Kimchi, Spicy Pickled Korean Cabbage

I've been meaning to make kimchi for ages, so when Sainsburys substituted lettuce with Chinese cabbage, this seemed the ideal opportunity.

Makes: 1 large (1L) preserving jar

1 litre water
4 tbsp sea salt
1 Chinese cabbage
3 carrots
1 mooli, or 2 medium turnips
2 small onions
2 garlic cloves
5cm-piece fresh ginger
1 tbsp gochugaru powder or 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used cayenne powder and it is very fiery!)

Cut the cabbage into quarters lengthways. Coarsely chop the quarters. Peel the carrots and mooli/turnips and grate.  

Place the vegetables into a large plastic mixing bowl, pour in 1 litre of cold water and the salt. Mix around well with your hands to help the salt dissolve.  Find a plate that just sits inside your bowl and weight cover the cabbage keep it under the brine and leave for 8-24 hours.

When the brining time is up, peel and roughly chop one onion, garlic, and ginger. Put into a food processor with the chilli and enough brine from the vegetable to process into a paste. Thinly slice the other onion.

Drain the cabbage, reserving a little brine. Taste for saltiness; if too salty rinse in cold water, or if  not salty enough sprinkle on a little more salt and taste again.

Combine the vegetables, sliced onion, and paste in the bowl you soaked the cabbage in.  Squeeze the cabbage gently with your hands as you mix it.  This helps break down the cell walls in the cabbage, and release it's juices,

Pack into a wide necked preserving jar, pushing the cabbage down with your hand so it is covered with liquid.  Add some the reserved brine if needed to ensure the cabbage is covered in liquid.

Scrape down and clean the inside of the jar with a spatula then weigh the mixture down with a flat plate or plastic lid that fits inside the jar, with a weight on top (like a smaller jar filled with water and sealed). Cover the jar with a muslin square or tea towel so it can breathe, and secure. Do not close the lid tightly,to allow the fermentation gases to escape. 

Leave to ferment in a warm place at around 20-25°C. If cooler it just takes longer

Check and taste daily, making sure the cabbage is covered with brine. Depending on your taste and the room temperature, this can take around 3-14 days. It’s ready when it tastes sour and tangy (and there is a smell like leaking gas in the kitchen!).

Pack tightly into warm, dry sterilised jar leaving a 5mm gap between the top of the vegetables and the rim and seal.

Keeps for up to 6-8 months unopened in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, keep in the fridge and eat within 4-6 weeks.

I've had this served stirred through rice as a cold salad in a Korean cafe in New Zealand, as as a side in Wagamama's.  The recipe above, using cayenne, is incredibly spicy and you would only want little serving!

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