Friday, July 23, 2010

kimchi

if you follow my blog at all, you probably know i'm a cabbage junkie.  i eat the stuff by the bowlful.  last year i bought a airlock fermenter so i can make my own gallon jars of homemade kraut.  the best part - lots of extra cabbage (i always overestimate). so i put my overstock to good use, and decided to make up a batch of vegan kimchi (most recipes have some sort of fish sauce). let me preface this by saying i don't know how authentically korean this recipe is, but it makes the kimchi flavor i like, so i'm sticking with it.  the one thing i don't add is sugar, which a lot of recipes call for. but again, if you read my blog, you know that sugar and i are like oil and water - we just weren't meant to go together.  i've included pics at the bottom that document the process of making this deliciousness.


  • 1 head of napa cabbage
  • 2 baby bok choy
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • other veggies: green peppers, daikon, scallions
  • 1¼ tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 cups water

for the kimchi paste:
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon korean chili powder
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cloves ginger, minced
  • 3 tablespoons water

start by prepping the cabbage.  cut a small v into the thick part of the stem and remove.  then cut it crosswise (see picture below).  put cabbage in sterile bowl, and toss with about 1¼ tablespoons of kosher salt.  next, cut up the bok choy, and mix in with the cabbage. add the water and let sit at room temperature for about a hour or two. in the meantime, mince and slice the other veggies. after cabbage has tenderized in the brine, drain and rinse the cabbage off several times and taste a small piece.  if it's too salty, submerge cabbage in water without salt and let sit for 15 or 20 minutes to desalt and then drain.  it's sort of a balance that you will figure out after a couple times making it.

in a separate bowl, mix up all the paste ingredients except for the sesame seeds.  put all the veggies in the bowl with the cabbage and mix in paste.  you can do it by hand by using gloves, or i just use a large sterile plastic mixing spoon.  make sure all the cabbage is coated, and then toss in the sesame seeds and mix them in.  in a sterile quart jar, start packing the kimchi in, making sure to press down and push out any air.  once the kimchi is packed in, pour in the remaining kimchi brine that was generated by mixing the paste. make sure the cabbage completely covered with slurry.


at this point, you can eat it, pop it in the fridge or let it ferment (more traditional).  to ferment, make sure all cabbage is covered with slurry (but not completely to the top), cap it, and put in a cool dark place (slightly below room temperature) for a few days before moving to fridge.  if needed, you can fill a ziploc bag with water and set it on top to submerge the veggies before you cap it.  i've done both, but fermented foods certainly have some benefits.  eat with noodles, rice, dumplings, in soups, in nori rolls, as a side, etc.

get your ingredients together
prep your cabbage
mix with kimchi paste
tightly pack in a jar for consumption

13 comments:

M said...

Thank you so much for posting this!

Lauren said...

Mmm, I love Kimchi! I think I love anything fermented!! YUM!

M said...

Wait... cloves of ginger?

Carrie said...

I've actually never had kimchi before. To be honest it always kind of weirds me out. But a lot of people seem to love it so perhaps I should just give it a try!

miss v said...

mylene - they actually aren't cloves of ginger, but i use that a size comparison. so you would use 2 chunks of ginger about the size of a garlic clove. :)

VeganCraftastic said...

I've never had kimchi, but it always looks really yummy!

Anonymous said...

i made this dish and it was quite delicious. i totally dig napa cabbage now! thanks for posting :)

Hannah said...

Nice! I've got some homemade kimchi on hand too, but it was my first attempt so it came out pretty tame as far as spice goes. Still, it's such a fun and versatile condiment, I think everyone should try making their own!

Sarah (GF vegan) said...

I've never tried kimchi but it looks and sounds awesome! I love napa cabbage... haven't had it for a while. And thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Usha said...

I haven't tried kimchi yet but I love the sound of it ! Very flavorful and inviting dish...

translation services said...

If needed, you can fill a ziploc bag with water and set it on top to submerge the veggies before you cap it. i've done both, but fermented foods certainly have some benefits. eat with noodles, rice, dumplings, in soups etc.

Gain weight fast said...

I like kimchi very much. This recipe is wonderful. I used to eat this when I was young and my mother used to make them for me. I am definitely looking forward to prepare this at my home.

real estate values said...

The cut and chop the other vegetables and tender cabbage in the brine, drain and rinse the cabbage out several times and enjoy a little. I like this posted article.