If you are in Korea, you can’t miss out on kimchi! This mouth-watering dish packed with nutrients is on the must-have menu list. Kimchi is a delicacy, is a fermented dish made out of vegetables. It includes vegetables like napa cabbage, radish, onion, and garlic. It’s tangy and savory notes go with rice or almost anything.
The health benefits of kimchi scream out at you to try out the fermented cabbage. It is commonly available in most stores across Korea and stored in homes in a jar and can be taken with soup, rice or noodles.
Facts About Kimchi
- A lot of locals say ‘Kimchi’ instead of Cheese in Korea.
- This famous dish is fermented using onion, red pepper flakes, garlic, radish, cucumber, and salted cabbage.
- This popular dish can be used as entrées like rice, noodles, or pancakes. Kimchi is also a great side dish.
- You can consume kimchi for nutrition and vitamins like B6, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K
- It is said that if you are in Korea, you can’t leave without trying kimchi.
- Kimchi has been rated as one in the five world’s healthiest foods.
How Does Kimchi Work for Your Health?
This spicy dish is rich in fiber and low in fat and contains the health benefits of kimchi(1) works on your body in specific ways.
- The fermented dish is a storehouse of probiotics(2). This healthy bacteria improve gut health and enhance the digestion process. Eating this every day helps your body to keep infections at bay.
- Kimchi is known to lower cholesterol levels in the body. Garlic, in kimchi, has ingredients selenium and allicin that helps to reduce the cholesterol levels in your body. So, if you are a patient of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, you definitely must add this to your routine.
- Kimchi helps in keeping your eyes healthy and improves vision. It is rich in Vitamin a that is a powerful antioxidant that helps in boosting immunity, helps in maintaining a healthy body, and maintains clear eyesight.
- IF you have ever thought why Koreans don’t look like they’ve aged, it is because of their secret food called kimchi. In about three weeks of fermentation, it prevents the skin from aging.
- It is very seldom you will see an obese Korean, its because their most common dish Kimchi allows you to keep your weight in control. This lip-smacking dish contains only 50 calories, but the metabolism is increased, which helps to lose weight. It burns down the extra energy in your body and makes you lose weight.
- Kimchi prevents the occurrence of peptic ulcers. Kimchi is rich in leuconostocmensenteroides that build dextrin. Dextrin helps in stopping the growth of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, which is found in the stomach and is responsible for Peptic Ulcer.
[Read: Benefits of Red Cabbage]
Methods to Use Kimchi for Nutrition
1. Let Us Begin with the Recipe to Prepare Kimchi
Things you will need – 3 lbs. Napa cabbage, ½ sheet nori, six minced garlic cloves, two grated radishes, 1 tbsp ginger juice, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp Korean pepper flakes.
Method
Wash and peel the cabbage. Cut them into strips and mix them with salt. Cover the cabbage with water, and let it stay overnight.
Take a small bowl and mix it with 1tbsp water, cut the nori sheet into small pieces, sugar and chili flakes. Mix into a paste consistency. Add 2 tbsp water and salt.
Mix the cabbage to the paste and add garlic cloves, chopped radish, and ginger juice.
[Read: Sweet Potato Benefits]
2. Using Kimchi in Burgers
Kimchi works as a great topping option for burgers. You can use it on cheeseburgers and relish it, or make it even better by tossing the patty in soy sauce to team it up the flavors of kimchi.
You can make the famous Kimchi burger by mixing scallions, kimchi, sugar, mayo and few tsp of sesame oil. Pair it with a nice dip and some French fries.
3. Kimchi and Scrambled Eggs
Things you will need – Two eggs, 2 tsp vegetable oil, 1 cup kimchi,
Method
Heat some oil in a skillet and then add kimchi. Cook it by covering and stirring until it softens. Beat two eggs, and mix them with the kimchi. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the egg sets itself.
[Read: Daily Eggs Intake]
4. Creamy Kimchi Dip
Things you will need – 2 cups kimchi, cream cheese 7 ounces, sour cream 7 ounces, 2.5 tsp of soy sauce with less sodium, Kosher salt, ground pepper.
Method
Squeeze kimchi to extract the moisture. Chop kimchi and keep aside. Add cream cheese to a bowl and add a few tsp of sour cream and mash with a spatula. Add soy sauce and then kimchi Add pepper and season with salt.
FAQs
1. How Long Can I Store a Bottle of Kimchi in the Fridge?
Kimchi, when stored in an air-tight container, can stay up to 3 years. It usually ripens more in a few months. Don’t keep it any longer as it may turn bitter and get spoilt.
2. What Are the Benefits of Kimchi for Hair?
Kimchi is known to have several benefits on your hair. If you drink kimchi juice regularly, it will result in good hair growth. It is always advised to see a doctor for hair fall issues to rule out deficiencies and underlying factors.
