Vegetarian Kimchi Recipes

VEGETARIAN KIMCHI

Steps:

• Rinse cabbage well. Put the cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt, tossing to mix. Set aside for 1 hour.
• Mix more salt into the cabbage and set aside for another hour. Wash and drain the cabbage. Combine the garlic, ginger, and onion in a blender with the water. Blend on high speed until smooth.
• Stir together the rinsed drained cabbage, garlic-ginger mixture, minced green onions, cayenne pepper, persimmon, radish, and cucumber and mix well. Transfer the mixture into airtight containers, and refrigerate for 3 days before serving.

VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN KIMCHI (CHAESIK-KIMCHI: 채식김치)

Steps:

• Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Cut away the core of each quarter. Cut the leaves crosswise into 1-to-1½ inch bite size pieces. Transfer to a large bo
• Toss with 6 tablespoons of the salt and 1 cup water. Let stand for 2 hours, tossing the cabbage every 30 minutes to salt evenly.
• Combine the glutinous rice flour and 1 cup of the vegetable stock in a small saucepan and place over medium high heat. Stir until the mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and stir until the mixture is slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool thoroughly.
• Put the cooled porridge, the remaining ⅓ cup vegetable stock, the remaining 3 tablespoons salt, the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, garlic, ginger, and onion in a food processor and process to a puree. Transfer the puree to a medium bowl. Add the gochu-garu (hot pepper flakes) and mix it well. Set aside.
• Rinse the cabbage 3 to 4 times with cold running water to remove any dirt and excess salt. Drain well.
• Well dry a large bowl with kitchen cloth. Add the cabbage, radish matchsticks, green onion, chives (if used), and carrot. Add the kimchi paste and mix all together by hand (wear disposable gloves if you like). Transfer to an airtight container or glass jars. Press down the on the kimchi so it's well packed and no air can get inside, then put the lid on the container.
• You can serve the kimchi right away, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
• It takes about 2 weeks to ferment in the refrigerator; for faster fermenting, leave it at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, depending on the warmth of your kitchen, until the kimchi smells and tastes sour. Once the kimchi is fermented, store in the refrigerator until it runs out. After 2 weeks, the kimchi will have fermented nicely, and it will continue to ferment and become more sour as time goes one. It never goes bad and you can enjoy it at every stage.

VEGAN KIMCHI

Steps:

• Quarter each head of cabbage; remove and discard the cores. Chop cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Transfer in batches to a large salad spinner. Fill with water, agitate with your hands, drain and spin. Repeat with remaining cabbage.
• Peel and trim carrots. Cut into 1-inch lengths, then julienne cut.
• Divide cabbage and carrots evenly between 3 large anti-reactive bowls. Sprinkle 1/3 of the salt over each bowl, then massage with your hands until cabbage is well coated and starting to soften. Fill bowls with cold water to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 2 to 3 hours.
• Drain cabbage and carrots in a strainer. Reserve 1 to 2 cups brine in a sealed container.
• Meanwhile, trim scallions. Cut dark green parts into 1-inch lengths and set aside. Cut off white parts (the bottom 3 to 4 inches), cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and place in a food processor. Set light green parts aside for another use.
• Add chili paste, miso, garlic, and ginger to the food processor. Process until fully blended; it will be thick.
• Transfer cabbage and carrots back to the bowls and add dark green scallions. Spoon 1/3 of the chili paste mixture into each bowl. Use food-safe gloves and massage it all over until vegetables are completely covered.
• Pack kimchi into six sterilized pint-sized jars. Cover with a 2-piece lid and screw partway to keep lid in place but not to seal.
• Transfer jars to a rimmed baking dish and let sit at room temperature until bubbly and fragrant, about 72 hours. Every 24 hours, open the jars and slide a clean chopstick or knife down all 4 sides of each jar to release air bubbles. Press veggies down with a spoon so they are submerged in liquid, adding a spoon or two of reserved brine if necessary, but veggies do release a fair amount of liquid. Because the lids are not sealed fully, there may be some overflow. That's okay, just wipe the jars and continue on with the process. It just means the fermentation is very active.
• After the 72 hours, clean outsides of jars and inner rims as necessary. Seal lids tightly and store in the refrigerator.