What is kimchi: useful properties, how to cook, the secret of Asian women's youth

nutrition expert, founder of GetVegetable, a nutrition delivery service.

What are the benefits of kimchi? Why do Koreans love it so much?

The Korean equivalent of sauerkraut is the Korean dish kimchi. It is made from Peking cabbage, sometimes adding slices of radish, eggplant, cucumbers and other vegetables. The dish is slightly spicy in flavor with sweetish tones. It contains many valuable substances such as fiber, probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins. Kimchi strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, improves diabetes and helps break down fat deposits (which is why Koreans love it so much).

Kimchi can be found in many supermarkets today, especially in Asian supermarkets. In markets, it is sold by weight. But tastier and more natural will be kimchi cooked at home. In Korea, there is a tradition where women get together and cook kimchi in large quantities for six months or even a year in advance.

In Korea, kimchi is considered a folk symbol. And there is even a kimchi museum in Seoul – its collection includes about 200 variations of this dish.

What are the benefits of kimchi?

The dish is rich in vitamins A, C, fiber and probiotics. It is recommended to eat no more than one serving of kimchi per day, as it tastes quite salty. It has no proteins and fat at all.

Reduces cholesterol

Eating kimchi on a regular basis improves cardiovascular function, purifies the blood and reduces bad cholesterol.

Slows down aging

Many people wonder why Korean women look so young. One of the secrets of their beauty lies in nutrition. Kimchi contains substances that have anti-inflammatory and rejuvenating effects on the body.

First, prepare the utensils – it is necessary that they are almost sterile. Take a large glass jar, boil water and hold the jar over it for five minutes. This will sterilize the container and make it safe to store. Remember to wear rubber gloves to avoid introducing bacteria into the dish.

Cut the peppers and carrots into quarters and the iceberg lettuce into large plates. Peel the ginger. Slice it into thin slices. Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients together. Add salt and mix everything with your hands. Leave the bowl with the vegetables for an hour in a cool place.

In the meantime, make the dressing: in a blender, mix the peppers (or paprika) with the tomato paste (or sun-dried tomatoes), soy sauce and garlic. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and gently (with gloved hands) mix the dish.

Tuck the vegetables into the jar, leaving no room for air. Make sure that the liquid covers the vegetables completely and they are not dry. If there is not enough liquid, add a little water. Cover the resulting dish with a lid, but do not screw it on all the way.

Leave it for three days at room temperature. After that, taste the dish – it should be spicy-sweet and smell delicious. After that, put the jar of kimchi in the refrigerator and store it there.