The Most Delicious Vegan Kimchi Recipe You’ll Ever Make

Easy-To-Make, Healthy Vegan Kimchi

Kimchi is one of the best things you can have for your gut. I was introduced to it as a child, from this restaurant called Arirang. My family and I have been eating at Arirang for over 30 years, and the food still tastes as delicious to this day. The consistency of the chefs, flavours and recipes are truly incredible. I was absolutely honored when they invited me to their kitchen to see first-hand how they made the vegan Kimchi we love.

Since they make their kimchi in large portions, I took the liberty to adapt and tweak the recipe a little bit for a smaller scale batch, best suited for our home kitchens. Here is the recipe I have adapted from my all-time favorite restaurant here in Hong Kong.

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented condiment made with cabbage, spices and herbs. There are about 200 different variations of Kimchi around the country, and it depends on region to region. Each region in Korea makes their own style of Kimchi. According the Ms. Margaret, the founder of Arirang in Hong Kong, the coastal regions tend to use more seafood flavours in their Kimchi, and the inland regions tend to use basic vegetables.

What makes Kimchi an excellent probiotic is the naturally present bacteria from the fresh vegetables in the recipe. The ‘wild bacteria’ is fostered during the fermentation process over 1-2 days in a clean environment, which develops wonderful bacteria for your gut.

It sounds complicated, but the fermentation process is simply leaving the mixture on your countertop for about 1-2 days. After that, you’ll start to see bubbles forming in the mixture. To slow down the process, it’s best to keep it in the fridge, as you would a wild culture sourdough starter. This way you can consume it without it degrading to mold or harmful bacteria.

Fun Facts About Kimchi:

1. The same ‘good bacteria’ in Kimchi is found in other probiotics such as yoghurt and other fermented dairy products.
2. Historically, meat would have been very expensive to purchase, so the dish has traditionally been vegan friendly.

How do you preserve kimchi?

Kimchi is best preserved in an air-tight container because limiting exposure to air helps the fermentation process. The growth of good bacteria thrives under sealed conditions. Be sure to release the carbon dioxide from the container/jar periodically to ensure the container does not explode!

Gut health

The probiotics found in fermented foods contain live microorganisms that are amazing for your gut. A good functioning gut is vital to a healthy digestive system and helps prevent diseases. Consuming probiotics has also shown to improve mental health, treat allergies, lower inflammation and boost your immune system.

This recipe is perfect for those who are also lactose-intolerant or vegan.

The Secret To Making Delicious Kimchi

This vegan kimchi recipe needs a full two days of fermentation out in a cool, dry place in your kitchen. However, with the Hong Kong humidity, it may take just a day. You need to keep checking if your kimchi is ‘fermenting’ by the level of bubbling, and measuring if the kimchi is rising in the air-tight jar.

Another very important ingredient to make this ferment perfectly is using carbonated water. Arirang uses 7-up or Sprite as the trick, to give it a good balance between sweet and salty, but I have altered this to make it more healthy for you. It is up to you what you’d like to choose when you make it yourself.

Lastly, I always say the quality of your food truly depends on the quality of your ingredients, so ensure you use high quality, fresh herbs from the market. The chives and spring onions need to be bright green, and crisp. The cabbage needs to be fresh and crunchy as well. I used Fuji apple from China and Fung Shui pear from China – these work best for this kimchi.

Easy-To-Make, Healthy Vegan Kimchi

The Veggie Wifey

Fermented veggies that are amazing for your gut!

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Servings 5 servings

Prep Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Fermenting Time 2 days d

Total Time 2 days d 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Equipment

• 2 large mixing bowls
• 1 Sharp knife
• 1 Chopping Board
• 1 air-tight storage container

Ingredients

Vegetables

• ▢ 350 grams Chinese cabbage (wombok) sliced, separated, salted, washed then dried
• ▢ 30 grams chives chopped (make sure this is measured AFTER its chopped)
• ▢ 40 grams spring onions chopped (make sure this is measured AFTER its chopped)

Seasoning

• ▢ 3 tbsp Korean red pepper paste gochujang (see notes for a homemade version)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Korean red chilli flakes gochugaru
• ▢ 1 tbsp salt
• ▢ 1 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp rice flour mixed with 3 tbsps water (room temp) you may skip this if you want a lower calorie kimchi
• ▢ 3 tbsps carbonated water or Sprite/7-Up, make sure its new/carbonated
• ▢ 1/2 apple grated
• ▢ 1/2 pear grated
• ▢ 1 tbsp minced garlic
• ▢ 1 tbsp minced ginger

Instructions

• As mentioned above, the cabbage needs to be sliced, separated then salted. You can use a large bowl for this. Keep this aside for about 1-12 hours (depending on how much time you have. You can leave it overnight as well) to let all the water from the cabbage drain out and for it to absorb the sauce better. Where salt goes, water follows.
• Once the cabbage water has been released, wash the cabbage and completely dry it. You can use a salad spinner for this (available on my amazon store). If you notice the cabbage is not completely soft, and it is still very crunchy, repeat the salting process and leave it for longer. You need the cabbage to be soft but not wilted**
• Mix all the ingredients for the seasoning together in a large bowl.
• Add the cabbage. Mix it in the seasoning really well.
• Store the kimchi in an air-tight container for about a day, in a cool, dry place in your kitchen. Somewhere with no direct sunlight. Be sure to release the gas periodically.
• Taste the kimchi the next day. It should have some fermented tanginess to it. If not, keep it out for another day.
• Once the kimchi has reached your desired fermented tanginess (make sure it doesn't get too tangy) you can store this in the fridge for up to a month. Use it for kimchi fried rice, pancakes, or even stuffing. Its so delicious.
• HOW EASY WAS THAT??? Rate this recipe if you love it! Enjoy 🙂

Notes

Gochujang is a very concentrated spicy Korean paste used in a lot of Korean cooking.

I noticed that a lot of store gochujang sauces have corn syrup in it. This is because it’s a cheaper alternative to sugar. Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup is extremely high-GI and studies have shown it is linked to diabetes if eaten regularly. A lot of our store-bought sauces may contain this. It is important for us to read ingredients to avoid consuming these harmful processed foods.

I’ve developed my own recipe to make your own gochujang sauce to help you with this. Please follow these instructions, or watch my video here: 

•  2 tbsp rice flour
• 0.5 cups of water
• 2 tbsps soy sauce (or coconut aminos, you may need to add 1 extra tbsp for that)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple/agave or honey
• 1 tbsp organic soybean paste/miso paste
• 100g gochu-garu (Korean red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (if you want more spice)

To make this: 

1. Combine the rice flour and water in a small frying pan over low heat
2. Once the mixture is thick and sticky, take it off the heat and place it in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients 
4. Pour it in a glass jar to store in the fridge up to 3 months