Statement sourdough starters are so last month. The new must-make meal is kimchi, the Korean staple that’s good for the gut and tangy on the tongue. You’ll need a jar, salt brine, and vegetables to ferment, such as Chinese cabbages, ginger, nashi pear, garlic and spring onions.
“Sterilise your jars, which you can do in the oven set at 110C for 10 minutes,” says Kevin Bryant, a chef at recipe box service Mindful Chef, which puts together delicious dishes like Korean-style mince and kimchi bowls. The salt brine ratio is important too, Bryant says: 15 to 20 per cent salt brine to veg is recommended as a guideline, but “personally 16 per cent works for me”. Do not use run-of-the-mill table salt: turn to a better-quality option like sea salt, kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt. “Table salt can have iodine added to it which can inhibit beneficial bacteria when culturing vegetables,” Bryant says, which really defeats the point.
Slice, wash and blitz your brined vegetables in a blender and spoon into your jars. “Leave to ferment for three to five days at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge and it will last for months,” says Bryant. Check the jar daily while it’s fermenting, letting out excess gas (the jar’s!) and pressing the vegetables down. The duration is not set in stone — you can ferment for longer until it reaches the tangy taste you are looking for.
Bryant’s top tip is to include the Korean chilli flake, or gochugaru, known for its gentle warmth.
