Beetroot Leaf Kimchi
Ingredients:
- Beetroot leaves and stalks
- salt – 20 grams per 1 kg beetroot greens
- some green onions or shallots
- garlic – about 5 large cloves per 1 kg greens
- chili flakes or fresh chili cut into small pieces
- also: a large jar and weight. This could be a small jar that will fit into the large one to keep the leaves submerged.
Before you start, wash your hands, rinse the jars with boiling water. Same with the bowls, and all the tools you will use. Working in a clean environment is super important while preparing food for preservation.
Clean the leaves and cut them into about 2cm long pieces. Leave one larger leave for later. Massage the salt in for a couple of minutes. Weight down with a plate and place a pot filled with water on top. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for about 3-4 hours.
Combine all remaining ingredients. I usually use my small food processor to do so. Add a bit of filtered or lukewarm boiled water if needed so you end up with a nice smooth paste.
After 3-4 hours ( can be longer) your greens should be moist and you should see the juice at the bottom. Mix the prepared paste into the greens thoroughly.
Fill the jar by pressing gently the green mixture so you won’t see any air bubbles in between, and the juice comes up to the top. Add your final beetroot leaf so you won’t have any small pieces swimming on the top, weigh it down. I usually use a small jar that fits in. You should have enough juice to have the leaves submerged. If not, you can add some lukewarm boiled salty water (1 tsp salt : 1 cup of water) however before you do so, weigh down the mixture in the jar to see if you really need it. Close the jar, not too tight, and leave it on a tray in a dark place until ready. Depending on the temperature, this could be something between one to three weeks. Clean the tray in between as some juice may escape. Keep it clean and dry. Check the jar in between. If you follow my recipe, you shouldn’t fail. Keep in the fridge once ready. Enjoy!
Comment below with any questions.
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Tips:
- Use pure salt only. Check the ingredients on the salt packaging before you buy.
- You can use the entire beetroots to make Kimchi, however, I prefer to preserve beetroots by making a beetroot salad and canning it so I can keep it in my pantry for ages. I will share this recipe soon.
