In three days, they docked on foreign shores, anchoring the panokseon in a crowded harbor filled with foreign war ships. The ship had endured three lightning storms and rough seas with only one crack in the second mast, which the crew would set about repairing while the rebels were on shore. For her part the Princess had stayed in her cramped quarters for most of the trip. She had avoided the rebel leader and the others, trying to prepare mentally for what was to come in this new land. Much of the time she spent thinking about the future of the country and what role she could play to bring about peace and a better, more prosperous nation – for she was sure now that war was coming.
The King and the Prime Minister were relics of a past time – recent events had proved that they would never change their ways. The rebels were younger, radical, representing a new way. But the Princess was realizing how little she actually knew of the rebel leader, whatever deep pain she’d caught glimpses of in his immutable eyes holding some dark secret that he would never reveal. Now more than ever she was starting to sense a powerful resentment, that, if unleashed, might lead to further death and destruction. She wanted a third way.
The Princess gathered her meagre belongings, changed into her travel clothes, and came up onto the deck, where the rebels had gathered.
“We will proceed to shore, where we will be met by our foreign allies,” the rebel leader was saying. “They will take us to a safe haven. The King and the Prime Minister will not follow us here, into enemy territory – but they will send spies. So be on guard.”
Mutely, the Princess followed the others onto the busy dock, filled with hawkers and merchants unloading red and yellow crates, fishermen pulling up giant tuna and swordfish onto the rough wooden pilings. At the end of the busy harbor a posse of soldiers dressed in bright red uniforms awaited them. One of the soldiers stepped out and bowed to the rebel leader, who returned the salutation, and ordered the others to hand over the gifts brought from the home country, jars of pickled vegetables and other trade delicacies.
“My Lord thanks for you for your generous gifts,” said the foreign soldier. “He awaits you in his home. We will accompany you there to ensure your safe passage.”
They formed one great caravan, half riding on spare horses provided by the foreign soldiers, the other half sitting in covered wagons pulled by oxen. As the soldiers formed a long colorful rectangle around their group, the Princess couldn’t help wondering whether they were being escorted or guarded.
[To be continued, of course! For past installments of ‘The Princess & the Rebel saga,’ click here]
- 1 tb minced ginger
- 2 tb minced garlic (~6 cloves/half a head, or a head if you really like garlic)
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 6 radishes (purple, or half a daikon radish)
- 1 apple + 1 korean/asian pear (could go with just one of these)
- 1 tb coconut aminos
- 1.5 cup sea salt
- 2 napa/chinese cabbages
- 1-2 whole bunches of scallions
- Wash, core, and chop napa cabbages into bite-sized pieces. Drain and place in large metal bowl. Sprinkle 1.5 c salt over the cabbages, massaging salt in with your hands and making sure every piece of cabbage is salted. Leave to sit for a couple hours until wilted (water should come out and cabbage should shrink in size).
- While cabbage is marinating, blend together/food process first 7 ingredients, forming a paste.
- Once cabbage has wilted, rinse off salt in cold water and drain. Return to mixing bowl and add in marinade. Mix everything together. Chop scallions and add to mixture.
- Pack into kimchi jars or other glass containers with lids (leave a little bit of space a the top). Leave out in a cool, dark place to ferment for several days or to taste, depending how fermented you like your kimchi. (The fermenting process will produce bubbles and more liquid which can spill out over the top of the jars...I solved this problem by continually tasting the top piece of kimchi to test the level of fermentation. 🙂
- Once you're happy with the sour/fermented flavor, stick in fridge. Kimchi should be good for at least a month in the fridge, if not longer.
Sample jar of the rebels’ pickled vegetable gift
Ate this with some delicious leftover carnitas, kind of the perfect complement
This post has been shared on Phoenix Helix’s Paleo-AIP Roundable.
[…] gold-enrobed scepters and ceremonial crowns that lined the halls. She missed the simple silks and fermented vegetables of her homeland…and even more, she missed their time on the road, wearing burlap travel […]