Kylie’s Kimchi

Chop wombok in half lengthwise, and in half again. Remove core. Cut wombok into 5-6 cm squares.

Add wombok and grated carrots to large glass or stainless steel bowl. Sprinkle the salt and blend through with your hands, massaging the vegetables to coat with salt.

Cover the salted vegetables with filtered water. Allow to soak for 1.5 hours.
Strain the salted vegetables, discarding the brine. Allow to strain for at least 10 mins, then return to large bowl.

For the seasoning, trim the white part of the shallots. Add to a food processor with garlic, ginger, miso paste, fish sauce and korean chilli powder. Pulse until it is finely chopped. Add enough pear juice to blend into the consistency of a runny pancake batter.

Roughly chop the green part of the shallots and add to the salted vegetables.

Wearing food grade gloves, mix the chilli seasoning mix into the salted vegetables and massage until everything is coated in the seasoning mix.

Pack tightly into jars. Place jars in a baking tray to collect overflow during fermentation. Leave jars uncovered at room temperature for 72 hours. When bubbles start to form, use a clean wooden or stainless steel skewer to pierce the kimchi to release air sockets that build up during fermentation.

The kimchi can be eaten straight away. Store it in sealed glass jars on a tray in the refrigerator for up to six months, being sure to keep the vegetables covered with brine.

Add 1 tblspn of kimchi to your plate to accompany egg and meat dishes, or mix a little into a salad to deepen the flavour.