KIMCHI Burdock root kimchi (no cabbage)

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You can make kimchi by fermenting any vegetable you like with ginger,

hot pepper, garlic, and onion.

This special kimchi recipe uses earthy-flavored burdock root

(called " gobo " in Japan), a deeply-nourishing plant that stimulates

lymphatic and other glandular flows, cleansing the blood, and

tonifying the organs of elimination. Rich in trace minerals, burdock

is associated with stamina, longevity and sexual vitality.

Making your own kimchi is a fun and easy family project. Here's how

to do it:

INGREDIENTS

sea salt

1-2 daikon radishes

1 small burdock root

1-2 turnips

a few Jerusalem artichokes

2 carrots

a few small red radishes

1 small fresh horseradish root (or a tablespoon of prepared

horseradish, without preservatives)

3 tablespoons (or more!) fresh grated gingerroot

3-4 cloves garlic (or more!)

3-4 hot red chilies (or more!), depending on how peppery-hot you like

food, or any form of hot pepper, fresh, dried, or in a sauce (without

chemical preservatives!)

1. Mix a brine of about 4 cups water and 3 tablespoons salt.

2. Slice daikons, burdock, turnip, Jerusalem artichokes, and carrots,

and let them soak in the brine. If the roots are fresh and organic,

leave the nutritious skins on. Slice the roots thin so the flavors

will penetrate. I like to slice roots on a diagonal; you could also

cut them into matchsticks. Leave the small red radishes whole, even

with their greens attached, and soak them, too. Use a plate or other

weight to keep the vegetables submerged until soft, a few hours or

overnight.

3. Prepare the spices: Grate the ginger; chop the garlic and onion;

remove seeds from the chilies and chop or crush, or throw them in

whole. Kimchi can absorb a lot of spice. Experiment with quantities

and don't worry too much about them. Mix spices into a paste, adding

grated horseradish.

4. Drain brine off vegetables, reserving brine. Taste vegetables for

saltiness. You want them to taste decidedly salty, but not

unpleasantly so. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot

taste salt, sprinkle with a couple of teaspoons of salt and mix.

5. Mix the vegetables with the spice paste. Mix everything together

thoroughly and stuff it into a clean quart jar. Pack it tightly into

the jar, pressing down until brine rises. If necessary, add a little

of the reserved vegetable-soaking brine to submerge the vegetables.

Weight the vegetables down with a smaller jar, or with a zip-lock bag

filled with some brine. Every day, use your (clean!) finger to push

the vegetables back under the brine. Cover the jar to keep out dust

and flies.

6. Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place. Taste the kimchi

every day. After about a week of fermentation, when it tastes ripe,

move it to the refrigerator.