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Kimchi
Makes about 5 litres Sauces and accompaniments
Ingredients
- 2 large heads Chinese leaf cabbage, bottoms trimmed but kept intact, outermost leaves discarded, and quartered lengthwise
- 2tbsp flaky sea salt
- 30g glutinous rice flour
- 180g gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes, found in Asian food stores or online)
- 20 peeled garlic cloves
- 50g fresh ginger, peeled and very roughly sliced
- 100g jarred Korean salted shrimp (found in Asian food stores or online)
- 55g granulated sugar
- 900g daikon radish, peeled, topped, tailed and cut into 8cm x 3mm matchsticks
- 450g spring onions (about 5 bunches), roots trimmed, whites and greens trimmed of ugly bits, cut into 2.5cm lengths
Method
Put the cabbage in a big bowl and sprinkle the salt in-between the cabbage leaves. Cover and keep in the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove the cabbage from the fridge and drain it well.
Combine the rice flour and 335ml of water in a small pot, whisk until smooth, then set the pot over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a loose sludge, 1 to 2 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Combine the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, salted shrimp, sugar and rice flour mixture in a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth. Put the chilli paste in a very large mixing bowl along with the daikon and spring onions. Use gloved hands to mix all three together very well.
Take one of the cabbage quarters and add it to the bowl. Using gloved hands again, slather the vegetable-chilli mixture all over the cabbage, spreading it on and between the leaves. Tuck an especially healthy amount into the spaces between the leaves near the bottom of the cabbage. Once the entire cabbage quarter has a red tint, move on to the next one.
Fold the cabbage quarters on to themselves to create tight bundles and divide them among the containers, firmly pressing so they sit tight and leaving at least 2.5cm of space between the cabbage and the jars’ openings. Divide any remaining chilli-vegetable mixture among the jars. Press down firmly on the cabbage again to minimise air pockets that might be hiding out.
Seal the jars tightly with the lids and leave at room temperature overnight. You might want to set them on plates to catch any liquid that sneaks out of the lids as the kimchi ferments. You can nibble on the kimchi at this point, when it’s fresh, or keep it in the fridge and eat it after 2 to 4 weeks when it’s good and funky. If necessary, occasionally press down on the cabbage with a clean spoon to make sure it’s covered by liquid. It’ll keep for up to several months.
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