Sproutchi - fermented sprouts

Sproutchi is a delicious sprouty variation on kimchi

This fabulous ferment has the same delectable spiciness of kimchi, but also packs the health-giving punch of the inimitable Brussel sprout.

Sproutchi

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Ingredients

• 1 kg of Brussel sprouts

• 1 large carrot

• Fresh turmeric 1-3 pieces, depending on size

• Fresh ginger root a large piece

• Horseradish 5-6 cm chunk

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 fresh chilli (seeds in)

• Gochugaru powder 10-20 g to taste (you can just use fresh chilli if you prefer)

• 500 ml of water in a jug

• Salt

Equipment

• 1 litre Kilner jar
  Washed in hot water or that has been through the dishwasher

• Mixing bowl

• Set of scales

• Knife

• Grater

• Goggles!

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Method

Chopping

• Trim the sprouts, if needed.

• Grate the carrot.

• Grate the turmeric.

• Grate the ginger.

• Grate the horseradish (with the goggles on).

• Peel and dice the garlic.

• Finely chop the chilli.

• Slice the garlic finely and add in.

Weighing

• Put the empty mixing bowl onto the scales, then zero the scales so that you can weigh the total weight of all the prepared ingredients.

• Put all the vegetables/herbs into the bowl on the scales.

• Add the gochugaru powder if using it.

• And then make a note of the total weight of the ingredients, excluding the weight of the bowl.

Salting

• Calculate what 2% of the ingredient weight is. This gives you the weight of salt you need to add for the veg. ingredients.

• Add this salt to the ingredients and rub it in to make sure it is well mixed in.

• Also add 10 g salt to the 500 ml water. This ensures that, overall, you have 2% salt to cover the total weight of the veg. and the water.

Packing

• Fill a litre kilner jar with your sprimchi mix. Pack as much in as you can.

• Pour in the salty water so that the jar is full and the sprouty mix is covered with brine to the top of the kilner.

Waiting

• Leave to ferment at room temperature (18-21°C) for at least 2 weeks. I recommend putting the kilner on a saucer or a bowl whilst fermenting to catch any juices that are forced out of the kilner by the fermenting process.

• I always label my ferments, listing the date they were made, the ingredients and the date I next need to pay them attention. You don’t think you will forget, but you do.

Tasting and eating

The ferment process softens the sprouts slightly, so they make perfect mouth-shaped fermenty snacks. If you want these ready for Christmas, you need to make them at the beginning of December.

Glitches and hitches

If you have any questions or concerns about your ferment, consider signing up for a paid subscription to Substack, where I can answer any queries you have via the chat function.

Acknowledgement

The idea for this recipe came from Sam Cooper, and I then adjusted it to my own taste.