Homemade Vegan Kimchi

Clean and salt the napa cabbage

2. Peel away and discard any undesirable outer layer leaves of the napa cabbage.

3. With the napa cabbage laying on its side, quarter the cabbage long ways. You can also just cut the stem area of the cabbage and rip the rest of the cabbage open with your hand.

4. Repeat with remaining napa cabbage.

5. Trim away excess part of the cabbage core but not too much so that the leaves can stay intact.

6. Then, rinse between each leaf to remove dirt or grim. Make sure to pay extra attention to the outer few leaves. Drain the cabbages as best as you can.

Salt the napa cabbage

2. In a clean, sanitized area (like a large bowl in a clean sink), salt each quarter of napa cabbage by sprinkling salt between each and every layer and from the root to the tip of each leaf.
3. Make sure to salt more generously around the stems.
4. Repeat with all cabbages.
5. Once all of the cabbages are salted, arrange and stack them in a large bowl.
6. Cover and weigh down the cabbages with something heavy and let them salt for 1½ to 2 hours.
7. Rotate the cabbages every 30 to 60 minutes, moving the ones on the top to the bottom.
8. To check if the napa cabbage is done salting, rip off a small leaf of cabbage and rinse it well with fresh water.
9. Taste the cabbage. The cabbage will be very bendable and should taste well seasoned at the stem, while the leaf should be a littler saltier but not unbearable.
10. If the cabbage does not taste salted enough, continue with the salting process for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the desired saltiness is achieved.
11. Once the napa cabbages are done salting, rinse the them with fresh water to remove excess salt. Make sure to get between each leaf.
12. After the final rinse, gently but firmly squeeze each quarter of napa cabbage to remove most of the excess water, especially the leafy parts. But don’t squeeze too hard or the stems may get bruised and damaged. Removing the excess water helps to prevent the marinade from becoming diluted and watery.

Make the kimchi marinade

2. While the napa cabbages are salting, make the marinade.First, make the rice flour paste by whisking together the rice flour and water until well combined.
3. Transfer the mixture to a pan or saucepan and cook over medium to medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Once the paste starts to thicken, stir constantly until the a thick, bubbly, slightly translucent paste forms. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool.
5. In a blender, add the apple or pear, onion, garlic cloves, ginger, mushroom powder, and salt. Blend everything together until the mixture well combined. Add half of the gochugaru to the mix and blend until well combined and as smooth as possible. Scrap down the sides as needed.
6. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the cooled rice flour paste, along with the rest of the gochugaru, Korean radish, carrot, and Asian chives. Mix until evenly combined. Set aside until needed

Marinate the napa cabbage

2. Working with gloved hands and one quarter of napa cabbage at one time, place the cabbage in the bowl of prepared kimchi marinade. Take some marinade and rub it on each leaf. Make sure to also leave some of the julienned veggies in between each layer too!
3. Once the entire quarter of cabbage has been rubbed down with marinade, fold the cabbage over itself to keep it tight. Repeat with remaining cabbage.
4. Pack the kimchi into sterilized glass jars or BPA free plastic kimchi containers. Make sure to pack the cabbage tightly into the container, but leave at least 1 inch of space between the top of the kimchi and the lid. As the kimchi ferments, it will release juices and produce gas. The extra room will help prevent the kimchi from popping off the and the juices from overflowing.
5. The napa cabbage kimchi can be enjoyed immediately after marinating, after chilling, or you can let it ferment until it reaches your desired fermentation stage before eating or used in cooking.