Kimchi
This traditional Korean side dish makes a delicious vegetarian addition to meals. It is made with with a variety of seasonings, including garlic, ginger and chilli. It is a great way to use leftover cabbage and other veg.
Makes about 1 litre
Ingredients
1 cabbage, shredded
6 spring onions, sliced
6 radishes, sliced
3 carrots, grated
handful of fresh ginger, thinly grated
3 garlic cloves, thinly grated
1 tablespoon of chilli flakes
salt and soy sauce
Method
Shred the cabbage, thinly slice the radishes, then grate the carrots on the largest setting of your grater. Grate the ginger and garlic on the finest setting of your grater. Combine the vegetables and toss the chilli flakes through.
Take the final weight of all the veg, calculate 2% of it (i.e. 20g grams for 1kg veg) and add that quantity in equal parts salt and soy sauce (i.e. 10g salt and 10g soy sauce for 1kg veg). Combine well with your hands and leave in a large bowl for an hour to allow the salt draw out some of the juices from the vegetables.
Put the kimchi into sterilised jars and push down firmly – some juice should rise and just cover the vegetables. Top up with a little water if not.
Leave the kimchi at room temperature for a few days, opening the lid daily if it’s an airtight jar to let gas out. The kimchi is ready when it’s sour, crunchy and a little bit funky. Move it to the fridge, where it will keep for weeks.
