COLUMNIST: JANICE CLYNE
Using nature’s bounty of wild foraged greens is such a great way to add diversity to our gut microbiome, and diversity equals resilience for our health.
Wild garlic is easy to identify as it smells intensely of garlic, so follow your nose! Always be sure though of what you are picking - use a plant ID app to double check and if in doubt, then leave it out!
Last year, Janice shared recipes for wild garlic cheese scones, wild garlic pesto, and zhoug. Read on for this year’s wild garlic salt, kimchi, and pakora delights - it is most definitely time to get foraging.
Wild garlic salt is absolutely delicious and a really simple way to preserve the flavour. I make this every year and like to give it to friends for a gift.
The other good thing is it is perfectly preserved so will last for years, except in our house - we put it on everything.
I use a French salt called Sel de Guerande, but I have some rather special Blackthorn salt which I will be using soon to make another batch (which I will keep for myself).
Add the washed wild garlic leaves and 100g of salt to a food processor and blend until the leaves are well blitzed.
Transfer to a bowl and gradually add the rest of the salt, mixing it in with a wooden spoon (it is quite fun and a bit like making sand pies).
Transfer it to a large baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 80℃ for a couple of hours, turning the salt every now and then so that it dries out evenly.
Turn the heat off but leave the pilot light on and ideally leave the salt in the oven overnight. It should be completely dry by the morning.
If your salt crystals are big, use a pestle and mortar to crush them down a bit. Make sure they are complete dry and transfer to glass jars.
Use liberally on all savoury things.
Kimchi can be made with many vegetables, traditionally it is Napa cabbage and daikon radish, with lots of other flavouring ingredients including garlic, ginger, and chilli. Traditional recipes include fish sauce or shrimp, some add rice flour and versions can range from hot, to smoke coming out of your ears! I prefer to make mine vegan and add some leeks too, which are a fabulous prebiotic and available in Scotland all year round.
This kimchi is a fast ferment, ready in around 5 to 7 days, with a lovely flavour and pleasing texture.
You can make this as hot as you like by upping the amount of chilli powder you use. I use Korean gochugaru chilli powder, which I buy online. You can substitute with chilli flakes and a tablespoon of paprika - just adjust to your own taste preference.
Add the sliced wild garlic leaves and stalks, and sliced leeks to a large bowl with the salt, and massage and squeeze the leaves until you have some brine.
Add the grated apple, ginger, and chilli powder and mix well with your hands. If you do not have much brine then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave for an hour or so. The salt will continue to draw out water from the cell walls. Try some of the mix and adjust the amount of chilli to your taste.
Pack tightly into a 500ml glass clip top jar, pressing down tightly to remove any air pockets. There should be enough brine to cover the kimchi. Add a weight to hold all the veggies under the brine. The idea is just to keep the kimchi submerged in the brine while it is actively fermenting, to create a safe and anaerobic environment for the beneficial bacteria to work their magic.
Then close the lid, put a bowl underneath the jar and leave at room temperature for around 7 days when you can taste, and if you are happy with the flavour, transfer to the fridge where it will continue to improve. Your kimchi should have a slight sour tang, with a ginger zing, heat from the chilli, a touch of sweetness from the apple, and an underlying leek and garlicky flavour. Magic happens when beneficial bacteria and yeasts get to work, creating amazing umami flavour and that unique fermenty tang!
Kimchi will keep for months in the fridge, allowing you to enjoy it, well after wild garlic season has finished!
I do not often deep fry food but I make an exception for these totally delicious wild garlic pakora. Served with a nice cooling raita or yoghurt dip, these make an impressive starter to an Indian meal or a delicious snack.
I use either rapeseed or sunflower oil on the rare occasion I deep fry. Both these oils are stable at high temperatures and pakora really is more crisp and delicious when it is deep fried.
The flavour in these is complex with ginger, coriander, chilli, and coconut. The red onion is prebiotic, so there are many nutritious and beneficial elements to this.
Put the onion, wild garlic, spices, ginger, and salt in a bowl and leave for 5 minutes to release some moisture.
Sprinkle flour, coconut, cashews, or potato and mix well.
Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until you have a thick batter. Do not over mix, just add water a little at a time until there is no more dry flour and the ingredients have come together.
Add oil to a smallish pot, at least a couple of inches deep and heat until hot. Test the temperature by adding a small cube of bread or the pakora batter to the oil: if it immediately floats back to the surface, then the oil is too hot. Ideally it should take a couple of seconds to float to the top.
When the oil is around the right temperature, add spoonfuls of the batter, cook for a few minutes, turning with a slotted spoon until evenly browned and crisp. Keep the pakoras hot in the oven as you make the rest.
Sprinkle with chat masala or garam masala and serve with a nice cooling raita dip.
As a qualified food scientist, gut health guru, supporter of plant-based locally sourced seasonal food, a fermentista, and foraging fanatic, Janice Clyne is passionate about inspiring, informing, and motivating change in health and eating habits - delivering vibrant good health, through her Wellness Hub and 'Nourished by Nature' skills, expertise, and experience.