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General
Simple Cabbage Kimchi
Ingredients to fill a 1 litre jar:
• 1 large head of Chinese cabbage (sold as Chinese leaves in Asda)
• 250g of Korean radish or daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 1inch pieces
• 50g sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x 2 inch piece of root ginger, grated
• 3 teaspoons of red chili powder – a combination of chili and unsmoked paprika or Korean chili powder if you can find it
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons of Korean fish sauce (optional) – must be
preservative free
Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Remove the cores and cut into 2 inch strips. Place in a bowl and massage the salt into the leaves until it begins to soften, and add water to cover. Place a plate on top and weigh it down to keep the cabbage immersed in the water; leave for 2 hours. Thoroughly rinse the cabbage under cold water and drain in a colander; a salad spinner is handy for quickly drying the leaves.
Combine the garlic, ginger, chili powder, sugar and fish sauce (if using) to make a paste. Add the cabbage, radish and spring onions to a large bowl and work the paste into the vegetables with your hands until completely coated. Pack into a pickling jar and press it down so the juices rise (you may need to add a little brine) leaving a gap at the top - close the lid. Place on a saucer to catch any brine that bubbles over.
Leave the kimchi to ferment in a cool room for 2–5 days. Check the kimchi every day, letting out some gas and pressing the vegetables down into the brine. Once you see bubbles, fermentation has started. Place the finished product in a fridge where it will keep for up to 3 months in an airtight jar.
Kimchi
Most plotholders have to deal with gluts of produce every now and again; my cupboard is full of jellies and chutneys, and I am still making soup from the roasted and frozen squash; so this year I have had a look for an additional method of preserving vegetables.
Kimchi is a traditional fermented food of Korea, which consists of vegetables such as Chinese cabbage fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Many foods use fermentation as part of the process - yoghurt, sour cream, sourdough bread, vegetables, chutneys and pickles but in recent years kimchi has grown in popularity and is promoted as a source of probiotics - bacteria that may help us to keep a healthy gut.
When I sat down to write this article I decided that I needed to make some kimchi myself to be able to write with confidence. So,
for a few days last month I had a Kilner jar of bubbling Chinese cabbage which sat on my cool bedroom windowsill; 14°C is the ideal temperature to ferment kimchi. Although I think it worked as it should and was sharp and spicy with nice crunchy vegetables, sadly it was not to my taste and I think I’ll stick to Piccalilli.
The initial process in the recipe kills off harmful bacteria and
the fermentation process that follows encourages the growth
of Lactobacillus, which converts sugars and carbohydrate into lactic acid. This acid preserves the vegetables and gives them the distinctive kimchi flavour.
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