It’s great to have a jar of this cucumber kimchi around as it’s such an easy way to add freshness and a bit of spice and crunch to all kinds of dishes. Baby cucumbers have a lovely flavour but normal ones are also fine if you can’t track the mini ones down. Unlike traditional kimchi, this can be enjoyed after just three hours, although you can also leave it overnight in the fridge. It is, however, best to try and eat it within a day.
It’s quite spicy but you can reduce (or increase!) the amount of chilli flakes depending on your preference.
1kg/2lb 4oz baby cucumbers, cut into batons
1 small shallot, finely sliced
1 tbsp salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8g/¼oz fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp red chilli flakes
¼ red apple, grated
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp tamari
Place the cucumber batons and sliced shallots in a large bowl. Add the salt and mix by hand to evenly distribute. Leave to one side for at least 10 minutes.
Place the garlic and ginger in a pestle and mortar and begin to grind. Add the chilli flakes and continue to grind before adding the apple, honey and tamari and grinding until it becomes a coarse paste.
Drain any excess water from the cucumbers and shallots and then use a clean tea towel or paper towels to dry them off a bit. Return the to the bowl and spoon over the chilli paste. Mix thoroughly by hand, cover and leave in a cool place for about 3 hours. If not using immediately, you can transfer to a sterilized jar (see here) and store in the fridge overnight.
Vegan option Use brown sugar in place of the honey.
You can’t beat a freshly made tapenade for strong, zingy flavours that really pop. It’s wonderful spooned over a slab of feta or some steaming new potatoes, but it’s also an ideal accompaniment to our ember-roasted vegetable plate (see here). The tapenade is best eaten immediately, but it does also keep well for about a week in the fridge.
100g/3½oz/1 cup pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
2 tbsp capers, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup olive oil
pinch of black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
Originating in Argentina and Uruguay, chimichurri is an uncooked sauce often used as a marinade for grilled meat. You can use it in this way with any meat substitutes you enjoy having on the barbecue, but it is also wonderful as a condiment or drizzled over grilled or ember-roasted vegetables (see here). Another thing we love to do is add a spoonful to natural yogurt to make a delicious dip!
It’s meant to be seriously garlicky, and we don’t disappoint in that regard here, but you can reduce to one clove if you’re not so keen or have a hot date lined up. It can, of course, be prepared in a food processor but we like to make it using a pestle and mortar, especially when we’re outdoors
salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
30g/1oz parsley, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp red chilli flakes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
Place a generous pinch of salt into your mortar. Add the garlic cloves and crush thoroughly. Add the parsley, oregano, chilli flakes and red wine vinegar and grind until it all begins to break down. Add the olive oil and continue to grind until you have a wet, well-combined yet still rough mixture.
It isn’t a barbecue without some barbecue sauce and this is something we always have to hand; the addition of chipotle giving it a little bit of a kick. It also works as a great marinade for veggies or for jackfruit (see here), as well as for soya or seitan products (see here).
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped thyme
1 tbsp molasses
1 chipotle chilli, soaked in hot water for about 15 minutes until soft, drained and chopped
30ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp rum
2 tsp red wine vinegar
30ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp tamari 300ml/10½fl oz/generous 1¼ cups ketchup
Salt and pepper
1 x 400-ml/14-fl oz/1¾-cup bottle or jar, sterilized
Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the garlic, onion and thyme for 2 minutes before adding the molasses and softened chipotle. Allow the mixture to caramelize for a minute, then add the rum, vinegar and tamari and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the ketchup and a touch of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Bring the sauce to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Allow to cool, then transfer to your sterilized bottle or jar to store in the fridge.
To sterilize your jar Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Remove from the heat and, using tongs, carefully lower the jar and lid into the water. Submerge the head of the tongs as well. Leave everything for 5 minutes then lift the jar out of the water using the same tongs and allow to air dry.
Bulgogi translates as ‘fire-meat’, so obviously in a veggie book this isn’t an authentic bulgogi. But the marinade used for bulgogi is such a handy thing to have around at a veggie barbecue. We use it with our braised tofu kimbap (see here), but it’s also great as a general marinade or sauce and works really well with jackfruit or soya or seitan products. Double the chilli flakes if you’d like it authentically spicy!
80ml/2½fl oz/5 tbsp tamari
80ml/2½fl oz/5 tbsp mirin
30g/1oz/2½ tbsp unrefined brown sugar
4g/⅛oz/1 tbsp red chilli flakes
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
We usually have lots of red chillies leftover from making kimchi for our Buddha bowls and we love to pickle them so they don’t go to waste. Ideal for quickly adding a bit of tangy heat to any dish, you’ll need a jar that can hold about 400ml/14fl oz/1¾ cups. You can also try substituting the sliced red chillies for whole habaneros, as our friend Henning from The Taco Truck showed us. They make a snack that certainly wakes you up if you’re feeling a bit sluggish!
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup apple cider vinegar
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup water
1 bay leaf
30g/1oz/2½ tbsp unrefined brown sugar
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp cumin seeds
salt and black pepper
5 long red chillies, sliced
1 x 400-ml/14-fl oz/1¾-cup jar, sterilized
Place the vinegar, water, bay leaf, sugar, coriander seeds, turmeric and cumin seeds into a pan and bring to the boil so the sugar dissolves. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper and leave to one side.
Place the sliced red chilli into your sterilized pickling jar and then pour in the hot pickling liquor. Set aside to cool with the lid off and once it’s cool, seal and transfer to the fridge. It will be ready in a couple of days and should last at least a couple of weeks.
To sterilize your jar Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Remove from the heat and, using tongs, carefully lower the jar and lid into the water. Submerge the head of the tongs as well. Leave everything for 5 minutes then lift the jar out of the water using the same tongs and allow to air dry.
These are a great thing to have around, not only because they’re delicious but because the addition of beetroot also turns them the kind of neon pink that you can’t believe is natural and that will make any dish pop!
1 large jar (about 2 litres/70fl oz), sterilized
750g/1lb 10oz turnips, peeled and cut into batons roughly 1cm/½in wide
200g/7oz beetroot, peeled and sliced
2 bay leaves
750ml/26fl oz/3¼ cups water
200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp salt
In your sterilized jar, layer the turnip batons and beetroot slices and top with the bay leaves.
In a bowl, whisk the water, vinegar, garlic and salt until all the salt has dissolved.
Pour enough of the vinegar mixture over the turnips and beetroot so they’re fully covered and then seal the jar and place in the fridge. It usually takes about a week for them to be ready.
To sterilize your jar Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Remove from the heat and, using tongs, carefully lower the jar and lid into the water. Submerge the head of the tongs as well. Leave everything for 5 minutes then lift the jar out of the water using the same tongs and allow to air dry.
A jar of mixed pickles is an excellent way to liven up an outdoor feast. And a great way to use up any unwanted vegetables. The cabbage needs salting to pickle properly, but all the other vegetables can be substituted for whatever you fancy or have going spare.
1-litre/35-fl oz/4¼-cup Kilner jar, sterilized
300g/10½oz white cabbage, sliced
1 tbsp salt, plus a pinch
1 carrot, peeled and cut into batons
85g/3oz cucumber, cut into wedges
70g/2½oz cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 garlic clove
1 long red chilli, halved
½ tsp ground turmeric
180ml/6fl oz/¾ cup apple cider vinegar
360ml/12½fl oz/generous 1½ cups water
50g/1¾oz/¼ cup unrefined brown sugar
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
Place the cabbage in a mixing bowl along with the salt, mix well by hand and then leave to one side for about 30 minutes.
After the 30 minutes, transfer the cabbage to a colander to drain and then weigh it down in the colander using a suitably sized bowl filled with water. Leave to one side for a further 1–2 hours and then rinse the cabbage to remove the salt.
Place the cabbage, carrot, cucumber, cauliflower, garlic, red chilli and turmeric in your sterilized Kilner jar.
Make the pickling liquor by placing the apple cider vinegar, water, brown sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and a pinch of salt in a pan. Bring it to the boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour as much as you can of the liquor over the vegetables in the jar, add the bay leaf and allow to fully cool before sealing with the lid and transferring to the fridge. They should be ready to eat after 2–3 days and should keep for around a month.
To sterilize your jar Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Remove from the heat and, using tongs, carefully lower the jar and lid into the water. Submerge the head of the tongs as well. Leave everything for 5 minutes then lift the jar out of the water using the same tongs and allow to air dry.
You can’t have a barbecue without some ketchup and to make your own, and to elevate the flavour by roasting the tomatoes, is an excellent barbecue coup. In an ideal world, they’d be fire roasted but if you’re making it indoors, roasted in the oven is delicious too. It’s actually super easy and keeps for at least a week in a sealed container in the fridge, so it can be made well ahead of time.
1kg/2lb 4oz plum tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
½ tsp garlic powder
2 pinches of onion salt
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 cloves
3 bay leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
75g/2¾oz/6 tbsp unrefined brown sugar
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup apple cider vinegar
pinch of red chilli flakes
If cooking outdoors, prepare your grill, then brush the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Grill until they’re just beginning to blacken on all sides.
If cooking indoors, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 and place the tomatoes in a baking dish or baking pan lined with greaseproof (wax) paper. Brush the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper and 1 teaspoon of the thyme (as above). Roast for around 40 minutes until they have lots of colour.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for about 3–5 minutes until translucent. Turn the heat to low, then mix in the garlic, the remaining thyme, the tomato purée, garlic powder, onion salt, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, mustard seeds, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, chilli flakes and a little salt and black pepper. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes and then leave to one side.
When the tomatoes are ready, add them to the pan and return to a low heat. Mix thoroughly and continue to cook for around a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and then leave the sauce to cool before transferring to a blender to blend until smooth. Pass through a strainer into a bowl and, once fully cool, transfer to an airtight container for storage in the fridge.
Condiments are key to a top-of-the-range barbecue spread and this is one of our favourites; it works particularly well with veggie burgers or hot dog-type dishes. It’s such an easy thing to make and lasts well in a sealed jar so is also ideal as a really special homemade gift.
kernels from 2 corn on the cob
1 small onion, chopped to around the size of a corn kernel
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ red pepper, chopped to around the size of a corn kernel
½ green pepper, chopped to around the size of a corn kernel
½ long red chilli, sliced
15g/½oz/4 tsp unrefined brown sugar
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup apple cider vinegar
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 bay leaf
salt and black pepper
10g/⅓oz coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 x 700-ml/24-fl oz/3-cup jar, sterilized
Place the sweetcorn kernels, onion, garlic, red and green peppers, red chilli, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, olive oil, mustard seeds, bay leaf and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper in a pan. Stir well as you bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the coriander and then transfer to your sterilized jar.
Leave to cool, then seal with the lid and store in the fridge.
To sterilize your jar Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Remove from the heat and, using tongs, carefully lower the jar and lid into the water. Submerge the head of the tongs as well. Leave everything for 5 minutes then lift the jar out of the water using the same tongs and allow to air dry.
This works with any Middle Eastern-style dish (we use it in our sabich, see here), but it is also excellent as a simple dip to enjoy with pitas or laffa and crudités. We also think it’s great as a creamy vegan salad dressing.
80g/2¾oz/⅓ cup tahini
½ garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp water
pinch of salt
Simply combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, water and salt in a bowl until well mixed and smooth.
This Yemeni green chilli sauce is perfect whenever you want to add a herby kick to something, or a splash of the most gorgeous verdant green. It’s delicious in our sabich (see here) and also with the shawarma-spiced celeriac (see here).
We’ve used green chillies as we’re still in training on the chilli-eating front, but you could substitute for green finger chillies if you want to amp up the burn.
It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge but it’s very quick to make and better eaten fresh.
3 green chillies, stalks removed and
roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 cardamom pods, seeds only
¼ tsp ground cumin
65ml/2fl oz/¼ cup olive oil
25g/1oz flat-leaf parsley, picked
25g/1oz coriander (cilantro), picked
10g/⅓oz mint, picked
juice of ½ lemon
salt and black pepper
Place the chillies, garlic, cardamom seeds, cumin and a dash of the olive oil into a blender and blitz until it starts to form a paste. Add in the parsley, coriander, mint, lemon juice, the rest of the olive oil, and a little salt and black pepper and slowly combine on low speed until fairly smooth. You can always add a splash of water if needed to blend.
This ash salt certainly looks dramatic, yet it is such an easy thing to make and is very handy to have around to add a touch of the smoky great outdoors to any dish. It’s best to do this in something cast iron, but at the very least make sure it’s fireproof. The hay can be easily picked up at a pet shop but you can also experiment smoking with woods such as apple, oak or mesquite.
2 tbsp sea salt
3 handfuls hay
Place the hay in your Dutch oven and set the hay on fire. This is easiest using a blowtorch, if you have one. Allow the hay to burn completely to ashes and then transfer to a pestle and mortar along with the salt. Grind thoroughly and then push through a fine sieve (strainer). Store in an airtight container.
