Kale stem kimchi
- Ferment
- Easy
- Makes a 1l jar of kimchi
- 15 minutes
PT15M
Korean kimchi is traditionally made with Chinese cabbage, but this recipe swaps it out for kale leaves and stems which results in a crunchier texture. It also means you don't have to throw away the fibrous stems, which become less fibrous thanks to the fermentation process. Take a look at Victoria's other recipes for using up stalks and stems here.
Ingredients
Kale stem kimchi
- 500g of kale , washed thoroughly
- 3 carrots , no need to peel – just scrub and grate
- 5 spring onions , finely sliced
- 3 tbsp of fine sea salt , heaped
- 5 garlic cloves , crushed
- 25g of gochugaru , (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 1 knob of ginger , 5cm in length, finely grated (no need to peel it first)
- 2 tbsp of fish sauce , or Korean anchovy sauce if you can find it
- 3 tbsp of water
Method
1
Slice the leaves off of the kale. Finely chop the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Put the kale in a big bowl with the grated carrot and spring onions and sprinkle over the salt. Toss everything together until the salt has been evenly distributed and leave to sit at room temperature for 4–6 hours, to allow the vegetables to release most of their liquid
2
Rinse the vegetables very thoroughly and leave to drain in a colander over the sink while you prepare the gochugaru paste
3
Mix the crushed garlic, Korean red pepper flakes, ginger, fish/anchovy sauce and water together to make a loose paste
4
Put the drained vegetables back in the bowl (make sure to rinse away any residual salt first). Pour the red paste over the top and toss thoroughly until everything is coated
5
Transfer the kimchi to a sterilised jar and press down. If there isn’t enough liquid to cover the vegetables, add a little more water. Seal the jar and leave it to ferment somewhere cool for 2–5 days for a mild, gingery kimchi, or for a few weeks for a fuller-bodied, sour and stinky kimchi. You will need to 'burp' the kimchi every couple of days, which simply involves opening the lid to release excess gases and pressing the vegetables down into the liquid with a spoon. Once the kimchi has fermented to your personal taste, transfer the jar to the fridge, where it should keep indefinitely
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Kale stem kimchi
