Traditional Vegan Kimchi

Hey Sandy, so glad you're enjoying the vegan kimchi recipe 🤗 yes, you can use red miso paste if you'd like! We find it's a tad stronger and saltier than white miso paste, so you may want to add a touch less to start and add more to taste.

Hey Kat! We can often find daikon at local Asian grocery stores, but if you're unable to, you can swap it for regular radishes or even thinly sliced jicama for a similar crunch and mild flavour. You can also skip it altogether and add extra carrot for a different texture 😊

Hey Stéphanie, it's not necessary to sterilize the jar, but it’s a good idea to wash it well with hot, soapy water and dry it thoroughly before use. This helps create a clean environment for fermentation. Hope you enjoy the kimchi recipe if you give it a try 😊

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Hey Ene, we'd recommend choosing store-bought or pasteurized kimchi over homemade to reduce the risk of harmful bacteria. Wishing you all the best on your pregnancy journey! 🩷✨

Hi Ene, I’m 9 months pregnant and have been making this recipe my whole pregnancy without any issue. Most fermented vegetables and legumes such as natto are safe and healthy to eat during pregnancy

This made our day to read, Rob! So glad the effort paid off and that you enjoyed the process. Pairing the homemade kimchi recipe with hummus and toast for breakfast sounds delicious 🙌

It was such a good breakfast! I make my own bread, so of course I'm going to have to do the hummus recipe so it can all be fully homemade 😁 Thank you for such a fab app, I use it for at least one meal every day 🥰

Hey Tina, it sounds like adding the second cabbage may have slowed the fermentation, but it should still be safe to eat as long as there is no mold or off smells. If you give it more time to ferment, you might start to see gas build-up 🙂

Perfect, thank u for the reply! Should I let it sit in room temperature for a couple of days?

Hey Tina, we'd recommend placing the kimchi in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks to continue to ferment and set 🤗

I ended up making a new batch being careful with following the recipe this time around, and it is sooo incredibly delicious! Thank you for the fantastic recipe ❤️

Hi Kasia, the kombu is mainly used to impart flavour, but it's very subtle so you can opt to leave it out entirely. We can't say with confidence if nori would be a suitable alternative as it's not something we've tried yet. Do let us know if you experiment with it though!

Hey there, JJ, we haven't tested it out but we imagine that tapioca flour or cornstarch could work 🤗

Mmm using the kimchi is soup sounds incredible! Thanks, Martunia 😊

Hey Nicola, great question, and I love the food pun 😂! Using iodized kelp or kombu is perfectly fine. Many online sources state iodine *may* interfere with the fermentation, though one recent study published in the Journal of Food Microbiology states "The use of iodized salt did not statistically significantly influence microbial populations in the fermentation." We opted for iodine-free salt just to be on the safe side (and because we don't love the slightly metallic taste that iodine can impart), but iodized ingredients can be used without altering the fermentation process. I hope this helps!

Hey CB, thanks for the question! Our napa cabbage heads tend to be around 850 grams (give or take 100g). As the kimchi ferments, the cabbage and other ingredients will release more liquid, contributing to the sauce so giving it more time can help the sauce develop 😊

Hey there, Nastacia! While gochugaru paste and gochujang are both made from Korean red chili peppers, they have distinct differences in terms of texture, flavour, and ingredients. Gochugaru is a coarse chili pepper powder, while gochujang is a fermented chili paste. Therefore, using gochugaru paste as a direct substitute for gochujang in kimchi might alter the flavour and texture of it. With that said, we're all about experimenting! It might not taste as authentic, but I'm sure it'll still taste good! Do let us know how it goes if you test it out 🤗

Hey Stephen, it's a great question and can depend on how active the fermentation is. In general, fermentation slows down significantly in the fridge as you said. If in doubt, burping once or twice in the 2 weeks should be enough to release any pent-up gas. In my experience, the burp isn't so intense, so I think we can say your kitchen will be safe 😜 We hope you enjoy the recipe and sending lots of love to West Kelowna 😃

Hey Anjali, that sounds like a small green cabbage. We've only ever tried kimchi with napa cabbage, but we've made sauerkraut with green cabbage successfully. We imagine you could make kimchi with other types of cabbage, though the result will likely differ, and the taste and fermentation time may vary. We'd love to hear how it goes if you try any modifications 😃

So glad it was enjoyed, Jordi, thank you!

Hey Monica! We've only ever tried kimchi with napa cabbage, but we've made sauerkraut with green and purple cabbage successfully (pickuplimes.com/recipe/beetro…). If you do try the kimchi with other types of cabbage, the result will likely differ, and the taste and fermentation time may vary. We'd love to hear how it goes if you try any modifications 😊

Hello,
In the end I went to the Asian supermarket, and I found napa cabbage. The gentleman at the till told me that kimchi can be made with any vegetable as long as the spices are right. I thought to share, maybe helps someone.
:)

Very late but I wanted to name a few examples that I've seen for anyone curious. There's cucumber kimchi, Baek or white kimchi that has no spice at all, and daikon kimchi. There's so many varieties out there not just the traditional napa cabbage one. Hope this helps (:

Woohoo! Thank you, Mary-Anne 🤗

Hey Griet, we prefer coarse sea salt as it tends to take longer to dissolve to help develop the flavour. Fine sea salt should work, although you'll likely want to use less (such as a 3/4 or 1/2 the total amount) to avoid the kimchi being overly salty. Also be sure it isn't iodized as this might impact the fermentation 😊

Thanks for the reply! I think it might be helpful to do a video about this one though. I didn’t have any liquid either. Maybe I squeezed too much out :’). Anyways, fingers crossed it will turn out okay!

Thank you for the suggestion, Griet, we've noted it down as an idea! If it's not too late, you can try to press the kimchi down more firmly in the container to see if any liquid comes out. Alternatively, you can try adding an extra cup of water with 1/4 to 1/2 a tablespoon of salt to create more of a salty brine. We hope this helps for now and the recipe turns out! Thank you for the recommendation for a video again, Griet ✨

Hey Juna! It could very well be that you have the correct gochugaru, as it's usually smokey, slightly sweet, and just a tad spicy. But you're right, some are milder and some spicier. We haven't tested out adding extra hot sauce, although we'd recommend a hot sauce without added salt or preservatives if possible. It looks like there have been some positive reviews online with Gochujang or sriracha. An alternative idea that might impact the flavour more is to add the hot sauce after the fermentation if desired. We hope this helps for now!

Thank you for your help! 🌼

Hi there, Zohra, thanks for the question and patience in our response! We wouldn't recommend adding just plain water alone to the kimchi brine as it needs a saltier profile to promote fermentation. We'd suggest either: 1) Press the kimchi down more firmly in the airtight container to see if any liquid comes out, or 2) add 1/4 to 1/2 a tablespoon of salt per cup of extra water to create more of a salty brine. We hope this helps for now and you enjoy the recipe if you're able to give it a try🙂

Hey Hayley, thanks for the question! Red pepper flakes aren't an ideal substitute for gochugaru, especially when it comes to making kimchi. Gochugaru has a sweet and smokiness in flavour that's important in the flavour development of the kimchi. If you're able to perhaps order it online, we'd recommend it, but if you really can't find it still, you can try it with regular chili flakes. Either way, let us know how it turns out for you 😊

Hi Cheryl, thanks for the question! We've only ever tried kimchi with napa cabbage, but we have made sauerkraut with green and purple cabbage: https://www.pickuplimes.com/r…. If you do decide to try the kimchi with other types of cabbage, just keep in mind the result will likely differ, and the taste and fermentation time may vary. Let us know how it goes if you make any modifications :)

Woohoo! We're so happy it was worth the wait, Nani, and thanks for sharing your experience with it 🤗

Oh no! Sorry to hear, Victoria. Another idea to consider is being sure to rinse the cabbage well in step four if you give the recipe another try 😊

Is there anything you can do if you have the same problem as Victoria? :-)

Hey Hilde, you could try to soak it in cold water for 30 minutes to an hour, then drain and squeeze out the excess water to reduce the saltiness 😊