"Spicy, sour and wonderfully crunchy - Korean kimchi is the queen of delicious, exotic side dishes. The fermentation of cabbage makes it similar to our sauerkraut, but with chilli and ginger it is a lot spicier and hotter. In this preparation, asparagus is added, which can simply be omitted out of season. I often eat kimchi straight from the jar. It is very healthy and is considered a superfood. It gives a sandwich or plate of cooked rice a fantastic kick.

For the preparation you need

1 large or 2 smaller preserving jars 1 Chinese cabbage 10 green asparagus spears, lower third peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces 60 g coarse sea salt 2 tbsp dried shrimps 4 anchovy fillets, washed and dried 125 g cooked rice (e.g. basmati, about 50 g uncooked) ½ onion, peeled and chopped 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely sliced 4 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 2 tbsp granulated sugar 3 tbsp fish sauce 3 tbsp dried chilli flakes 1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced into rings

This is how our asparagus kimchi is prepared. Dissolve the salt in 1.5 litres of water in a large glass or porcelain bowl. Halve the Chinese cabbage lengthways and cut into pieces about 5 cm in size. Soak together with the asparagus in the salted water for 1 hour, then stir well and leave to soak for a further 30 minutes. In the meantime, bring the dried shrimps and anchovies to the boil in 500 ml water, simmer gently for 5 minutes and strain. We only need the flavoured water.

Place the cooked rice, onions, garlic, ginger and apple pieces in a blender and add the fish water. Blend well, then place the paste in a bowl with the chilli flakes, sugar and fish sauce to taste. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and mix with the spring onions. Now, using clean hands (or kitchen gloves), mix the vegetables well with the paste and pour into sterilised jars. Dissolve the leftover paste in the empty bowl with a little warm water and pour over the vegetables. The jars should be almost full to the brim. Seal well.

The kimchi can be enjoyed immediately, especially at the beginning I appreciate the crunchiness and gripping sharpness of the freshly pickled vegetables. It can easily be kept in the fridge for 2 months and continues to develop complex fermented flavours."