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Homemade Korean Vegan Kimchi - perfectly vibrant, spicy, and sour with the hint of umami that will pair extremely well in any buddha bowls and fried rice.
[Post updated on December 16, 2020]
I never thought I'd be making my own kimchi. My mom makes the BEST kimchi, not because she is my mom but everyone who has tasted her kimchi asks if they can have some, and I never had a reason to make my own.
Once I was married, my mom would still pack me her kimchi whenever I visited her. Once I moved to LA, I just started eating store-bought kimchi out of convenience.
Then shortly after, I became a vegetarian. I think I didn't eat kimchi for several months because the Korean store didn't sell vegan kimchi and I refused to pay $10 for a tiny jar of vegan kimchi. So I made my own.
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a staple of every Korean household. It is a traditional fermented Korean side dish that is made with different vegetables and seasonings.
Although there are literally hundreds of types of kimchi, the most well-known kimchi is the napa cabbage kimchi. I don't think people realize that you can make kimchi out of pretty much any vegetables. In a way, you can use kimchi as a verb rather than a noun.
For the sake of this blog post, I will address napa cabbage kimchi as kimchi. But please know that there are so many types of kimchi.
Is Kimchi vegan/vegetarian?
No. Traditional kimchi is often made with fish sauce and salted fermented baby shrimps. So traditional kimchi is not even vegetarian-friendly.
Why is fish sauce and/or salted fermented baby shrimps used in Kimchi?
- To assist the fermentation process. Both fish sauce and salted baby shrimps are fermented products. Therefore, they will help expedite the fermentation.
- For deeper umami taste
So can you make kimchi vegan/vegetarian?
YES! You just need to make some adjustments.
- Use a little more salt to compensate for not using fish sauce and salted baby shrimps.
- Steep some kelp in hot water and use its liquid for umami flavor.
- Use sugar/sweetness to assist with the fermentation process. I'm using Medjool dates and apple in the sauce to do so.
Before we get to the part of making kimchi, I want to let you know this recipe makes a big jar of vegan kimchi (about 5 pounds). If you never tried kimchi, this may not be the best way to experience kimchi. Go to the local grocery store (or Whole Foods) and buy a small jar to see if you like it.
NOTE: Fermented kimchi is sour, spicy, tangy, and refreshing. But some might describe it as funky and pungent. This is a vegan kimchi recipe for those of you who love kimchi and want to make it at home to be cost-effective.
Ingredients in homemade Korean vegan kimchi
- Napa cabbage
- Korean coarse sea salt (I've heard others had pretty good luck with using other types of coarse sea salt though)
- Kelp pieces
- Sweet rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
- Garlic
- Medjool dates (or sugar)
- Onion
- Apple
- Gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes)
- Vegetables (green onion, carrot, and Korean radish/Daikon)
Are all ingredients necessary?
My short answer is no. I'd like to explain the reason behind some of the ingredients.
Why use Korean coarse sea salt?Korean coarse sea salt is very rich in minerals. It's the salt that generations and generations of Korean people use. Some Korean swear that the taste of kimchi depends on the quality of salt and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes).
Do you have to use sweet rice flour (or all-purpose flour)?The sweet rice flour (or all-purpose flour) provides the "food" for good bacteria to grow once the kimchi starts to ferment. This is the same reason why sweet rice flour is used to make gochujang (Korean fermented pepper paste).
Do you have to use sugar or sweet ingredients?Yes and No. You can omit any type of sugar in making kimchi. However, this will make your kimchi taste somewhat flat and it will take a very long time to ferment. Sugar, like sweet rice flour, will assist in a quicker fermentation process. You don't have to add a lot. To make 5 pounds of kimchi, I use about a tablespoon or two.
How long should you ferment your homemade Korean vegan kimchi?
It depends on how sour you like your kimchi. If you like it sour, you should leave your kimchi on the countertop for a longer time (2 days) and store it in the fridge. It also depends on whether you used Medjool date or sugar.
Advantage and disadvantage of using Medjool dates over sugar
Medjool date is a very unusual ingredient. But its high sugar content works well for kimchi.
The advantage of using Medjool date is you are using wholesome natural ingredients.People who are very health conscious are hesitant to add white sugar to their food. So this is a very good substitute.The disadvantage of using Medjool date is that your kimchi will ferment very fast.I'm guessing the good bacteria LOVE Medjool date. When I use sugar, I have to leave my kimchi on the countertop for a whole day and a half to two days. But when I use Medjool date, it barely takes one day. Since I'm the only person who eats fermented kimchi in the house (my husband only eats the fresh kimchi), I started to make it sugar instead to preserve my kimchi longer.
How long can you keep kimchi?
Kimchi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 months. I usually finish eating my kimchi in 3-4 months. As long as your kimchi is not slimy (or mushy) and moldy, it's good to eat. It will continue to ferment and it can get funkier and more pungent in taste and smell but that does not mean your kimchi is bad.
My entire fridge smells like Kimchi! How can I get rid of the kimchi smell?
Although I LOVE kimchi, I hate my fridge smelling like kimchi all the time. What I do are these two things and it works great!
- Place a small container full of baking soda (without the lid) and place it next to kimchi. Baking soda absorbs the funky smell.
- Place a small container full of coffee beans (without the lid) and place it next to kimchi. You can either use whole beans or ground coffee. This method works BETTER!
Whichever method you use, just make sure the stir up the baking soda or coffee once in a while (like every couple of weeks or so) to get the full effect.
I hope I answered some of your questions about homemade vegan kimchi here. If I missed any of your questions, please leave a comment!
Recipes with vegan kimchi
What would you do with 5 pounds of kimchi? Well, kimchi makes a great topping for bibimbap and any buddha bowls, delicious with Korean BBQ, and you can make soups (Kimchi Jjigae or Soft tofu soup). Or you can check out these recipes!
- 3 ingredients vegan kimchi fried rice
- Classic kimchi fried rice
- Quick and easy stir-fried vegan kimchi
- Vegan Korean kimchi pancake
Homemade Korean Vegan Kimchi
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Homemade Korean Vegan Kimchi - perfectly vibrant, spicy, and sour with the hint of umami that will pair extremely well in any buddha bowls and fried rice.
- Author: George
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: about 5 pounds of kimchi 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Ferment
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large Napa cabbage, about 4 lb
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Korean coarse sea salt
- 1 cup of water
- 4 pieces (size of a deck of card) of Korean dried kelp (a.k.a Da-shi-ma)
- 2 tablespoons Sweet Rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 6-7 garlic cloves
- 2- 3 medjool dates (or 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar)
- ¼ of a large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small apple, roughly chopped
- 1-2 small red pepper (such as Aleppo pepper or any kinds of red pepper), optional
- 6 green onion, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- 1 carrot, cut into match-stick
- 1 small size (1 lb) Korean radish, cut into small pieces
- ¾ cup Korean red pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage in half, lengthwise. Cut them again lengthwise. Rinse the cabbage under cold water. Cut the cabbage into a big bite-size and transfer them into a big bowl. Sprinkle Korean coarse sea salt and toss them together so the salt covers all the cabbage pieces.
- Let the cabbage sit with salt for an hour or so. Toss the cabbage again. This ensures that all the cabbage pieces are salted evenly as possible. Let it sit for another hour.
- While you wait for the cabbage to be salted, prepare your vegetables, and make kimchi sauce.
- To make the kimchi sauce, boil 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Once the water comes to a boil, add the dried kelp pieces and turn down the heat to a simmer and let it steep for 10 minutes.
- Take the kelp pieces out and add 2 tablespoons of sweet rice flour with constant stirring. The mixture will thicken in a couple of minutes. Once it thickens, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- In a big cup (you can use the measuring cup or use the cup that came with the immersion blender), add garlic cloves, Medjool dates, onion, apple, and red pepper (optional). Blend until they are smooth liquid (should have the consistency of an apple sauce). Transfer the liquid to a medium-size bowl.
- In a bowl, stir in sweet rice flour mixture (make sure that they are cool), 2 tablespoons of Korean coarse sea salt, and 4/3 cup of Korean red pepper flakes. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
- In a big bowl, gently mix your cut vegetables (green onion, carrot, and Korean radish) with kimchi sauce. Set aside.
- Rinse your salted cabbage under cold water. I added some cold water to the cabbage bowl and quickly rinsed them and transferred them into a big salad spinner bowl so the water can drain. Once all the cabbage pieces are rinsed, gently squeeze the water out of the cabbage and transfer them into a big bowl.
- Gently toss together the salted cabbage pieces with kimchi sauced vegetable mixtures. Use both of your hands to toss them together. Do not be rough with it.
- Once all the cabbage pieces are coated with kimchi sauce mixture, transfer them into a big container. DO NOT overfill the kimchi. Leave about 2-3 inches of room. You can enjoy the kimchi as is if you don't like sour/fermented kimchi. But if you are a fan of sour kimchi, let the container sit outside or let it sit on the countertop for a couple of days until it ferments.
Notes
- Check out my second version of vegan kimchi!It uses fewer ingredients!
- The addition of Aleppo red pepper is totally optional. It just adds little more spiciness and vibrance to the kimchi. It won't affect the overall taste of kimchi.
- If you want your kimchi to be on the milder side, please feel free to reduce the Korean red pepper flake amount to ½ cup.
- When mixing vegetables with the kimchi sauce, be gentle in mixing them together. When you are too rough mixing them, the vegetables may get mushy while fermenting. You still want your kimchi to have a crisp texture after fermentation.
- I believe the usage of dried kelp is essential in this recipe. Traditional kimchi is made with fish sauce and salted baby shrimps. Dried kelp is replacing those ingredients for the umami flavor to the kimchi.
