Kimchi

Ingredients

• Sea salt

• 1 pound Chinese cabbage (napa or bok choy)

• 1 daikon radish or a handful of red radishes

• 2 whole carrots

• 1 whole onions

• 1 leek

• Scallions

• 10 cloves of garlic (minced) 

• Dried red chili flakes

• 3 tablespoons fresh grated gingerroot

• 4 tablespoons brown rice flour (or alternative)

• Water

• This yields 1 quart of kimchi.

Instructions

1. Mix a brine of 4 cups water and 4 tablespoons of salt. The brine should taste good and salty.

2. Coarsely chop the cabbage, slice the radish and carrots (and/or any additional vegetables), and add the veggies to the brine. Let the vegetables soak in the brine, covered by a plate or other weight to keep the vegetables submerged until soft, for at least a few hours, but overnight is even better.

3. Prepare the spices: In a pot heat ½ a cup of water with 4 tablespoons (more if needed) of brown rice flour. Heat on medium constantly stirring till you get a medium-thick paste. Cool the paste and then add the red chili flakes, grated ginger, minced garlic, and onion. Mix well. You can add fish sauce to the spice paste (just make sure it has no chemical preservatives that function to inhibit microorganisms), shrimp flakes, or other spices as well.

4. Drain the brine of vegetables after soaking. Reserve the brine. Taste the vegetables for saltiness. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot taste the salt, sprinkle a couple of teaspoons and mix.

5. Mix the vegetables with the cooled spice paste. Mix everything well and then pack it into a clean quart-sized jar. Pack it, pressing down until the brine rises over the vegetables. If necessary, add a little of the reserved vegetable soaking brine to the submerged vegetables. Put a weight in the jar to keep the veggies submerged under the brine or, if you remember, you can just push them down with your fingers daily. Cover with a lid and put in a cool dark place to ferment. Ferment for at least one week and enjoy!

Idli Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils (Urad daal) 

• 1 cup white basmati rice 

• 1 tsp sea salt

• water (as needed)

• idli steamer ** you can find this at any Indian market or online for cheap

Instructions

1. Put the lentils and rice in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for 24-48 hours on a counter.  You can soak them separately or together.  Drain your grains and lentils and blend adding water as necessary. It should be a thick pancake consistency.

2. Pour into a bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to ferment for 24-48 hours. Fermentation time will depend on the ambient temperature and other factors. Signs of fermentation will be that it will fluff up and rise, you might see a pool of liquid on top of the batter, the smell will be yeasty, etc. 

3. With ghee or oil, grease the idli steamer, and fill each section with batter. Take a stock pot with 1-2 inches of water and bring it to a boil and then lower the filled idli steamer into the pot of water and cover with a lid. 

4. Steam until a knife inserted into them comes out clean, around 15 minutes. They will fluff up and change color.

Vegan Miso Gravy

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons amaranth flour

• 
2½ cups water


• 1–2 tablespoons miso paste and/or 1 bullion cube 

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)

**NOTE: I recommend using a red, brown, or hatcho miso to get the desired flavor.

Instructions

1. Dissolve miso and bullion in a little water in a saucepan.

2. Add the remainder of the water and keep on low heat.

3. In a separate frying pan heat oil over medium heat and stir in amaranth flour.

4. Cook while stirring constantly with a flat spoon or whisk for about 5 minutes. Watch as the flour starts to golden brown.

5. Add the broth and stir until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.