Savoury condiment can go with all sorts

The gut-health guru on the power of fermented foods, and encourages us all to try making them at home, Ella Walker reports

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Korean condiment kimchi can take some time to get to grips with, but “this is a short cut for those who want a faster recipe, cutting out the traditional two-stage salting process,” explains Tim Spector, scientist and author of new book, Ferment. “You can use any whole cabbage, Chinese/napa cabbage and/or daikon (Japanese radish) for this recipe.”

Ingredients: (Makes 1 jar)

1 cabbage or Chinese/napa cabbage

1 daikon radish

Sea salt

4 garlic cloves

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced

1-2tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)

1tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp fish sauce (or fermented miso paste for vegans)

Method:

1. Trim the cabbage and cut it into 4-5mm thick slices. Trim and peel the daikon and cut into thin half-moons.

2. Weigh the combined vegetables, tip into a bowl and add 2 per cent salt of the total weight.