We have been whipping up another batch of kimchi with the kimchi kit and wanted to post a few pictures to dispel any thoughts you might have that this it is either complicated or time consuming. If you have the right receptacle, the whole process take roughly twenty minutes max on two consecutive evenings. The result, which if eeked out can last several months, is well worth the effort. Puckingly savoury, spicy and crunchy, alongside its more traditional uses (kimchi jeon), it is fantastic on the side of pretty much any rice-based meal (particularly bulgogi beef), it does wonders in a cheese toasty, and also works quite well on its own as a beer snack. Do it!

Rather than roughly chopping the cabbage, we simple cut each cabbage lengthways into eights. This works pretty well as an eight is pretty much one serving. We packed them into the kimchi container in brine overnight to give them some crunch. 

Next up the other ingredients... grated ginger, niftily pulverised with the oroshiki grater. The following evening this was mixed with some grated daikon, ribboned with the mandolin, some chopped Korean chives (also known as buchu or garlic chives or Asian chives or even allium tuberosum), and the Korean pepper flakes. The chives are the only ingredient that is perhaps a little tricky to get hold off although we have found them in several different Asian supermarkets. We think the kimchi is better with, but if you can't find them, leave them out. 

Next the gloves are on and it was time to massage the kimchi. Quite a strangely therapeutic process and also possibly quite a niche fetish in some circles. The idea is to make sure that all the ginger and spice mixture gets between the leaves of the cabbage. All the kimchi kits come with a couple of pairs of disposable gloves and we definitely recommend that you put them on to avoid coming away from the process red handed. 

As you can see, Saunders was starting to enjoy this. Although he should really have rolled up his sleeves properly at the start. 

The cabbage was then packed back in the container and left to ferment, first at room temperature for about a week and then in a cool place. The beauty of the kimchi container is the carbon seal which guarantees that, no matter how fruity things are getting below the lid, the smell won't permeate your kitchen. More on the finished result shortly.