An extract from The Small Kitchen Cook by Ashleigh Butler

Fermenting is an ancient method used by countless cultures to preserve foods and reap their health benefits. It’s a natural process, usually caused by wild yeasts and bacteria. Kimchi is a traditional Korean ferment, although this recipe is not traditional. The essence of kimchi is present, but this one is much simpler to prepare in a small kitchen.

MAKES: 750ml

PREP: 30 minutes

FERMENT: 3 – 4 days

Ingredients

• 1/2 a head of Chinese cabbage (napa), about 500g
• 1 tablespoon of flakey sea salt (or 2% of the cabbage weight)
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 long red chilli, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 2cm piece of turmeric, grated
• 3cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons of gochugaru (more or less if desired)

Method

Roughly chop the cabbage into bite-sized chunks and place them in a large bowl, salting as you go to make sure all the cabbage has been coated. Save a thick leaf, preferably from the outside of the cabbage, to use later.

Leave the salted cabbage to soften while preparing the rest of the turmeric and vegetables. Add them to the salted cabbage, tossing them all together and massaging the salt through the rest of the vegetables.

Combine the fish sauce and gochugaru and add it to the vegetables, coating everything nicely with the sauce mixture.

Tightly pack it all into a clean, glass jar, pushing down as you go to ensure the kimchi is covered in its own juices. You should leave a few centimetres of space at the top, so liquids don’t spill over as it ferments.

Trim the saved cabbage leaf to size and place it over the kimchi to keep it submerged, as anything that is not immersed in the liquid will spoil.

Now it’s time to wait for the kimchi to ferment. If you have a warm kitchen, place the jar in a cool, dark place. The heat will make your kimchi ferment too quickly. Otherwise, anywhere on your kitchen bench will be just fine, as long as it’s away from the stove.

Place the jar’s lid on loosely and check the kimchi twice daily, ensuring the mixture stays submerged. If you push down on the cabbage leaf and bubbles form, or juices overflow, this means the fermentation process is in full swing.

After three to four days, if there are plenty of bubbles, you can place the kimchi in the fridge with the lid sealed. For a punchy kimchi, you can leave it to ferment for another couple of days. Your kimchi will continue to slowly ferment in the fridge, and its flavour will develop over time. If refrigerated and sealed well, it can last for a few months

This recipe is an extract from The Small Kitchen Cook by Ashleigh Butler, published by the Bulli-based Exploring Eden Books (also on Facebook and Instagram). For each book sold, Exploring Eden Books has committed to removing at least 25kg of CO2 from the atmosphere. Read more here