KIMCHI AND SAUERKRAUT

Kimchi, spicy fermented cabbage, is eaten with just about every meal in its native Korea. Over here, kimchi lovers add it to salads, mix it in with scrambled eggs, blend it with butter to top steak, and eat it straight out of the jar. Sauerkraut, European fermented cabbage, is just as delicious and, being less spicy, arguably even more versatile. When you are buying kimchi or sauerkraut, it should be in the chilled cabinet. If it is being sold at room temperature then it will have been stabilised by pasteurisation, killing all the healthy microbes. Or it may be an acid-pickled cabbage rather than fermented: check the label for added citric acid or vinegar.

WHAT YOU NEED

A large (at least 1 litre) glass or ceramic container with a plastic, glass or ceramic lid

Weighing scales

Useful but not essential: lid with a valve such as Masontops pickle pipe fermentation airlock (£11.99, lakeland. co.uk)

A weight to keep the cabbage from floating up above the level of the liquid. You can buy specialist glass weights from lakeland.co.uk (£14.99 for four), or just find a small jar that fits inside your main jar. Fill the large jar with the kimchi or sauerkraut, and put the little jar on top. When you put the lid on the big jar, it should press the smaller jar down, which in turn will submerge the cabbage. Can’t find a suitable small jar? Make a bag weight by putting a sturdy freezer bag on top of the cabbage mixture, and filling the bag (in situ) with brine made by mixing 500ml water with 10g salt. about covered. Add the caraway seeds and/or juniper berries if you like.

Transfer the cabbage into the jar and pour over the liquid. Press the cabbage down so the liquid covers it. Weigh it down so the cabbage doesn’t float to the top (see tip, left). Put on the lid and put the jar in a deep dish to catch any liquid that seeps out.

Put the jar and dish in a cool place (but not the fridge). Unless you have used a lid with an airlock, you will need to open (“burp”) the jar daily to let out any accumulated gas. After a week, taste the cabbage to see if you like the taste or would prefer it to be more sour. When it has reached the right level, put the sauerkraut jar in the fridge to stop fermentation. Eat within a month for the best flavour.

Add kimchi to scrambled eggs, blend it with butter to top steak – or enjoy it straight out of the jar