Kimchi

Kimchi is a Korean sauerkraut that is very popular at the moment and rightly so. Kimchi is made from fermented cabbage along with various other vegetables like daikon and radishes as well as chillies, garlic and ginger, making it (very) spicy in flavour. By making it yourself you can decide on the level of heat and spiciness depending on your tastebuds, but if you buy a proper Korean kimchi it will be seriously spicy. Korean children are started on white kimchi, which is kimchi without chilli, then they are eased into the spiciness of chilli as they grow older. I try and get hold of the Korean chilli mix called Gochugaru – it can be found online and from Korean shops or Asian superstores. This mixture is very hot and sweet and will add a deep red colour to your kimchi. The hottest chillies are normally the Scotch Bonnet.