Kimchi is originally from Korea, and is usually made with cabbage and a lot of red chilli powder which gives it a red colour and spicy taste. However,at Solitude Farm Cafe, kimchi is not a recipe, it’s an idea! It can be made with anything and everything!

At Solitude Farm, we have so many fresh ingredients, then why use chilli powders if we can use fresh chilies like kanthari chilli (birds eye chilli), Piper Longum, rosella, wing beans or our tasty mini capsicum! . We are sharing the recipe below of how we make kimchi, however as I said it’s an idea, you can create your own kimchi in your own way!

Ingredients-

• 2 medium green papayas
• 1 cup chopped winged beans
• ½ cup rosella, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons piper longum (long pepper), chopped longitudinally
• ¼ cup chopped mini capsicums
• 2 tablespoons thinly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped kanthari chilies
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon jaggery powder

Method-

1. Peel the papayas and wash them properly. Using the peeler, keep peeling the papaya into thin strips. Arrange all the strips together and divide them into squares.
2. Place the papaya, winged beans, rosella, salt and water into a big mixing bowl. Massage using your hands until softens and starts to release water. Cover and keep it aside for 1 hour.
3. Once 1 hour is complete, add the remaining ingredients and massage well using your hands.
4. Transfer the mixture into a wide glass jar and press down firmly to make sure the cabbage is submerged in the brine.
5. Cover the surface with a washed banana leaf and place a clean weight such as a glass jar filled with water on top to keep the mixture submerged in the brine. Make sure the brine covers the surface completely.
6. Cover the jar with a cloth, tighten with a rubber band and leave out at room temperature to ferment.
7. It will become sour in 3 days at 25°C or 5 days at less than 18°C.
8. After the fermentation, remove the weights and banana leaves. Store in the refrigerator. It can be served as a side dish with your salads or rice or any meal.

The recurring idea here is that green papaya, a wonderful symbol of the values of local foods, can be used in so many ways and Kimchi offers us yet another opportunity to use it in our diet.