‘Kimchi’ Style Sauerkraut with Nasturtiums

My nasturtiums always go a bit crazy over summer, self-seeding everywhere and covering my terraces in a green blanket. I use the flower petals in salad and pickle the seed pods but their beautiful green leaves are often missed, and they too are peppery and delicious and so good for you!

They are nature’s antibiotic, packed full of vitamin C so it is only fitting that I write up a nasturtium recipe now that it is winter.

Nasturtiums are frost tender so harvest them now before it’s too late!

Today’s recipe is my take on a nasturtium ‘kimchi’ style sauerkraut. Kimchi is the spicy fermented vegetable dish that’s a staple in Korean cuisine. It traditionally uses napa cabbage and Korean radish, similar to daikon and it’s mixed with gochugara chilli pepper, garlic, ginger and fish sauce or shrimp paste.

There are over 200 kinds of known kimchi as the ingredients change depending on the region, or what’s in season. I’m going to add to that number with this version. I barely had any of the traditional ingredients, except for garlic, ginger and fish sauce but I had enough substitutes to make something that tastes delicious and resembles a Kimchi inspired sauerkraut.

Both Kimchi and Sauerkraut use lacto-fermentation. This is a process in which lactobacillus bacteria convert sugars and lactose in the vegetables into lactic acid. The end result is a tangy mix of fermented vegetables that are packed with flavour and probiotics.

The nasturtiums have a radish-like, peppery taste so this made a great substitute for the Korean radish, taste-wise. Obviously, nasturtium leaves don’t have the crunchy texture that radish does so the crunch came from the cabbage.

The main flavours in kimchi come from the fish sauce, chilli, garlic and ginger, so the vegetables you choose to add can be up to you. Using the stalks of vegetables such as silverbeet, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach is a great way to add texture.

Fish sauce adds amazing flavour but if you are vegan or vegetarian, you can substitute the fish sauce for some chopped up nori (seaweed).

Fresh cayenne chilli substituted the traditional dried gochugaru chilli. This means my version lacks that brilliant red that traditional kimchi has.

The first step is to massage the cabbage, nasturtium and onion with salt. This releases all the juices in the vegetables and will create the brine that they will ferment in.

A bit of heavy-handed massaging can release those juices pretty quickly but placing a weight on top of the vegetables (like a plate with something heavy on it) can do the work for you. Just leave it to sit on the vegetables for an hour or so.

Garlic, chilli, ginger and fish sauce are blitzed into a paste and added to the vegetable mix. Then it’s squished down into a clean and sterilised jar. Squish it down as firmly as you can so all the liquid rises to the top.

When you jar your vegetables, they need to stay submerged under the brine. This stops any oxygen touching the vegetables and stops mould or bad bacteria growing on them.

You can use a cabbage leaf or a large nasturtium leaf to help hold the vegetables down in the brine. I’m using a large nasturtium leaf and a glass fermenting weight to hold it down.

Once in the jar, put a lid on it and leave it for 24 hours. Unless you have a special fermenting valve which allows gas to escape, you’ll need to ‘burp’ your jar after the 24 hours. This means, letting the natural gases that have started building up, out. If you miss this step your jar can explode. Then leave your kimchi to ferment in a cupboard for 2-5 more days, burping and tasting it daily until it’s to your liking. Then store in the fridge for up to a month.

Have you made these? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz

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