Kimchi - purple, with red cabbage
- Vegan - Lactose-free - Gluten-free
Preparation time: 60 min - Difficulty level: easy
- 1 medium-sized Chinese cabbage (approx. 800g)
- half a small red cabbage
- 1 small 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
- 1 small apple
- 200 ml mineral water + 2 tbsp
- 2 tsp peppercorns
- 50 g sea salt
Kimchi is a traditional Korean food 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:
Add the mineral water and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime, 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. Wash, quarter and core the apple and grate finely on a grater. Mix the pepper, garlic, ginger and spring onions in a bowl with 2 tbsp mineral water.
Add the cabbage and other vegetables and mix everything 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.
Then fill the vegetables into the sterilized jars and press down well so that the air can escape, leaving about 3 cm of air at the top. Finally, finish off the mixture with a cabbage leaf that is still covered with liquid. Close the jars lightly, just twist. This allows the carbon dioxide to escape. If you have jars with clamps, you can carefully open them for a few seconds each day during the fermentation process.
Leave the kimchi to ferment for 4 days at room temperature in a pot or on a tray. If you like it more sour, simply leave the kimchi for 2 days longer. Then place in the fridge and leave to ferment for a further 5 days, completely sealed. This allows it to develop its full flavor. You can also eat it beforehand, e.g. in our delicious raddiccio wrap salad!
You can also find a basic recipe for traditional kimchi in our DIY section.
