Oh Kimchi! You stinky delicious dish. The first time I I got a whiff of this dish I almost passed out. In my defense, at the time, I was a total Korean food newbie, so hadn’t yet had the pleasure of tasting Kimchi. Fortunately, the amazing taste and health benefits far outweigh the strong scent.
What are these health benefits you ask? To start, Kimchi is low in calories. It is also rich in vitamins A, B and C, packs a decent amount of fiber and contains immune and digestion boosting probiotics – as much as one thousand times the amount of probiotics that yogurt has.
If that’s not enough to sell you on it, it’s also said to boost your metabolism.
While Kimchi is most often served on its own as a side dish to all Korean meals, it is also used in many of my favorite Korean dishes – such as this soup.
Traditionally, this soup is made using pork or spam. However, according to my meat loving friends it tastes just as good without the meat.
Ingredients
2 cups kimchi including the juice – Make sure the kimchi you buy doesn’t contain MSG 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (can also use liquid or coconut aminos) 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
1 tbsp liquid smoke 3 tbsp fresh garlic, minced 1/3 cup white onion, chopped 3/4 cup water
2 tsp miso paste 1 cup sliced mushrooms of choice – I like to use Enoki 1/2 cup sliced zucchini 1 block or 1 cup of medium firm organic tofu, cubed 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
Directions
2) Add kimchi, vinegar, soy sauce, liquid smoke, garlic, onion miso paste and water and cover. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
2) Add the mushroom and zucchini and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
3) Finally, add the tofu and green onions and allow to heat for a few minutes before serving.
4) This soup is best served with multigrain or brown rice with mixed beans.
ENJOY!!
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