Snappy, pickled, punchy, salty, crispy, sharp – some of our favourite food descriptors, especially when paired with our favourite of all: spicy. Even our simplest meals will not escape a squeeze of lemon, a slice of chilli, a pickle or a sprinkle of something crunchy. This quite often leads to somewhat inauthentic versions of classic recipes, but that is one of the wonderful things about food; it’s a big, tasty, blank canvas for you to use your own unique brush stroke on. If you can’t find fresh shiitakes for the soy pickle, using dried and soaked ones works well as a substitute and if you can’t get your hands on fresh jalapeños, other mild fresh chillies will work.

Serves: 4-6 as a snack
Preparation: 25 min
Cooking: 4 min
KIMCHI BHAJI