How to make your own vegan kimchi – with step-by-step instructions
Learn how to make your own vegan kimchi with this easy-to-follow recipe. It’s a delicious side dish and great for your gut health!
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Kimchi is an important staple in Korean cuisine and is a way of storing and preserving vegetables over the winter months when they are in short supply.
Typically a side dish, it is made from salted and fermented vegetables such as napa or Chinese cabbage.
Kimchi is great for gut health and promotes digestion, so add it to salads, stir fries and stews to make the most of the health benefits of fermented foods.
Kimchi needs plenty of time to ferment, so make a start at least two days before you need it.
It may take some trial and error to discover roughly how many days you prefer to leave your vegan kimchi to ferment, and it’ll be slightly different each time so always taste it to be sure it’s how you like it.
This recipe makes enough to fill two 750ml jars.
Step-by-step guide to make vegan kimchi
Step 1: Use a knife to cut a cross into the root of your cabbage, then tear your cabbage into four sections using the cross as a starting point. Then cut each section into 2-inch pieces.
Step 2: Place a third of the chopped cabbage into a large bowl. Sprinkle it with a layer of sea salt, then repeat with the rest of the cabbage, layering salt in between each layer. Place a plate on top of the salted cabbage, as well as something heavy to weigh it down. Leave overnight.
Step 3: The next day, squeeze the water out of the cabbage and rinse to get rid of most of the salt. Leave the cabbage in the bowl.
Step 4: Make the kimchi paste by adding the water, apple, onion, ginger, the roughly chopped carrot, garlic and 1-2 tablespoons of the gochugaru to a high-speed blender and blend until fairly smooth.
Step 5. Pour the kimchi paste over the cabbage and mix together. Then, sprinkle the remaining gochugaru over the cabbage, as well as the finely sliced carrot and spring onions, and mix well. If you prefer a less-spicy kimchi, you can choose to add less gochugaru at this stage.
Step 6: Layer the kimchi carefully in lidded glass jars and pack down as best you can, leaving about an inch of room at the top. Top with any remaining kimchi paste from your bowl and and secure the lid.
Step 7: Allow the kimchi to ferment for at least 24 hours at room temperature. After each 24 hours, check the kimchi and squeeze it down with a spoon. Taste every 24 hours and place it in the refrigerator once you’re happy with the taste – it should be tangy, spicy and slightly sweet. Once refrigerated, it’s best used within a month.
Total Time: At least 2 days
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Calories: 22
Servings: 10
Rating:
Nutritional information per serving:
Serving size
150g
calories
22
fat
0.3g
saturates
0.1g
carbs
1.8g
sugars
0.1g
fibre
3.6g
protein
1.3g
salt
1.8g
Total Time: At least 2 days
Calories: 22
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 10)
- 0.2 0.2 medium-sized Chinese cabbages
- 7.5 7.5 g sea salt
- 30 30 ml water
- 0.1 0.1 apple, cored and roughly chopped
- 0.1 0.1 small white onion, roughly chopped
- 0.1 0.1 half-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 0.2 0.2 carrots, one roughly chopped, the other finely sliced
- 0.2 0.2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 0.3 0.3 Tbsp Korean chilli powder (gochugaru)
- 0.4 0.4 spring onions, sliced
Method
- Begin by preparing the cabbage 24 hours before you want to make the kimchi. Make a cross at the top of the cabbage, and pull it into four parts, before chopping into 2-inch sized pieces.
- Place a third of the chopped cabbage into a large bowl. Sprinkle it with a layer of sea salt, then repeat this step with the other two-thirds of the cabbage, layering salt in
between each layer. Place a plate on top of it, as well as something heavy to weigh it down. Leave overnight. - The next day, squeeze the water out of the cabbage and rinse to get rid of most of the salt. Leave the cabbage in the bowl.
- To make the kimchi paste, combine the water, apple, onion, ginger, the roughly chopped carrot, garlic and 1-2 tablespoons of the gochugaru in a high-speed blender and blend until fairly smooth. Pour the paste over the cabbage and mix together
- Sprinkle the last tablespoon of gochugaru over the cabbage, as well as the finely sliced carrot and spring onions, and mix well.
- Layer the kimchi carefully in lidded glass jars and pack down as best you can, leaving about an inch of room at the top. Top with the remaining kimchi paste and and secure the lid.
- Allow the kimchi to ferment for 24–36 hours at room temperature. After 24 hours, check the kimchi and squeeze it down with a spoon. Taste every 24 hours and place it in the refrigerator once you’re happy with the taste – it should be tangy, spicy and slightly sweet. Once refrigerated, it’s best used within a month.
Serve your vegan kimchi with a plate of this Korean BBQ tempeh
