Easy vegetarian kimchi

Kimchi - a ubiquitous Korean ferment - is traditionally made with fish sauce and/or shrimp paste to create a more-ish umami flavour. I’ve made mine with soy sauce and dulse (dillisk) flakes- which helps recreate that flavour but makes it veggie and vegan friendly.

There are many iterations of kimchi - some much more complicated than this one - but credit should go to Dearbhla Reynolds whose recipe in her book The Cultured Club was the basis for me developing this recipe.

Makes about 1 litre

1 napa or Chinese cabbage (about 1KG), chopped
4 tbsp sea salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon milled dulse flakes (optional)
4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
25g fresh ginger, peeled
3 tablespoons Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru) – add more or less to your taste
A splash of water to blend
350g daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
6 scallions (spring onions), trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths

1. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and chop into strips. Put the cabbage into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and massage it in with your hands. Add just enough water to cover the cabbage and then weigh it down with a plate so the leaves are submerged. Leave for one hour.

2. After one hour drain the cabbage into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Allow to drain.

3. Make the paste by combining soy sauce, dulse flakes (if using) garlic, ginger and red pepper powder in a blender or food processor. Add a splash of water and blitz to a paste.

4. Squeeze any water out of the cabbage and put in a large bowl. Add the prepared daikon and spring onions. Add the paste and mix until everything is thoroughly coated.

5. Pack the kimchi into a clean jar, pressing down so the released brine covers the vegetables and leaving about 2-3cm headroom at the top of the jar. Add a cabbage leaf to keep everything under the brine.

6. Let it ferment at room temperature for about 4 days. Put it on a plate or tray to catch any juices that escape and burp regularly. Taste and if the taste is sour enough for you put in the fridge to store – the taste will continue to develop but just a bit more slowly. I like it fresher - some people prefer a more fermented flavour. Experiment and see what suits you!