Saturday 8 February 2014

Easy Vegan Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)

Have you tried kimchi? It's amazing. You can use it in heaps of recipes (I'll be posting some of my favourites soon), or just eat it straight.

This recipe is quite easy to make, but you do need to get the cabbage soaking about two hours before you start. The kimchi should also be made from a day to a week in advance of when you want to use it, depending on how fermented you like it.

Easy Vegan Kimchi, Mak Kimchi

Easy Vegan Kimchi, Mak Kimchi

Easy Vegan Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)

Adapted from this recipe, by Hyosun Ro.
Makes about 1 litre

Recipe notes

  • Gochugaru are Korean chili flakes. Substituting with another kind of chili flakes isn't a good idea. They have a different flavour and spiciness level.
  • It's best to use gloves to make this - your hands will get dyed red from the chili otherwise.
  • If you can't find or don't want to use wakame, it's alright to leave it out.
  • You can start eating this straight after the 24-hour fermentation period, or wait for a few more days, depending on how fermented you like it. It keeps for around two weeks after you make it, or longer, if you don't mind eating it a bit sour.

Ingredients

1 tbsp wakame
1 napa cabbage
120 ml sea salt or 90 ml table salt
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp sugar or one pear
a bunch spring onions
120 ml gochugaru
2 tbsp soy sauce, preferably korean or tamari

Method

1. Pour 120 ml boiling water over the wakame and set aside.

1. Dissolve the salt in 750 ml water in a large bowl. Quarter the cabbage, core it, and chop into 3-5 cm pieces. Mix with the salt water. Let sit for about two hours, mixing occasionally. Drain and rinse well.

2. Strain the wakame-flavoured water into a bowl. Add the gochugaru and soy sauce. Mince garlic and pear (if using) and chop spring onions into 3-5 cm lengths. Add to bowl.

3. Mix together the sauce and cabbage with your (gloved) hands. You want to coat all the cabbage pieces in sauce.

4. Put the kimchi in a container, and pour 100 ml of water over it. Squash down with a fork to remove any air bubbles. Put the lid on. Leave out for 24 hours, then put in the fridge.

Looking for more vegan Korean recipes?
Delicious Kimchi Recipes: Part 1
Jjajangmyun (Korean-Chinese Black Bean Noodes)
Kimchi Jeon

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