It’s never a great time to waste food but our current world situation makes it even more important to maximize the food we purchase or grow. The USDA estimates there is a 31% food loss at the retail level which equals out to 133 billion pounds or $161 billion dollars that we pitch right into trash every year. I had to bust out the big calculator to figure out the math on this one so here it goes, that equals out to just over $250.00 for every single person in America.
https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs
I’m not sure about you but the thought of throwing out a thousand dollars for my family of four makes me sick to my stomach. And on top of that the man hours, and natural resources that went into that head of cabbage is far to valuable to end up in a landfill.
While were on the topic of spending cabbage and saving it at the same time I’d like to offer up my westernized version of kimchi. I use regular ole green cabbage instead of Napa cabbage as its way less expensive and opt out of the room temperature fermentation phase.
My version of kimchi
- Quarter of a large green cabbage cored and sliced thin
- 1 TBS of sea salt
- 3-4 cloves of grated garlic
- 1 tbs fresh grated ginger
- 1/4 TBS Fish Sauce – Not mandatory but it makes a huge difference.
- 1 TBS granulated sugar
- 1-2 Dry chili De Arbol
- 1 1/2 to 2 TBS Sambal
- 3-4 scallions finely sliced
- 1 TBS Sesame Seeds.
- 1 TBS Granulated Garlic
In a large mixing bowl add the cabbage and the sea salt. With your clean hands massage the cabbage for a few minutes and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, the goal here is to break down the cabbage a little bit.
In no particular order you can add all of the remaining ingredients and give it a couple of good stirs to incorporate all the ingredients.
I would practice caution when adding the fish sauce to this recipe as a little bit goes a really long way. A lot of supermarket chains now sell fish sauce but if you can’t find it there check out your towns local Asian market for this but be prepared to walk out with a lot of stuff you never thought existed. Also don’t get out of control with the heat level from the chili’s either, as this ages it will pick up a lot more heat.
Transfer the kimchi mix to a container that has an air tight lid and be sure to pack the container very tightly with the cabbage mix. Think 15lbs of stuff in a 10lb bag for this step. Pour over the remaining liquid and seal it up. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 days before eating.
I love to eat this just as it is or mix it into recipes like salmon cakes or fried rice for a huge flavor boost that wont add a ton of calories.
So lets all do our part this year and save the produce from the darkest recesses of our fridges and turn leftovers into the shining star of a dish. Our taste-buds, wallets and grandma’s will be so impressed with us.
Subjects to change 