Easy Raw Kimchi

Kimchi is very easy to make and full of gut-beneficial bacteria. This recipe is vegan and free of any added sugar. Homemade kimchi is much better for you as it's alive unlike most shop bought fermented veggies that have been pasteurised and lots of the goodness is killed.

RAW VEGAN KIMCHI

INGREDIENTS

KIMCHI PASTE

• 1 medium onion
• 6 large chillies, de-seed for a mild spice
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 3″ ginger, peeled and slices

VEGGIES, JUST AS EXAMPLES AS ANY WORK GREAT

• ½ a cabbage, cut into 2″ chunks
• 3 stalks of celery, 1″ chunks
• 3 carrots, 1″ chunks
• 1 sweet red pepper, 1″ chunks
• ½ a cauliflower, 1″ chunks
• 8 radishes, 1″ chunks

PICKLING BRINE

• 6 tbsp salt
• 2 litres / 3.5 pints water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dissolve the salt in the water.
2. Chop all of the vegetables that are not for the paste into 1″ pieces apart from the cabbage that should be about 2″.
3. Place all the vegetables in the water and use a plate to ensure they are all submerged, use enough veggies for all the water. Leave for 8 hours or overnight.
4. Place all of the kimchi paste ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
5. Drain the vegetables and then coat with the paste.
6. Pack tightly into jars and leave somewhere room temperature to ferment for 4-8 days.
7. Open the kimchi lids daily to ‘burp’ the jars and let gases escape. Taste after 4 days and once the required taste is achieved then move to the fridge.
8. The longer the kimchi ferments the more beneficial gut bacteria they will contain.

NOTES

With fermented recipes you can tell when it's gone wrong as it will smell unpleasant.

If it smells off don't eat it, kimchi after fermenting should still have an appealing smell (unless you don't like onion, garlic and chilli).

Fermented veggies like kimchi are supposed to be stored in a cool larder, but usually I store mine in the fridge where I know it will last many months, in theory, if it isn't eaten before then!

https://www.nestandglow.com/healthy-recipes/easy-raw-kimchi-vegan-sugar-free