Don't bin vegetable scraps: turn them into kimchi

Every Saturday, I visit my local market to stock up on affordable, local, seasonal vegetables. It’s a way of shopping that reduces farm and post farm-gate waste, because it means farmers can sell what they need to while also shortening the food chain and minimising opportunities for waste that occur when food changes hands between middlemen.

But if I’ve had a busy week, or get overexcited at the market, I often end up with veg to use up at the end of the week. One of my favourite ways to do so is kimchi. This traditional Korean ferment, most commonly made with Chinese leaf and daikon, can be made with just about any vegetable, especially seasonal greens, roots and other bits and bobs from the crisper drawer.

Vegan veg scrap kimchi

Kimchi is powerful stuff and an acquired taste, but once you’ve developed a liking for it, there’s no going back. It contains probiotics and good bacteria that support the gut, which in turn keeps our immune system in check.

It is utterly delicious served as a condiment, fried with rice, or added to an omelette or broth to give it a savoury kick. Here, I’ve used a little hijiki seaweed instead of the more traditional fish sauce to give the kimchi a taste of the sea and make it vegan-friendly, while apple or pear puree replaces the usual rice flour, making this kimchi lighter and more refreshing.

250g raw vegetables – most of which should be leafy greens
1 tsp sea salt
4 garlic cloves, peeled
½ onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 apple or 1 pear, cored and quartered
2 tbsp Korean chilli powder, or other chilli powder, to taste
1 pinch hijiki seaweed (optional)
Sesame seeds, to serve (optional)

Cut the hard vegetables and any stalks into matchsticks, cut brassica florets into bite-sized pieces and rip leafy greens into large pieces. Wash everything in cold water and drain in a colander.

Massage the sea salt into the veg, leave to steep for 30 minutes, then pour off any excess liquid.

Blend the garlic, onion, apple (or pear), chilli powder and 60ml water to a puree, then pour over the vegetables. Add a pinch of seaweed flakes, if you like, and mix thoroughly.

Transfer to clean jars and press down, packing it in tightly so the juices rise above the vegetables. Leave at room temperature for four days, until it starts bubbling and fermenting, then store in the fridge (this slows the fermentation), where it will keep for a few months; or leave it at room temperature for longer, to ferment further, until it tastes to your liking.

Enjoy at your leisure, sprinkled with sesame seeds.