Vegan Kimchi
A fermented, salty, spicy Korean dish made from Chinese leaf (aka napa cabbage). While traditional kimchi recipes use fish sauce as an ingredient, we have switched in Kikkoman soy sauce to make this suitable for vegans to enjoy too.
- Serves1
- Preparation Time1 hour 30 mins
- Additional Time+ allow a week or more for fermenting
Ingredients
- 1 whole head of Chinese leaf, quartered and cored
- 4 tsp salt
- 4-5 tsp chilli flakes (Korean is best)
- 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 sheet nori, cut into small pieces
Method
Firstly, ensure all items of equipment are clean to avoid any bad bacteria getting into the ferment and wash your hands before touching the ingredients each time.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, massaging in between the leaves and leave for approx. 30 minutes for the salt to draw moisture out of the Chinese leaf.
Squeeze out as much juice as possible, then leave to sit for another 20 minutes, then repeat.
Get a sterilised jar and pack the Chinese leaf tightly into it, along with any remaining juices. It is important there is enough juice to cover the Chinese leaf completely to prevent mould forming, so if needed you might need to wait until more juice is released and then pack it down again until fully submerged right to the top by at least 0.5cm of brine. Screw on the lid and leave at room temperature to ferment for about a week. Taste it, it will continue to develop in sourness so once it is to your liking then transfer to a fridge and its ready to use. It will keep well for a long time.
