Vegan Kimchi

⏱ 4500 mins 🍽 ['24', '6 pints'] 🌶 asian 🏷 Condiment

This vibrant vegan kimchi is a fermented condiment packed with flavour. It uses napa cabbage and rainbow carrots, which are salted and then coated in a piquant paste made from chilli, miso, garlic, and ginger. After packing into jars, it ferments at room temperature for about 72 hours to develop its characteristic tangy, spicy taste. The result is a versatile, plant-based kimchi perfect for adding a kick to various dishes.

Vegan Kimchi

Ingredients

  • 6 pounds napa cabbage
  • 2 (16 ounce) packages rainbow carrots
  • 0.33333334326744 cup kosher salt, or more to taste
  • 2 bunches scallions, trimmed
  • 4 ounces ground fresh chili paste (sambal oelek), or more to taste
  • 4 tablespoons white miso
  • 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 (4 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Method

  1. Cut each cabbage head into quarters and discard the cores. Slice the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Working in batches, place the cabbage in a large salad spinner, fill it with water, agitate by hand, drain, and spin dry.
  2. Peel the carrots and trim the ends. Slice them into 1-inch lengths, then cut into thin matchsticks.
  3. Distribute the cabbage and carrots equally among three large non-reactive bowls. Scatter one third of the salt over each bowl. Massage the salt into the vegetables by hand until they are thoroughly coated and begin to soften. Cover the vegetables completely with cold water, then cover each bowl with plastic wrap. Leave them on the counter for 2 to 3 hours.
  4. Drain the cabbage and carrots using a strainer. Save 1 to 2 cups of the resulting brine in a sealed container.
  5. While the vegetables soak, prepare the scallions. Slice the dark green tops into 1-inch lengths and set them aside. Cut off the white bulb ends (the bottom 3 to 4 inches), chop them into 1/2-inch pieces, and add these to a food processor. Reserve the light green stalks for another recipe.
  6. Place the chilli paste, miso, garlic, and ginger into the food processor with the scallion whites. Process the mixture until it forms a smooth, thick paste.
  7. Return the drained cabbage and carrots to the bowls and add the reserved dark green scallions. Divide the chilli paste mixture into three portions and add one portion to each bowl. Wearing food-safe gloves, massage the paste thoroughly into all the vegetables until they are fully coated.
  8. Firmly pack the kimchi mixture into six sterilised pint-sized jars. Place the lids on and screw them on only partway to keep them in position without creating a seal.
  9. Put the jars on a rimmed baking sheet and leave them at room temperature until they become bubbly and aromatic, which takes about 72 hours. Each day, open the jars and run a clean chopstick or knife down all four sides to release trapped air. Press the vegetables down with a spoon so they remain under the liquid, topping up with a spoonful or two of the reserved brine if needed. Some overflow may occur due to the loose lids. simply wipe the jars clean and continue.
  10. After 72 hours, wipe the outside of the jars and the inner rims clean if necessary. Screw the lids on tightly and transfer the kimchi to the refrigerator for storage.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories59 kcal
Fat1 g
Sugars5 g
Protein3 g
Sodium1453 mg

Recipe details

CategoryCondiment
Cuisineasian
Authorjaybu