fermentation, this is mainly vitamin K2. The fermentation also creates an acidic product that is easier to digest because the bacteria have already done part of the digestion for you.
Because the kimchi is not heated or processed before consumption. This means that the bacteria that have done the fermentation remain alive in the product, which means you also eat them. This is a good addition to your healthy intestinal bacteria! (click here for my article on gut health and bacteria)
Is Kimchi Healthy?
Kimchi is a product that has many health benefits associated with it. Partly due to the beneficial effect on the gut microbiome because it is full of probiotics. However, a lot of salt is used in the preparation of kimchi. This is the case with all fermented and pickled vegetables.
Traditionally, kimchi is a side dish. So small amounts of it are eaten with a meal. And that’s important to remember if you want to start using it yourself. Small amounts of kimchi in one day are very healthy! But if you eat a lot of it, the salt is not great for your health.
How to Make Kimchi
After reading a lot about kimchi, I got curious and have set myself to work in the kitchen! I chose an easy kimchi recipe, but there are many recipes and varieties to be found on the internet. Normally spicy peppers are also added, but I have not done that since I really do not like spicy food and pepper is not the best choice of food for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)! But if you like them, you should definitely add them!
I also went fairly un-traditional with the vegetables and chose the ones that were available in the supermarket. So I ended with a bunch of radishes instead of daikon radish (a long white one). Later I found that long white radish at the Asian supermarket, so you can certainly look there if you want to make the kimchi!
You don’t need much to make Kimchi. A good preserving jar with sufficient volume is enough.
Kimchi FODMAP
Kimchi is very good for your gut microbiome, and a healthy product to eat. It can also be a healthy addition to a low FODMAP diet if you pay attention to a few things.
Traditional kimchi recipes use garlic and spring onion liberally, which is a no-go for the low FODMAP diet. So it is smart to make it yourself so that you can leave out the garlic, and only use the green tops of spring onions.
The Chinese cabbage is low-FODMAP up to 75 grams, so if you’re going to eat the kimchi, it’s important to keep an eye on the portion size.
I’m curious about your experience with kimchi! Have you ever made it yourself? Or did you eat it in Korea (or elsewhere)? Leave your experience behind in a comment!
Kimchi Recipe (low-FODMAP)
Recipe by Positive Gut – positivegut.com
How to make your own, probiotic rich Kimchi. Support your gut health and digestion.
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Prep Time 45 minutes mins
Total Time 48 minutes mins
Servings 1 jar
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500 grams napa cabbage
- 75 grams sea salt Choose one that is not iodized!
- water
- 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 5-6 pieces radish or 100 grams daikon radish
- 150 g carrot
Kitchen utensils
- Cutting board and knife
- Bowl
- Gloves if you don’t want your hands smelling like fish sauce
- Plate and something to weigh the kimchi down
- Strainer
- Weck jar
- Strainer
- Weck jar
Instructions
Cut the cabbage into 4 pieces lengthwise and make sure to cut the core from the bottom of each piece. Then cut each quarter into long 1 cm wide slices. Shorten the slices by either halving them or cutting them into 3 pieces.
Put your sliced cabbage in a bowl and mix this with the salt. Firmly rub and squeeze the salt into the cabbage until this becomes a little soft and releases some water. Add some extra water to submerge all the cabbage and put something heavy on top to weigh it down. Leave this for about 90 minutes.After 90 minutes, put the cabbage in a strainer and rinse away the extra salt.
Prepare the spice paste, add together the ginger, sugar and fish sauce and mix till it’s smooth.
Slice the radishes and carrot into small slices
Make sure the cabbage is properly strained and squeeze the extra water out of it. Combine the cabbage and the spice paste together and add the radish and carrot. Mix thoroughly.
Put the kimchi mixture into the weck jar and make sure to pack it firmly together. I used my fist to ‘stamp’ it together, but a mortar will also do the job. Make sure the kimchi is completely submerged in the water (I also used a rock to weigh it down) and to have at least 5 cm of air at the top of your jar. Since the kimchi is going to ferment and bubble. This limits the chance of overflow.
Seal your jar, and let the kimchi ferment for 1 to 4 days. Make sure it is in a cool place and out of direct sunlight. In my last picture I let it ferment 6 days, and I would say mine is a little over fermented (which is why the top looks a little brown). Around 3 days I had a taste of mine at it tasted great. Make sure to check on your kimchi every day.
If there’s still a lot of bubbles at the top, the fermenting is taking place. As long as it does not have any funghi, smells off (it’s supposed to smell sour) or looks weird, you can have a taste from day 2-3 to see if you like it. If you like the taste of your kimchi, put it in the fridge and keep cool. The cold will stop the fermentation and you can keep your kimchi for at least a month.
Manon
Hi there, I'm Manon.
In my daily life I work as a registered dietitian in the Netherlands with a special interest in gut health.
During my workday I get loads of questions about healthy food, recipes and lifestyle to make it a little easier to get healthy. On Positive Gut I collect my best recommendations, tips and recipes to make your healthy lifestyle a little easier!
