Kimchi [Vegan]
A lot of store-bought kimchi has fish sauce, so here’s how you can make your own with no animal products
1 head napa cabbage
½ cup salt
1 gallon water
1 head garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
1 2” finger ginger, peeled and minced
½ cup gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) or ⅓ cup vegetarian kimchi paste (see note 2)
1 bunch green onions, sliced into 2” pieces
1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated
1 tsp sugar, agave nectar, or honey (see note 3)
Slice the whole head of cabbage in half lengthwise, then slice the halves lengthwise into thirds, making six equal pieces. Make a diagonal cut to remove the stem pieces and discard them. Combine the salt and water in a really big bowl or crock and stir until the salt is dissolved, then add the cabbage and use a plate or weight to keep the leaves submerged in the salty water; let soak for 2 hours. Process all the other ingredients and combine in a big bowl made from non-porous materials (see note 4), mixing them into a paste. Drain, rinse, and gently pat the cabbage dry, then add to paste bowl and mix until thoroughly coated. Transfer your kimchi to a wide-mouthed 2 quart mason jar, gently pressing it down with a firm spatula as needed. If any brine has begun to form, try to submerge the kimchi in the brine as much as possible; if no brine has formed yet, it’s ok. Seal the jar and leave at room temperature, but out of direct sunlight for 1-2 days. If your kimchi started off dry, once a day open the lid and press the leaves down as much as possible into the forming brine - usually by day 2 everything will be submerged. After 2 days, serve or refrigerate.
Notes
This recipe is by Shannon Kuhn and appeared in the Anchorage Daily News as part of the article Life’s short; eat more kimchi on July 25th, 2014.
As mentioned in the subhead, a lot of kimchi products you find in the store have fish sauce because it speeds up fermentation, so check the ingredients if using kimchi paste.
I know some vegans don’t eat honey, but it works too.
I like to use either a 5 quart Pyrex bowl or a really big mixing bowl made from recycled plastic, but metal works too.
As I talked about in my kimchi cucumbers recipe, kimchi still ages - just more slowly - in the fridge, so even if you want a stronger fermented flavor, don’t leave it on the counter for more than 3 days, let it ripen in the fridge.