Cook ’ s Notes
You Ferment for Me
The oldest way to preserve food is now also one of the newest trends . Making your own kimchi and sauerkraut is fascinating , flavoursome and good for you too
I t ’ s safe to say most of us already enjoy one fermented product - wine . But this age old way of preserving food is trendier than ever with fermented dishes like kimchi , kefir and komucha popping up on hip menus and in Instagram feeds everywhere . As well as being packed full of taste , dishes like those and the more familiar sauerkraut and pickles are fashionably healthy , and help nurture ‘ good ’ bacteria in our stomachs .
Making your own though ? It feels like it should be difficult and prone to bubbling alarmingly , going off and releasing noxious emissions . In fact , it ’ s simplicity itself with little that can go wrong . Before we had fridges , it was the standard way of preserving food , after all .
Often you only need salt and whatever you want to ferment . By drawing out the water from the veg and activating the micro-organisms to produce lactic acid , the harmful bacteria that spoils the food is stopped in its tracks . Instead you get an addictively tangy side dish or pickle . And you don ’ t need to wait long .
Modern chefs are embracing fermentation as way of experimenting with flavours . Pretty much any vegetable , fruit or spice can be tried and the combinations are dizzying - just be careful when you open the jar . As their clip jars feel like a natural home for this food , we turned to iconic kitchenware maker Kilner for advice on fermenting revolution in your kitchen .
Probiotic Beetroot and Red Cabbage Sauerkraut
Ingredients
½ medium red cabbage head finely diced 1 medium beetroot , peeled and grated 2 inch ginger piece , peeled and grated 1 tsp sea salt
Method
Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and sprinkle the salt all over . Use your hands to scrunch the salt into the vegetables and leave for a few hours , mixing occasionally , until the juices collect in the bottom of the bowl . Transfer the mixture into clean glass Kilner jars and press down really well . If the juices don ’ t completely cover the mixture , add more salted water ( 1 tsp sea salt to 1 cup of water ). Make sure you leave around 1.5 ” headspace between the top of the jar and the liquid . Cover with a cabbage leaf and pack it down again . Put the lid on and leave it loosely fastened or if using a clip top , don ’ t fully fasten the clip . Leave out on your worktop for 3-7 days ( the longer you leave it the stronger the taste so if its your first time , we recommend 3 days ). Once you have finished fermenting , seal tightly and keep in the refrigerator until chilled . It ’ s now ready to eat and will keep in the fridge for months ( if it lasts that long !).
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