Swiss Chard Rib "KimChi"

[dalthauser]

As always Swiss Chard grows like weeds here in New Braunfels.  Love to eat the greens in salads and sauteed; however, most of the ribs always seem to end up in the compost bin.  It's not that we don't like the ribs - there is just too much of them in comparison to the greens.  We hate to waste food.  This year I poked around to see what I could do with the ribs on their own.  My first instinct was to make pickled ribs.  While searching the internet for recipes I found a recipe for korean style fermented Swiss Chard.  The recipes I found fermented the ribs and greens together.  I followed the recipe fairly close - I did make small changes to the ingredients based on what I had on hand - and our personal preference.

I didn't think Marcel would like this because he doesn't like KimChi.  He did like this batch which I only fermented 24 hours. I'm hoping I can allow future batches to ferment longer on the counter and keep feeding it to him to encourage his taste buds to adjust.  I like well fermented "chi" - provided the pepper heat isn't through the roof.

Chard-Chi
makes approx 1 quart (after 24 hours initial fermentation)
2 lb   Swiss Chard Ribs (very coarsley chopped)
2 tsp  Salt

2 tsp  Sesame Oil

2 tsp  Soy Sauce
2 tsp  Sugar
4 tbsp Garlic, minced

2 tbsp Ginger, dried
(because we had a bunch of it on hand - it was a little aged which is why we used so much. This is probably a good quantity for minced fresh ginger which we will use when our stash of powdered ginger is gone)
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (again - we had a bunch of this on hand)

** You really should sanitize all bowls, jars, lids, and utensils when making this since there is no cooking involved.  This ensures there are little or no competing bacteria which would cause spoilage.  You can do this by boiling in water for a few minutes or using a sanitizer like Star-San etc.  (I don't recommend bleach solution only because I don't think it does a very good job; however, if that is all you have - use it).

You are basically just mixing all the ingredients together well in a large bowl then transferring to a large jar (or several small) to ferment over night.  Cover the jars with something that breathes like cheesecloth or muslin during this process.

After the 24 hours the volume of the Char-Chi will be quite a bit less.  You now have choices.....

You can eat it now.  It's going to have a fresh salad taste. It won't really taste fermented, but it's delicious

You can transfer it into smaller jars, seal with sterilized lids, and refrigerate.  It may continue to ferment slightly, but I doubt it will change much.

You can let it stay on the counter for another day (or multiple days) tasting it as it ferments along.  You then refrigerate it when it reaches the taste you like.  I'm not sure if this lessens the storage time in the refrigerator or not.  I'm going to test longevity in future batches (I doubt this one will last two weeks).

Comments

[kabuldur.livejournal.com]

What a food idea! Sounds yummy. I actually don't mind silver beet stalks steamed and eaten just like that.

[sahlah.livejournal.com]

I love KimChi - so this sounds terrific.

[cosmorama.livejournal.com]

This looks yummy!