Kimchi is a combination of fermented napa cabbage with chilli, fish sauce and other vegetables and aromatics. It is considered to be Korea’s national dish and comes in many different varieties. Raw cabbage is cured in salt before being preserved in a flavoured liquor. It is believed that the creation of Kimchi was a result of the long cold winters in Korea, where farming fresh crops was impossible. Kimchi is similar to sauerkraut, another pickled cabbage dish originating in Germany.

Gochugaru is a type of dried Korean red chilli ground into flakes – these days, it's available in many large supermarkets, but most Asian grocers should stock it too.

There are many different ways of preparing kimchi, with different chefs and cooks including their own twists. The recipe below is for a standard kimchi, but feel free to experiment with other ingredients (just keep the ratio of salt to cabbage the same). In the video above, chef Chantelle Nicholson includes fennel for a more aniseed flavour.