Pumpkin Kimchi
What is Kimchi?
The Korean term "Kimchi" simply means fermented or pickled vegetables, so it can mean anything.
The most common type of Kimchi is of course the napa cabbage version - made with ginger, garlic, spring onion and the Korean chilli flake, gochugaru - but there are hundreds of different types of Kimchi.
I first came across Pumpkin Kimchi after visiting Museum Kimchikan aka the Kimchi Museum in Seoul whilst on holiday in Korea, as well as numerous other varieties, such as Mustard Leaf Kimchi, Baby Radish Kimchi, Winter Vegetable Kimchi & Garlic Kimchi etc.
Which Pumpkin's are best for Pumpkin Kimchi?
We've experimented with many types of pumpkins on our Pumpkin Kimchi journey. Our personal preference when Kimchi-ing are the steel blue or grey, Crown Prince Pumpkins.
I would advise against using Halloween pumpkins as they have been bred to be carved into Jack O'Lanterns and they lack the depth of flavour and they are a bit too watery in texture for kimchi.
Known for its exceptional sweetness and smooth texture, the Crown Prince Pumpkin adds a unique twist to traditional Kimchi recipes. This versatile ingredient harmonizes seamlessly with the bold spices of kimchi, creating a delightful balance of flavours. It's inherent sweetness complements the tanginess of the fermentation process, resulting in a kimchi with a bold flavour that smacks you in the taste buds with every bite.
If you can't get Crown Prince Pumpkins, or if they are out of season we would recommend trying the dark green Kabocha Pumpkins if you like it a little less sweet and a bit nuttier, bear in mind the texture of these are a little fluffier. Or if like us you prefer it to be a bit sweeter, we'd recommend using Jewel (or orange) Sweet Potatoes.
Butternut Squash can be used but they tend to have a harder texture, so you'd have pulverise them a bit more in the preparation in the hope that they would break down in the fermentation process.
How to Make Pumpkin Kimchi
Start off by peeling & seeding your pumpkin, then dice it into roughly 1-1.5cm cubes.
Get your salt for salting and sprinkle it and massage it into the pumpkin. I'd advise putting a bit of pressure on the cubes to help break them down, so they are easy to chew by the time they are fermented.
Your pumpkin will most likely have a wide variety of textures, the inner part can be very soft and the outer part can be very hard at times, so it's important to peel the pumpkin very well, if anything, peel it a bit further than you would normally if you were going to roast it.
Once you've massaged in the salt, peel and slice (or julienne) the Daikon into thin strips and add it to the salted pumpkin and mix them in.
Set aside for 30 minutes to an hour.
Wash them with cold water twice to wash off the excess salt. I like to put it through a salad spinner to get rid of the extra water.
Thinly slice the carrot into thin strips (or julienne), add it to the mix. *** Carrot is not usually used in Pumpkin Kimchi, but I like to use it as it adds another bit of texture and additional sweetness.
Slice the spring onions finely and add to the mix.
Finely grate the ginger & garlic, into the bowl and add the salt, gochugaru and additional seasonings, mix them and then add to the bowl.
Mix all the ingredients together well.
Add them to a sterilised kilner jar, make sure you pack them into the jar, so there's no air bubbles. Put a glass weight on top of the mix.
Leave about 2 fingers of headroom in the jars when packing them in case they rise in the fermentation process.
Leave out in a cool, dark place for a couple of days. Check on it every day and if air bubbles form, use a sterilised wooden spoon to push the mix down.
After 2-5 days your mix should have a bit of a sourness to it. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to their tastes, but the mix will continue to ferment in the fridge and continue to get sour. So once your mix tastes good to you, get it in the fridge.
It will most likely last for about 6-8 weeks in the fridge.
- 2kg Peeled & seeded pumpkin
- 300g Peeled carrot
- 200g Daikon radish
- 10g Ginger or 2/3 cloves
- 15g Garlic
- 25g Spring Onion or 1 or 2, depending on their thickness
- 20g Gochugaru
- 15g Sea Salt
- 60g Salt for salting
Optional
Add 2g of powdered seaweed
Add 25g of mirin
Where can you buy Pumpkin Kimchi?
