I haven’t written in a while. Sorry about that. It’s alright, no-one’s still reading anyway. It’s been a busy few months with moving house, and uni. The new garden’s great though – I call it my experiment in productive rewilding, which just means don’t worry about the weeds. Don’t mind the weeds, we’re feeding the bees.
I’ve planted all kinds of fun stuff though – there’s a jostaberry, a kind of cross between a blackcurrant, North American coastal gooseberry and European gooseberry and tougher than any of them, a passion fruit vine, a few hazel trees, a patch of wild garlic that’s going to seed (more on poor man’s capers next time), a Japanese wineberry, a Szechuan peppercorn bush and the newest addition, a leafy, evergreen perennial called stringy stonecrop.
Dol-namul is very tough, and grows well in rocky or poor soil, hence the name. It’s easy to propagate and makes a useful evergreen groundcover – mine seem to be pretty happy in with the peas, getting their nitrogen fix in return for protecting the peas from frosts and heavy rain. It’s got a subtle, mineral flavour, a bit like agretti. It’s not salty like samphire, but it has a similar succulent-y texture, so it’s a pretty easy spring green to use, and being an evergreen, it’s an easy win towards the end of the hungry gap. The mineral flavour pairs really well with bright citrus and sweet, spicy Korean gochujang.
Gochujang cauli wings, miso beans & dol-namul (serves 4)
I love gochujang, especially in a Korean BBQ sauce – I used to work on a food truck where we’d marinate the cauliflower with shio koji, a fermented rice seasoning, and yuzu kosho, a sort of citrussy chilli paste, then, hot from the fryer, toss it in a barbecue sauce made with molasses, gochujang and English mustard. Absolute culture chaos.
Anyway, this way is a little more accessible without a fryer. You can brine the cauli in the leftover fermenting brine from making hot sauce if you have it to hand, or just do shots with a good spicy mezcal.
- 1 large cauliflower, cut into large florets, leaves left on
- 1 1/2 tbsp hemp seed or olive oil
- 6-8 sprigs dol-namul (optional, you can chop a bunch of spring onions if you like. Welsh onion, or perpetual onion, is a nice choice for growing your own perennial spring onions)
- 1 small handful wild garlic, leaves washed
- 2x 400g tins of white beans
- 2tbsp barley miso paste. I think barley miso has more flavour, but it’s an acquired taste. Use white miso if you want something less funky.
- 2tbsp gochujang paste (I like Bombom)
- 1tbsp soy sauce
- 1 organic lime, cut into wedges
To make the brine, dissolve 40g sea salt in 1l of water, then add 1tbsp cider vinegar, 1tsp rapadura or golden caster sugar, 1 bay leaf, 1tsp black peppercorns and 1tsp chilli flakes. Cover the cauliflower florets with the brine and leave for as much time as you have available, ideally 4-6 hours. The longer you can get away with, the better it will be. You don’t have to brine them at all, the recipe will still work if you would rather steam or boil the cauliflower straight away. Meanwhile, light the barbecue and allow to cook down for about an hour until the coals are very hot, or preheat the grill.
Bring the brine to a simmer with the cauliflower and parboil for 5-10 minutes. Strain the cauli into a colander and leave to dry for a few minutes, then toss with the oil. While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a little oil in another pan and fry the spring onion whites for 5 minutes, if using. Add the beans and their liquid to the pan along with 100-150ml water and simmer for about 10 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the miso and the wild garlic and allow to wilt. Keep warm while you grill the cauliflower.
Once you are ready to barbecue, whisk together the gochujang, soy sauce and 2tbsp water. Char the florets on the barbecue for 10-15 minutes, brushing with the gochujang, until the leaves are crisp and browned. Serve the miso beans in deep bowls, then top with the barbecued cauliflower and picked dol-namul.