JayasheeI am on a fermentation tear! I love kimchi, but it’s hard to find a vegan version in grocery stores and restaurants. Most use fish sauce and sugar, and I wanted to try to recreate a vegan version of my favorite spicy snack! This is how we made it:
Vegan Kimchi
Ingredients:
1 head of napa cabbage
¼ cup sea salt
6 cups water
Sauce:
1 apple, cored and cut into pieces
½ onion, chopped
1 ½ inch piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne (you may want to start with less if you aren’t a fan of burning your mouth)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Add Ins:
Green onions, chopped
3 radishes, sliced
Directions:
Quarter your cabbage and then cut into 1” slices discarding the bottom core. Place chopped cabbage in a large bowl.
Heat one cup of water to about boiling and then dissolve the sea salt into water. Pour on top of cabbage, and then cover with remaining 5 cups of water. Use a plate with some weight to press the cabbage into the salt water. This will help make sure the cabbage all gets into the salt water and starts to wilt. Set aside for 4 hours or until cabbage is wilty.
Next, let’s make the sauce. In a high powered blender, add your apple, onion, ginger, garlic, braggs, 2 tbsp water, paprika, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. You can also totally use korean chili powder if you have some. As you may know, I live in small town Mexico, and I’m amazed every day that I can even find Braggs here. If you are making this for the first time, you may want to start with ½ tsp of cayenne. I really like spicy, and 1 tsp is definitely a challenge for me. Mix all of the ingredients until smooth, and then set aside.
Four hours later…
Congrats! Your cabbags is now wilty. Pour off about a cup of the salt water mixture and then drain the rest. Return your cabbage into the large bowl and add your green onions and radishes. Add your sauce and toss to coat.
Pack your cabbage mixture into an 8 cup jar or several smaller jars. Top the jars with any remaining juices and use the salt water mix to make sure the veggies are fully covered. Top with your jars, and then set aside out of direct sunlight and heat for 36-48 hours. Your mixture will begin to get bubbly and should be as tart as you like. Store in the fridge or EAT IT ALL NOW AND BURN YOUR MOUTH OFF!
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