Cauliflower kimchi pancakes with sprout slaw

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This punchy, crispy kimchi pancake recipe by Chantelle Nicholson makes a dreamy vegan brunch dish. The kimchi is made from cauliflower leaves, an all-too-commonly wasted food item that works wonderfully in kimchi. The Vitamix easily blends all of the kimchi paste ingredients into the perfect consistency for fermenting the leaves, then is used once more to pulse the kimchi into a pleasingly chunky texture for the pancakes.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Cauliflower leaf kimchi

Kimchi pancakes

Brussels sprout slaw

Equipment

  • Latex gloves
  • Vitamix Ascent A3500

Method

1
To begin, make the cauliflower leaf kimchi. Place all ingredients, apart from the cauliflower leaves, in the Vitamix and blend until a paste is formed. Using gloves, massage the paste into the cauliflower leaves. Place in a clean jar, cover with muslin or loosely with cling film and allow to ferment for 5 days
2
When ready to make the pancakes, measure out 180g of the kimchi and 40ml of the kimchi liquid. Add to the Vitamix, pulse into chunky pieces and set aside
3
To make the pancakes, mix the flour, paprika, baking powder, rice flour and table salt together. Make a well in the centre and add the kimchi, kimchi liquid, 50ml water and the coriander. Gently mix together until smooth, taking care not to over-mix or the pancakes will not be light and fluffy
4
To cook the pancakes, heat a little of the vegetable oil in a large, non-stick frying pan (Chantelle uses individual blini pans for neat presentation, but go with a regular pan for a more rustic finish). Drop teaspoonfuls of the pancake batter into the oil and cook for 2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the top of the pancake and the underside is golden-brown. Gently flip over and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil when needed
  • 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
5
For the sprout slaw, peel and discard the outer layer of leaves from the sprouts then finely slice the rest. Mix the lime juice and zest and sesame oil together. Add to the sprouts and season well. Finish with the mint leaves, peanuts and sesame seeds
6
To serve, place one pancake on each plate and top with the slaw. Garnish with the micro coriander and violets if using

From New Zealand law student to the opening of her first solo sustainable restaurant Apricity (which won a Michelin green star in 2023), Chantelle Nicholson’s hard work and determination – especially in evolving free-from and plant-based cooking at the highest level – has cemented her reputation as one of the UK's most forward-thinking chefs.

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