Kimchi - lactic acid fermented Chinese cabbage
- Vegan - Lactose-free - Gluten-free
Preparation time: 60 min - Difficulty level: easy
- 1 medium-sized Chinese cabbage (approx. 800g)
- 300 g radish (black or white)
- 200 g spring onions
- 3 carrots
- 3-6 garlic cloves
- 2 pieces of fresh ginger, the size of a thumb
- 2 fresh red chillies or 2 tbsp chilli flakes
- 50 g sea salt
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made from fermented vegetables. Kimchi usually consists of the main ingredient Chinese cabbage, which is pickled with salt and spices such as chili, garlic, ginger and fish sauce.
It is often served as a side dish to Korean dishes and is known for its unique and versatile flavor, ranging from spicy to salty and sour to hot.
Kimchi could also be called the Korean version of our German sauerkraut, both fermented vegetables, but made from different vegetables and they have different ingredients and flavor characteristics.
Koreans eat their national dish at all times of the day. We recommend it as a side dish or salad.
We have chosen a vegan version here, omitting the fish sauce and using more salt instead.
You will need sealable and sterilized jars. We have used different sizes and a washable tray on which you can place your jars during the fermentation time in case any fermentation liquid escapes.
Preparation:
Peel the radish and carrots and cut into fine sticks or thin slices. Clean the spring onions, quarter lengthwise and cut into 3 cm pieces.
Peel and finely chop or press the garlic and ginger. If you are using fresh chilli, wash it too and cut into very fine rings.
Place everything in a large bowl, sprinkle with the chilli flakes and salt and mix very thoroughly. It is best to put on kitchen gloves and knead the ingredients vigorously by hand so that the mixture is as soft as possible.
Now fill the vegetables into the prepared, sterilized jars and press down well so that the air can escape. Finally, top off the mixture with a cabbage leaf that is still covered with liquid. Close with screw caps just so that you feel the first resistance. This allows the resulting carbon dioxide to escape. If you have jars with clamps, you can carefully open them for a few seconds every day during the fermentation process.
Now place your jars in a pot or on a tray to ferment for 5-8 days at room temperature. Remember to allow air to escape regularly. Afterwards, you can store the kimchi in the fridge so that the flavors develop well and it doesn't become too sour. It will continue to ferment here too, only more slowly and can now develop its full flavor.
Serve with toasted sesame seeds and drizzle with toasted sesame oil to taste, it has a subtle nutty flavor.
