I could do with more fridge space. The shelf with yoghurt, skyr and kefir is now cluttered with ferments from kombucha to kimchi. Right now, there are two jars of the latter, a milder “wimp’s” version and a deep rust-red batch so hot your eyes water when you remove the lid. Both get my vote. There are two pots of different sauerkrauts, one fine and very juicy (good for sausages) and another coarse and spotted with juniper berries. There is a bottle of Willy’s drinking vinegar that I dilute with warm water. Refreshing and curiously uplifting, it’s like being woken from a deep slumber by a swift kick in the ribs and I love it.
I find some of the books on fermented foods too complex for my needs. Which is why I leapt upon Of Cabbages and Kimchi by James Read (Particular Books, £22), one of the most user-friendly books out there. I have made his kimchi stew twice now and will again for Easter. Imagine boned pork belly left to bake in a slow oven with Shaoxing wine, honey, miso and ginger, and with kimchi and tofu stirred in. It is hearty, sumptuous and deeply satisfying.
There has been more than kimchi fizzing in the kitchen this week. Sweet, yeasted buns (make them for Easter) have been present, too – the plump cushions of dough split and filled with lightly salted labne and ripe passion fruit. Soft and cooling to contrast the dazzling russet-hued stew.
Pork and kimchi stew
James Read’s gorgeous ochre stew is good with or without the final addition of tofu. Serves 4
rolled boneless pork belly 600g, skin on
water 125ml
Shaoxing wine 25ml
soy sauce 25ml
red miso ½ tbsp
gochujang ½ tbsp
honey 1½ tbsp
spring onions 2, roughly chopped
garlic cloves 2, crushed
ginger 1.5cm, chopped
For the jjigae:
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
white onions 2, thinly sliced
kimchi 1 kg
chicken stock 650ml
mirin 4 tbsp
silken tofu 300g, cut into 2cm cubes
spring onions 2, finely sliced
Preheat the oven to 140C/gas mark 1. Place the pork belly in an ovenproof pot and set aside.
Mix the remaining pork ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the gochujang and miso dissolve, then pour over the meat and put it in the oven. Cook for around 2-3 hours, until fully tender, turning it a few times to baste it.
Meanwhile, to make the jjigae, heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat and add the white onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and, as they start to soften, lower the heat and cook for another 20 minutes, until they begin to caramelise.
Turn the heat up to medium, add the kimchi and stir until it starts to sizzle and is fully combined (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside until the pork is ready.
Once it is fully tender, remove the pork from the pan, allow to cool slightly, then chop into bite-size pieces.
Add a few tablespoons of the stock to the pork cooking pan and deglaze, then add this along with the rest of the stock and the mirin to your kimchi pan and bring to the boil. Add the chopped pork to the pot, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes, then add the silken tofu, stir very carefully so as not to scramble it, and cook for one more minute. Sprinkle over the spring onions and serve over white rice, if you wish.
Sweet buns with labne and passion fruit
Makes 12 small buns
strong, white plain flour 500g
dried yeast 7g
salt 1 tsp
caster sugar 45g
milk 200ml
eggs 2
butter 50g, at room temperature
egg and milk a little beaten, to glaze
labne or cream cheese 300g
passion fruit 8, halved and squeezed
icing sugar for dusting
In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and warm over a moderate heat. It shouldn’t get so hot that you couldn’t dip your finger in it. Add the milk, lightly beaten eggs and the butter to the flour, then mix together using a dough hook or paddle beater. You can do this by hand, too, squishing everything together.
On a lightly floured board or in an electric mixer with a dough hook, knead the dough until it is smooth and somewhat sticky. (About 5 minutes with a mixer, 10 minutes by hand.) This will take longer than with an unenriched bread dough, but don’t be too rough with it.
When you have a smooth but still slightly sticky dough, cover with a tea towel and place somewhere warm for a good hour to rise. Your dough should almost double in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl and tear or cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each one into a ball, and place, with room to spread, on a couple of parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Brush the buns lightly with the beaten egg and milk, then bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven. Leave to settle for 5 minutes, then move them on to a cooling rack.
Cut a slit in the top of each cool bun, stuff with labne or cream cheese and spoon over some of the passion fruit. Dust with icing sugar.
Follow Nigel on Instagram @NigelSlater
