kohlrabi jangajji
sweet + savoury...with a surprise ingredient.
Kenji Morimoto•
Sep 10, 2025
I suppose this is quite traditional - the proportions of soy:acid:sugar, as well as the technique - however here, I've swapped in (fairly) fermented kombucha in for the vinegar. If you're a kombucha maker, you can probably empathise about the amount of kombucha you have lying about, so this is a perfect solution. Freshly brewed or store bought kombucha should work but you want to ensure it tastes sour, not too dissimilar to vinegar. If you don't have kombucha, vinegar, of course, will work (I'd go with apple cider vinegar, personally, but white or rice vinegar are more traditional).
Kohlrabi is the perfect medium for this pickling method as it retains its crunch but absorbs the flavour really well - daikon, broccoli stems, turnips, or other dense vegetables are lovely additions. Just be sure they're cut relatively small in order to pickle effectively.
Kenji Morimoto is a London-based Japanese American food writer and content creator who specializes in fermentation. He draws from his cultural heritage to teach, write, and share culinary knowledge through various platforms, including his popular Instagram @kenjcooks and his upcoming book "Ferment."
Ingredients (9)
Ingredients (9)
Brine
Vegetables
Instructions
Put all of the brine ingredients into a small pan, in addition to the shallots and garlic. Let the sugar dissolve on low heat and allow the shallots and garlic to cook down, roughly 5-7 minutes. Allow the brine to cool slightly before moving to the next step.
The vegetables at this stage should be cooked through.
Put your prepared vegetables in a heat-proof glass jar and pour the brine on top. I tend to leave this at room temperature for one day before moving to the fridge. These can last quite a long time however the brine will dilute over time - my batches generally last 3-5 days since we eat them with everything!
