Okra Kimchi (Inspired after reading Chris Smith's The Whole Okra)
Chris Smith includes an okra kimchi recipe in his book, but I've taken a different approach altogether, with different ingredients than we'd usually use in a kimchi - a vegan paste with smoky depth instead of traditional gochugaru. Can we even call this a kimchi? Maybe not - anyway if you have lots of Okra - give it a try.
Ingredients:
For the okra:
- 500g fresh okra, trimmed but kept whole
- 2 -5 tablespoons sea salt (for drawing moisture)
For the paste:
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 150g garlic cloves (about 1 large head)
- 60g fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/2 cup ground ancho chilli (or other smoky dried chilli)
- 2 tablespoons potato flour
- 100g sweetener (raw sugar, brown sugar, honey, or fresh pear or feijoa, peeled and chopped)
- Water as needed to blend
Method:
Place whole okra in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat evenly. Set aside for 2 hours to draw out moisture. The okra will soften slightly but should still hold their shape.
While the okra rests, make your paste. In a blender, combine onions, garlic, ginger, ancho chilli, potato flour, and your chosen sweetener. Blend until smooth, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to create a thick, spreadable paste.
After 2 hours, rinse the okra briefly under cold water and pat dry. In a clean bowl, massage the paste thoroughly over each okra pod, ensuring they're completely coated.
Pack the coated okra into a clean jar, pressing down firmly to eliminate air pockets. The okra should be submerged in the paste – if not, prepare a small amount of additional brine (2% salt solution) to top up.
Cover loosely and ferment at room temperature for 3-5 days, pressing down daily to keep everything submerged. Taste daily – you want that characteristic lactic tang without losing too much of the okra's texture.
Once fermented to your liking, seal and refrigerate. The fermentation will continue slowly in the fridge.
Notes:
The potato flour acts as a vegan thickener and binder, giving body to the paste without fish sauce or shrimp paste. The ancho chilli brings a deep, smoky heat rather than the bright fruitiness of gochugaru – it's a different flavour profile but equally delicious. If using fresh fruit like pear or feijoa as your sweetener, the paste may be thinner but will ferment beautifully.
These are phenomenal chopped into fried rice, alongside grilled fish, or straight from the jar.
