Taiwanese Golden Kimchi
Golden kimchi is not a true kimchi but rather a quick pickle that originated in Taiwan. It is usually made with wombok or sugarloaf cabbage and carrots. The pickling sauce is actually an emulsion of vinegar and sesame oil. Additionally, its beautiful golden colour comes from the beta-carotene of the carrots in the sauce. Alternatively, pumpkin is sometimes used to flavour and colour the sauce as well. The sauce is well balanced with sweet, salty and sourness which make it the perfect refreshing summer snack or side dish. It is also commonly served as an appetiser in restaurants or beer snack at bars in Taiwan.
How long does it keep for?
Because golden kimchi is not a true ferment, it unfortunately cannot be kept indefinitely. But if you use a sterilised jar and clean utensils every time you eat it, it will last for two weeks in the fridge. However, that’s only if you can stop yourself from eating it all in one go! One taste and you will surely be addicted!
What do you need to make golden kimchi?
You can easily make this simple pickle at home with some pantry staples and common ingredients. The equipment is simple as well, you just a sterilised jar to store the kimchi in and a blender to make the sauce. I also highly recommend a salad spinner to make the job faster and easier.
How long does it take to make?
There is not much active work involved in the recipe. The hardest part is actually waiting! After the vegetables have been salted, you need to wait for 30mins for the salt to draw out the astringency and any raw flavour. Once the vegetables are combined with the sauce, you can actually eat it straight away, like a salad! However, if you leave it overnight to pickle the in fridge it will taste even better.
Golden Kimchi
Equipment
- 1 Sterilised Jar 1.8L from Ikea
Ingredients
- 1/2 Wombok Can be replaced with sugarloaf cabbage
- 4 carrots
- 1 apple
- 80 g sugar
- 100 g apple cider vinegar
- 20 g rice vinegar
- 80 g sesame oil
- 20 g grapeseed oil can be replaced with any neutral oil or more sesame oil
- 1 birdseye chilli can be omitted
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 pc 2cm ginger
- 2 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the wombok into 3-4cm pieces and wash thoroughly. Dry with a salad spinner and place into a large mixing bowl. Add in the salt and mix it through with your hands.
- Peel and cut two carrots into matchsticks. Add to the wombok and mix through. Leave to rest for 30mins.
- Peel the remaining two carrots and cut into small pieces, around 3mm thick. Heat up fry pan and add in the 15g butter. Add the carrots in and cook over medium heat for around 3-4mins, until the carrots are cooked through. Set aside to cool.
- Roughly chop the garlic, ginger and chilli. Place into a blender or the jug of an immersion blender. Add in the vinegars, oils and sugar. Add in the cooked carrots along with any residual butter. Blend thoroughly into an emulsified sauce.
- Peel and core the apple, cut the apple into matchsticks and set aside.
- After the wombok has rested for 30mins, it should have softened and released juices. Drain the wombok and carrots, you can use the salad spinner to get rid of any excess moisture.
- Place a layer of the wombok carrot mix into the base of the sterilised jar and add a few apple pieces on top. Pour over a bit of the sauce. Add another layer of wombok, carrot and apple and pour over some sauce again. Repeat this until the jar is full, pushing down the contents periodically to get rid of air. Pour any residual sauce into the jar. Place the jar overnight into the fridge. The golden kimchi is now ready to be enjoyed!
