Fermented Carrots, Cauliflower and Garlic.

This recipe is very popular with kids and adults alike. Very good as finger food and cocktail snack.

This is very easy to make, ready within a week.

1 medium cauliflower
2 - 3 large carrots
5-6 roots of jerusalem artichokes (optional)
1 - 2 heads of garlic

1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
1 tsp black pepper corns
6 bay leaves
1 tbsp sea salt per 750 ml of water
filtered water
clean glass jar/s with lid/s

Wash vegetables, clean the leaves off the cauliflower, cut it up into florets or smaller, peel carrots and cut into 2 cm cubes or as preferred, peel the garlic, large cloves can be cut in half or quartered.

Take large enough clean glass jar, place garlic at the bottom, then pack the carrots and cauliflower, make sure that the jar is big enough to allow minimum of 3 cm space between the veg and the mouth of the jar.

Fill in the jar with filtered water to measure how much water will be needed, make sure that water covers the vegetables completely and there is still 3 cm space between water and mouth of the jar. Holding the vegetables in place pour all the water out of the jar into a bowl, weigh it down so you know how much salt to use, now add the sea salt to the water and mix it properly, make sure to dissolve the salt in water completely, this might take a few minutes.

Put the spices into the jar, pour the salty water back into the jar, close the jar tightly, cover with kitchen towel to prevent the light affecting the fermentation process and leave at room temp somewhere on the kitchen counter for 7 days (in warm weather 6 days might be enough) to ferment.

Make sure to check the vegetables at least once every day, burp it, taste it and push it under the water if needed, there will be some visible bubbles which indicate that the fermentation process is very active.

After a week transfer to the cold storage/fridge and start consuming.

Fermented Spicy Carrots

This recipe was inspired by my childhood memories of my mother making what we used to call 'Korean' Carrots that was a marinated condiment using vinegar, oil and sugar among other things. I really liked the flavour and decided to replicate the taste but wanted a healthier dish. I have been quite crazy about fermented foods and condiments during the past couple of years and so used the fermentation for this recipe.

Ingredients:

3-4 carrots
1-2 medium garlic cloves
1 medium hot chilli pepper
1 medium sweet apple
rind of 1/2 lemon
2 cm ginger root
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 - 1.5 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 -2 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

Peel the carrots and julienne them using a mandolin slicer or a knife, place in a bowl. Julienne garlic, chilli and peeled ginger root. Try to cut the ginger root as finely as you possibly can. Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables, add the lemon rind, add the ground spices and the coriander seeds, mix everything up properly. Peel the apple and julienne it as well, add to the carrots, mix well, cover with a lid or a plate and leave to rest for up to few hours so it releases enough juices.

After 30 min or up to 2 hours place the carrots into a glass jar, I use recycled, press down with a fork or a spoon to submerge the vegetables under the brine to avoid the formation of mould. Make sure to pack the vegetables to leave around 1 cm from the brim of the jar. Cover with the lid tightly and leave at room temperature away from direct sunlight.

Remember to check the carrots every day to make sure that the vegetables are submerged under the brine. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen the spicy carrots will be ready in around 3 days. If it is very warm they might be ready in 2 days. Make sure you taste the carrots every day to notice the change in taste and to determine the readiness.