Ingredients

• 1 Napa cabbage, roughly chopped, reserve one leaf intact Ingredients
• 3 carrots, grated Ingredients
• 3-4 red radishes, thinly sliced Ingredients
• 1 bunch Spring onions chopped (if you can find ramps, then use a handful of these, they'll add a more peppery taste) Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp unbleached sea salt Ingredients
• 2-4 garlic cloves, peeled (adjust for how garlic-ey you like things!) Paste
• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated Paste
• 1 pear, de-cored and chopped Paste
• 2-4 Tbsp red chili flakes (adjust for how hot you like things!) Paste

Instructions

1. Wash but don't peel veggies (most of the good bacteria is found on the skin - this is also why it's preferable to buy organic since chemicals kill the good bacteria and healthier soil means healthier bacteria).
2. Add prepped veggies to a large bowl. Add paste ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined and fairly smooth.
3. Pour paste over veggies and sprinkle with sea salt. Using your hands, massage your kimchi (you can use gloves for this if you prefer, there's heat from the ginger and chili). As you massage, the veggies will start to soften and release water, creating your brine. You can take breaks if you like, allowing kimchi to sit and release brine, then come back and massage a bit more. You need to create enough brine to cover the kimchi when you stuff it into the jar, so there should be a good puddle at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Once you have enough brine, begin to stuff your kimchi into a clean 2 litre glass jar, make sure you pour your brine in too. Use the back of a wooden spoon or mallet and push kimchi down to remove air pockets and release more water. Leave about 1-2 inches of space from the rim of the jar, then top with your reserved cabbage leaf, using it to push the kimchi down so it is submerged under the brine.
5. Screw your lid on loosely so that air can still escape and set jar aside in a corner of your kitchen to ferment. This will take about 7-10 days depending on the temperature of your home. Make sure to check your kimchi daily. If necessary, push the leaf on top down to keep veggies submerged under the brine.
6. Begin taste-testing after a week. Once fermented to your liking, (it will be slightly tangy and the cabbage will be soft) remove your cabbage leaf, close lid tightly and store in the fridge where it will keep for several months.