We wanted to preserve some of our huge bag of wild garlic for the coming months so we made wild garlic pesto (practically a law at the start of the season), wild garlic butter (brilliant with boiled eggs) and a batch of wild garlic kimchi. This recipe is one for those who enjoy a powerfully flavoured’ kimchi. It does not pull any punches but that’s the way we like it – even with eggs at breakfast time.
The second recipe uses purple carrots and lots of ginger to make a pink-purple kimchi which looks fantastic and has a lovely sweet, hot flavour. We’ve been eating these in sandwiches (try this kimchi and cheese toastie recipe), in kimchi and corn fritters, with fish and vegetable rice bowls and just on its own as a snack. I also love my mate Lizzie’s idea of using it in fried rice. So many possibilities!
Wild Garlic Kimchi Recipe
Fills a 2 litre Kilner jar
1 Chinese cabbage, outer leaves removed and roughly chopped
1 mooli, peeled and grated
2 turnips, peeled and grated
50g of fine-grained salt
400g wild garlic thoroughly washed and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
¼ cup Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
1 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp rice flour
Massage the salt into the cabbage, mooli, turnip and wild garlic in a large bowl until they start to weep juice (this takes around a minute or so), then cover with cold water. Place a plate on top to keep the veg below the water and leave somewhere fairly cool (no need to refrigerate) for 24 hours.
After this time, give the veg a good rinse. In a blender, blitz the garlic cloves, Korean chilli flakes, miso and flour until you have a paste. Mix with the veg.
Pack it into a 2 litre sterilised Kilner jar, pushing down firmly. If there isn’t enough juice to cover the kimchi add some water, then seal. You can either leave the clip open and tie an elastic band around it tightly so that the lid is tied shut but has enough room for some gas to escape or take the danger route which is to seal it fully and remember to burp it every day or so. If you’re particularly worried about this you can also now buy self-burping jars.
The kimchi will start to ferment after 2-3 days and will be ready to eat in a week or so.
Purple Carrot and Ginger Kimchi Recipe
Fills a 2 litre Kilner jar
1 Chinese cabbage, outer leaves removed and roughly chopped
6 purple carrots, peeled and finely sliced
1 mooli, peeled and finely sliced into strips
2 turnips, peeled and finely sliced
50g of fine-grained salt
20 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
3 inches ginger, peeled
½ cup Korean chilli flakes
4 tbsp rice koji (or 3tbsp white miso)
1 tbsp fish sauce
Massage the salt into the cabbage, carrots, mooli and turnip in a large bowl until they start to weep juice (this takes around a minute or so), then cover with cold water. Place a plate on top to keep the veg below the water and leave somewhere fairly cool (no need to refrigerate) for 24 hours.
After this time, give the veg a good rinse. In a blender, blitz the garlic cloves, ginger, Korean chilli flakes, koji (or miso) and fish sauce. Mix with the veg.
Pack it into a 2 litre sterilised Kilner jar, pushing down firmly. If there isn’t enough juice to cover the kimchi, add some water, then seal. You can either leave the clip open and tie an elastic band around it tightly so that the lid is tied shut but has enough room for some gas to escape or take the danger route which is to seal it fully and remember to burp it every day or so. If you’re particularly worried about this you can also now buy self-burping jars.
