James Read’s Kimchi

1 Chop the spring onions into 5cm pieces and separate whites from greens. Put the greens in a large bowl and the whites in the fridge ready for day two.

2 Chop the carrots into 5cm batons and add to the bowl with the spring onion greens.

3 Remove damaged outer leaves and bases from the cabbages. Chop the rest into 5cm-wide strips and add to the carrots and spring onion greens.

4 Add the salt, mix thoroughly and leave, covered, overnight.

5 The next day, thoroughly rinse the salted veg twice. Combine the spring onion whites, ginger, garlic, miso, sugar and chilli flakes in a food processor. Pulse until you have a paste a little looser than peanut butter. You may need to add a little water.

6 Combine the paste with the rinsed veg (rubber gloves are advised). Once thoroughly mixed, put the kimchi in a jar. Make sure there’s about 5-10cm headspace at the top. Seal, cover with weights and leave in a cool place (10-150C is ideal) out of direct sunlight. Check daily for signs of fermentation (bubbling or a ‘pear drop’ aroma). Open the jar twice a day to let gas escape once it has begun fermenting.

7 Three to seven days after fermentation has begun, your kimchi should be ready. If it still tastes a bit raw, leave it for another day. Once in the fridge it will keep for well over a month, but loosen the lid every few days to prevent gas build-up.