Pumpkin Kimchi

Cultured Pumpkins, Part 2

Several years ago, when I was just starting out making ferments commercially. I attended my first market - an artisan event at a beautiful local hotel and restaurant. It was a Halloween market, and they’d decorated the venue with mountains of pumpkins and Winter squash from a local farm.

After the event, I asked the organiser what would happen to all those gorgeous squash.
“They’ll end up on the compost heap,” she said.

I couldn’t let that happen. So I loaded as many as I could fit in the car and turned them into kimchi.

It was such a success with customers that it became my go-to ferment every October.
I used to make 20–40 kg at a time, but this version is whittled down to around 1 kg - easy to make at home and adapt to whatever veg you have.

The Recipe

Makes: about 1.3 kg
Fermentation: 1–2 weeks at room temperature, then refrigerate

Ingredients

• 500 g white or sweetheart (hispi) cabbage
  
  
• 500 g pumpkin
  
  
• 300 g leeks (or onions, or a mix of both)
  
  
• ½ bulb garlic
  
  
• 25 g ginger (about 2 inches)
  
  
• 4–6 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
  
  
• 2 % salt by weight of veg ≈ approx 26 g

I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of fermenter, so feel free to add radishes or any favourite root veg. If you normally like to chuck in a pear or apple into your kimchi - go for it, just adjust your salt accordingly!

Instructions

1. Wash everything. Tools, jars, and veg.
   
   
2. Reserve one outer cabbage leaf for later.
   
   
3. Slice the cabbage finely.
   
   
4. Cut the pumpkin into thin 2cm slices or small bite-sized chunks (julienne if you’re feeling fancy).
   
   
5. Halve and slice the leek into fine half-moons.
   
   
6. Finely chop or grate the garlic and ginger, or blitz them with a splash of filtered water to make a smooth paste (no stringy bits).
   
   
7. Salt the cabbage: massage in the salt until you see brine forming.
   
   
8. Mix: add the remaining ingredients and combine well.
   
   
9. Pack: transfer to a suitably sized glass jar (1.5 - 2L would work for the quantities in this recipe), pressing firmly to remove air pockets and leave a little headspace.
   
   
10. Top: cover with the reserved cabbage leaf (trim to fit so the brine sits above it) and add your weight.
    
    
11. Ferment: seal with a lid and leave on the counter for about two weeks (or until it’s as tangy as you like).

• • If not using an airlock, burp the jar daily to release gases.
    
    
  • Place it on a saucer - pumpkin’s natural sugars can make it feisty!

Optional: add a teaspoon of your Pumpkin Miso (see last week’s recipe) to the mix - it gives gorgeous depth and umami.

Serving ideas

Enjoy this kimchi just as you would any favourite jar:

• In your lunch box
  
  
• With noodles or fried rice
  
  
• On top of cheese on toast (or inside a grilled cheese)
  
  
• As a side to a spicy dal