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Crispy black cabbage kimchi and pancetta pancakes with bagna càuda dipping sauce
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 200g cavolo nero
- 50g sea salt
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
For the kimchi paste
- 1tbsp gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
- 1tbsp crushed garlic
- 1/2tbsp grated ginger
- 100g shredded or roughly grated fresh mooli (daikon)
- 1tsp fish sauce
- 25ml sesame oil
- 1tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 1tbsp caster sugar
For the pancake batter
- 225g plain flour
- 3tbsp potato flour/starch (or cornflour)
- 100g unfermented black cabbage kimchi (as above), finely chopped
- 1tsp gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
- 1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
- 2-3tsp fish sauce (to taste)
- 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 50g crispy pancetta or bacon rasher, crumbled
- vegetable oil for frying
For the bang càuda
- 125ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 garlic cloves, grated
- 12 anchovies in oil, drained and chopped
- 100g unsalted butter, cubed
Method
Start with the kimchi. Roughly shred the cavolo nero, stalks and all. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with the salt. Weigh down with a saucer and a heavy weight for 3-4 hours. After this time, bring a large pan of water to the boil, then plunge in the cavolo nero, stir and leave for 1 minute, drain well, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
Mix all the kimchi paste ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the cavolo nero and spring onion. Cover and leave for an hour before using to allow the flavours to develop.
Mix the flours together, then gradually whisk in 350ml cold water until the mix resembles pourable double cream. Stir in the chopped kimchi, the gochugaru, sugar, fish sauce, spring onion, garlic and crumbled pancetta.
Heat enough oil in a frying pan to just cover the base until a tsp of mixture dropped into the pan bubbles and ‘dances’ immediately it hits the base, then remove the tester. You can either make individual pancakes by dropping a large tbsp of the batter into the pan and frying until each side is brown and crispy – 2-3 minutes per side – or make larger, pan- sized ones, cooking and flipping as before but for longer, then cut into wedges or fingers. It should make 3 large pancakes. When cooked, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven.
To make the bagna càuda. Pour the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and anchovies and stir over a low heat for a few minutes until the anchovies start to dissolve. Whisk in the cubed butter. As soon as it has melted, remove from the heat and whisk until creamy. Pour into a warm, flameproof bowl, set over a candle plate warmer and serve with the pancakes for dipping.
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