1.5kg Red Cabbage (approx. 2 small to medium cabbages) 

40g Coarse Sea Salt

200g Granny Smith Apples

100g Fennel Bulb

100g Onion

10g Fennel Seeds

2 Whole cabbage leaves for the top of the ferment

Equipment:

2L Jar

Canning Funnel (optional)

Fermentation lid (lid with airlock)

Large Bowl

Knife

Chopping Board

Instructions:

· Wash and sanitise all equipment. 

· Slice cabbage into ¼ inch thick shreds, thinly slice apple, fennel, and onion.

· Put the cabbage into the bowl and sprinkle the salt over top. With clean hands massage and squeeze the salt into the cabbage. The cabbage will begin to release liquid and become translucent. The cabbage is ready when it is completely translucent, and you can squeeze all the liquid from a handful. Now add the apple, fennel, onion, and fennel seeds. Mix thoroughly.

· Transfer the mixture including the natural brine from the cabbage to the jar. Tamp the mixture down as it is added to the jar. Make sure to force any air pockets out and solids under the brine. Fill the jar leaving 2 inches of headspace.

· Take one of the whole leaves and rinse and fold it to fit into the top of the jar. Cover your Kraut mix with the leaf allowing it to slightly protrude the top of the jar. Add the second leaf if the first doesn’t fully cover and submerge the Kraut.

· Seal the jar with the fermentation lid there should be some light resistance from the cabbage leaf. Place on a plate to catch any overflow.

· Ferment the kraut in a cool place away from direct sunlight for 3 weeks (ideal temp is 18-20*c). Taste after 2 weeks to check the sourness is to your liking. If not sour enough allow to ferment for another week. When the kraut is to your taste, replace the fermentation lid with a regular lid store in the fridge for up to 10 months.

Note:

If you don’t have a fermentation lid burp the jar daily.

This sauerkraut is delicious served fresh as a side. If you want to up your game gently fry the kraut in some butter add a few generous dashes of red wine allow to cook on a medium heat till the wine has almost evaporated and serve.

The post Red Cabbage Sauerkraut with Apple and Fennel appeared first on Brew Distill Ferment.

INGREDIENTS

• Leg of Ham
• Misty Gully Maple Ham Cure

DIRECTIONS

1. Weigh your leg of ham then place in a deep plastic or glass container.
2. To make brine, dissolve 130g of Misty Gully Maple Ham Cure per litre of water. Make enough brine to fully submerge the meat in its container.
3. Inject 25% of the total weight of the ham with additional brine. For eg. A 4kg leg of ham should be injected with 1L of brine. Pump into thick sections of the meat or in near the bone to ensure a thorough cure.
4. Keep in the fridge for 24 hours for every 500g of meat.
5. Once cured, rinse the meat to remove excess cure, then soak meat in cool water for 3-4 hours, changing the water every hour to reduce excess saltiness.
6. Cook in oven or smoker at 110 degrees Celsius until your meat reaches an internal temperature of 65 degrees Celsius.
7. Set aside to cool completely.
8. Prepare your ham as usual, for example, score with diamond pattern & stud with cloves before warming in the oven to serve. Enjoy!
9. PS. Don’t share with doggo’s, it’s too salty & will make him ill. He will give you eyes though!!

The post Christmas Maple Ham Recipe appeared first on Brew Distill Ferment.

The resultant dairy kefir made by adding kefir grains to dairy milk is a slightly thickened & sour, lightly effervescent pre & probiotic drink. You can enjoy your kefir drink either as is or use it in a range of ways, such as making cream or cheese. In our recipe we’ll show you how use your freshly prepared dairy kefir to make a saffron, maple and vanilla milk fizz!

Want to take a break from creating dairy kefir for up to a week? Then place grains in a clean jar & top up with fresh dairy milk, replace lid loosely and keep in the fridge for up to a week. When ready to use simply leave out at room temperature covered with a muslin cloth + rubber band. Strain and use as normal.

Want to take a break from creating dairy kefir for up to 4 weeks? Repeat as above for up to 4 weeks. When you would like to use your kefir grains you will likely see a white mould on the surface, similar to a camembert rind. This is completely harmless, simply skim and carry on to strain and re-use the grains by first rinsing the grains with water until there are no milk solids attached & feed with fresh dairy milk to begin the process afresh. If however, there are bright colored nasties, discard the lot.

Want to take a break from creating dairy kefir for 3+ months? First start by rinsing your kefir grains then spread them over a clean cloth to help them dry out. If you have a dehydrator now would be the time to take advantage of that. Once grains are completely dried out store them away in a glass jar. When ready to use your grains once more, simply feed them with fresh dairy milk to start afresh. It can take 2-3 weeks to get your kefir grains to the state they were in prior to dehydration.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sachet of Mad Millie Kefir Culture
• 1L of milk

EQUIPMENT

• 1.5L capacity glass container
• Muslin cloth or Chux cloth
• Rubber band
• Fine mesh strainer + bowl

DAIRY MILK KEFIR – FIRST FERMENT

1. Add 1L of dairy milk to your jar.
2. Add the kefir culture sachet to the jar & mix well.
3. Cover the jar with cloth & seal with rubber band.
4. Leave at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 24 hours.
5. After 24 hours, gently mix the liquid & then strain through a mesh strainer, gently using a wooden spoon to help liquid pass through.
6. Rebottle the kefir & store in refrigerator. Consume with 7-10 days.
7. Start a new batch of kefir by adding a quarter cup of saved grains to 1L of dairy milk & repeat as above.

BONUS RECIPE

SAFFRON, MAPLE & VANILLA KEFIR MILK FIZZ – SECONDARY FERMENT

INGREDIENTS

• 600ml of ripe kefir dairy milk
• A few strands of saffron
• 50ml of boiling water
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean split lengthways

EQUIPMENT

• 750ml flip top bottle
• Funnel

RECIPE

• Combine saffron strands with 50ml of boiling water in a large mixing bowl and set aside until liquid has cooled.
• Once cooled, mix in dairy milk kefir and maple syrup and mix until well combined.
• Place split vanilla bean pod in a clean 750ml swing-top bottle then pour in the kefir mixture using a funnel.
• Leave bottle out at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 24 hours.
• Burp your bottle after 24 hours & place it in the fridge and enjoy for up to 5 days, burping daily to avoid over-carbonation (and a huge mess!).

Saffron, Maple & Vanilla Kefir Milk Fizz recipe from “Ferment: A guide to the ancient art of culturing food”, by Holly Davis. Murdoch Books, 2017.

The post Saffron, Maple & Vanilla Kefir Fizz Recipe appeared first on Brew Distill Ferment.

If you can get your hands on cornichons use these, which result in a nice crunchy snacking pickle, otherwise use smaller thin skinned cucumbers. If using the latter, slice the cucumber lengthwise to ensure a flavourful crunchy pickle.

These pickles can be stored unopened for up to 2 years in a cool dark place & for 6 months in the fridge once opened.

INGREDIENTS

• 6-8 Small pickling cucumbers sliced lengthwise
• 10 medium sprigs fresh dill
• 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp whole mustard seeds
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1 small chilli (optional)
• Approximately 400-450 mL of distilled alcohol, watered down to 40% ABV. If you don’t distill alcohol just substitute for store bought Vodka.

EQUIPMENT

• 500 ml jar with tight screwing lid
• Sanitiser of choice

RECIPE

1. Wash & sanitise jar + lid.
2. Place cucumbers, dill, peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic & chilli into the jar. 
3. Pour alcohol into jar, filling to the brim, completely submerging the ingredients.
4. Store in a cool dark place for 1 week, shaking once a day.

The post Boozy Dill Pickle Recipe appeared first on Brew Distill Ferment.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Chinese/Napa cabbage
• 100g salt

Kimchi paste:

• 300ml water
• 1.5 tablespoons rice flour
• 8 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chilli powder)
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1-2 carrot, julienned
• 1-2 daikon radish, julienned
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 6-8 cm fresh ginger knob, peeled & finely chopped
• 1 apple, chopped and pulsed into mash
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons shrimp paste
• 1 Mad Millie Vegetable Culture sachet (optional)

EQUIPMENT

• Fermentation vessel; we use our Green Living Fermentation System. It includes pail, grate, lid with hole for airlock + airlock, as well as a lid to use once the fermentation has completed so that it stores easily in your fridge.
• Mixing bowl
• Small saucepan
• Disposable gloves
• Sanitiser of choice

YIELD

Approximately 1.8kg Kimchi

RECIPE

1. Remove the outer leaves from the Chinese/Napa cabbage. Using a sharp knife make cut 10-15 cm down to the base of the cabbage. Use this cut to gently pull apart the cabbage down the midline. Repeat this with the halves so that you are left with quarters.

1. Fill a large bowl with water and soak the quarters completely, remove and shake well to rid excess water. Use the salt to rub each leaf individually, ensuring the thick bases of each leaf is particularly well coated. Once coated well, transfer to a clean container and cover, preferably something airtight. Allow to brine for 6 hours. Turn the cabbage half way through.
2. To make the kimchi paste bring 300 ml of water to a boil. Add the rice flour and reduce heat, whisking to avoid lumps. Once the mixture is thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled add the remainder of the kimchi paste ingredients to the mixture and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
3. After the 6 hour mark, wash the cabbage quarters under running water to remove excess salt, then shake well to remove excess water.
4. Using disposable gloves, with each quarter, rub a small handful of the paste between each layer of cabbage leaf, ensuring the thick stems are particularly well coated.
5. Sanitise your fermentation vessel of choice.
6. Once all quarters are well covered with the paste, roll them tightly & pack them into the fermentation vessel. Once vessel has been filled, push the kimchi down well to remove any excess air. Also pour any remaining kimchi paste on the top, this will help form a barrier against air and prevent mould from forming. Also leave a small airgap at the top of the vessel to avoid any explosions as fermentation begins to occur!
7. Leave the vessel at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for 3-4 days. Afterwards, place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 weeks (and try to resist the urge to crack into it sooner!) to allow the tangy flavours of fermentation to occur.

The post Easy Kimchi Recipe appeared first on Brew Distill Ferment.

As you’ll see in this recipe, we use our Hi Mountain Jerky Gun to stuff our sausages. This handy little gadget comes with several nozzle attachments, one of which is a sausage stuffing head which coped just fine with our chunky mix. So don’t feel like you need expensive stuffing equipment to make your own sausages at home.

At the end of the sausage making recipe we’ll share another recipe on how to use your homemade Lap Cheong to make Sticky Rice with Shitake Mushrooms and Lap Cheong. Guaranteed to satisfy washed down with your own home brew!

PREP TIME: 1 hour

DRYING TIME: 3-4 days

YIELD: approximately 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS

• 1.1 kg of lean pork meat (shoulder and/or leg meat)
• 500 grams of pork fat (we used pork belly)
• 1 pack Misty Gully size 23 Sausage Casings
• 1 cup sugar (for candied pork fat)
• 200ml water
• 4.8 gram Misty Gully Cure #1 (2%)
• 22.5 grams of salt
• 90 grams of sugar (stuffing)
• Half tablespoon red rice yeast, crushed in a mortar & pestle
• 40 grams chilli powder
• 15 grams Sichuan peppercorns ground
• Half teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 15 grams of pressed ginger paste
• 2 cloves of pressed garlic paste
• 60ml light soy sauce
• 45ml rose wine

EQUIPMENT

• Hi Mountain Jerky Gun
• Kitchen Twine
• Mixing bowl
• Cling film
• Toothpick

RECIPE

1. Separate the lean meat and fat. Dice each into pea-sized pieces. Re-weigh each to make sure you’re still at 1.1kg lean meat & 0.5kg fat after trimming.
2. Make the candied pork fat. For this, blanch the pork fat for ~2 min in boiling water, rinse off and let it drain for a minute or two. In a small bowl, alternate layers of pork fat and sugar until all pork fat is covered. Cover with cling film & leave in the fridge overnight.
3. Mix the lean meat with the items in bold in the ingredient list. Cover with cling film & leave in fridge overnight.
4. Next day, cut approximately 30cm lengths of sausage casing. Feel free to use any casing you wish, simply follow the instructions on the package as they made need soaking prior to use.
5. Rinse the sugar off the pork fat & drain excess water thoroughly. Combine the lean meat with the fat, together with the 200ml of water. Mix thoroughly for 3-5 minutes to ensure all ingredients are incorporated well throughout.
6. Attach the sausage stuffing nozzle to the Hi Mountain Jerky Gun. Scrunch your casing over the nozzle, leaving approximately 5 or so centimetres of casing remaining at the end. Tie an overhand knot at the end of the casing.
7. Stuff the filling through the Hi Mountain Jerky Gun & gently fill. Once all the casing has been stuffed, once again leave approximately 5 or so centimetres of casing and knot at the end.
8. Using a toothpick, puncture the sausage every 2-3 centimetres or so down the whole casing. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat. Repeat 2 more times.
9. Cut 10-15cm lengths of baker’s twine, tie it in a loop. Separate each 30cm sausage into individual Lap Cheong’s by laying the loop of twine under the sausage in the middle, looping it through the loop, and tightening. In this way, they are able to be hung easily.
10. Now give the sausages a quick rinse off, pat dry with paper towel & place in the oven at 50 deg Celsius for 24 hours with the fan ON.
11. After 24 hours, hang your sausages in a cool, dry, sunny place for approximately 3-4 days. Keep in your refrigerator for up to 2 week or store in your freezer for up to 6 months. Enjoy!

BONUS RECIPE USING LAP CHEONG

STICKY RICE WITH LAP CHEONG SAUSAGE 

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 cups uncooked glutinous rice 
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms 
• 1.25 cups of dried shrimps 
• 3 links of Lap Cheong sausage 
• 2 tablespoons of neutral oil of choice 
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine 
• 1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce 
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoons oyster sauce 
• 1.25 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 
• 2-3 scallions for garnish 

RECIPE 

1. Submerge mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes until tender. Remove, drain and dice. Meanwhile, submerge shrimp in hot water for 30 minutes until rehydrated. Remove, drain and pat dry with paper towel. 
2. Prepare the rice according to instructions on the packet. Set aside to cool. 
3. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the wok along with the shrimp, sausage (which have been cut into thin slices on the diagonal) and salt and stir fry for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms are browned. 
4. Add rice to the wok & lower heat & stir-fry for another few minutes.  
5. Add the Shaoxing wine, soy sauces, oyster sauce & toasted sesame oil & agitate the work rapidly to mix all ingredients thoroughly. 
6. Serve immediately topped with thinly sliced scallions.  

The post Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage) Recipe appeared first on Brew Distill Ferment.

One aspect of any fermentation activity that should never be overlooked is sanitisation. To ensure you achieve consistent results with all your fermented drinks and foodstuffs make sure diligent effort is made every time to clean and sanitise. This allows the desired microbes the best opportunity to do their work without competition by unfavourable organisms.

With lactic acid fermentation incorrect sanitisation will cause organisms such as yeast or mould to grow, which will adversely affect texture & cause “off” flavours. With alcohol ferments incorrect sanitisation will cause contamination from organisms which will result in turning your alcohol into vinegar. Nothing worse than a ruined batch!

Be sure that all your fermentation equipment (inside and out), utensils, work surfaces as well as your hands are both cleaned and sanitised before you begin.

The first step involved is to clean.

Cleaning involves washing all equipment in hot water to remove debris, dirt, loose matter from a previous ferment etc. Then using a cleaning agent such as sodium percarbonate, follow manufacturer’s instructions to create a solution to scrub all equipment that will be used in the fermentation activity.

The next step is to sanitise.

Below we have mentioned the two easiest sanitisation approaches that we employ. Other methods include diluted bleach & Iodine based sanitisers (which we avoid as we found it can impart iodine flavours to the final ferment, yum!).

StellarSan

While we offer a range of chemical sanitisers in store & online, the easiest no rinse sanitiser we offer is the StellarSan foaming sanitiser, it is our preferred method of sanitisation. StellarSan will swiftly & efficiently sanitise your equipment with a soak time of just 2 minutes & can be used without rinsing, but we suggest you do. Furthermore, Atomic 15 will not impart any flavours to your drinks or foodstuffs.

Heat

Not to be overlooked, heat is always an effective method of sterilisation for metal & glass materials. But we do not recommend this method for plastic as heat can cause warping. Here we outline 3 ways you can achieve sanitisation with heat:

• Oven: Place equipment in an oven preheated to 180 deg Celsius for an hour.
• Dishwasher: Place equipment through a cycle without detergent. The dry cycle will sanitise your equipment.
• Pressure cooker: Place equipment in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes at 130 deg Celsius with a psi of 20.

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