This is my version of staple Korean dish. My kimchi is a fermented mixture of cabbage, carrot and spring onion in a sauce made with chilli, garlic, ginger, sugar and fish sauce.

Chop the cabbage into thin ish strips and mix with a table spoon of salt. Leave for an hour.

While you are waiting make the chilli sauce to go with it. Whizz up the chilli, garlic and ginger with a tablespoon of sugar, (palm sugar if you want to be authentic), and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. I used Waitrose Nam Pla. I took the seeds out of the chilli as I didn’t want it to blow my head off, leave them in if you like the heat. Be careful not to touch your eyes or any other sensitive part after you have handled the chilli!

Once it is whizzed to a smooth and runny paste, shred the spring onion and grate the carrots.

Rinse the cabbage in cold water, drain and then pat dry. Mix all the ingredients together. You could eat it straight away as an zingy salad, but the traditional way is to let it ferment. Seal it in a jar or box and leave it out overnight to get the process going. Then keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The flavour will just get better and better, and according to some, the smell will get worse and worse!

This is my version, most families in Korea make their own version from recipes passed down through the generations. There are lots of variations, radishes are a popular addition, I might try adding mint and coriander leaves in the summer. Enjoy!