vegan kimchi

Want to make your gut happy? Enjoy a tablespoon or two of this probiotic-rich fermented cabbage. Having a healthy and balanced microbiome is crucial for vibrant health and is linked to lowering the incidence of allergies, chronic illness, autoimmune disease, heart disease, eczema, and depression, just to name a few.

Yield 4-6 cups
Prep Time 20 minutes, plus 5 days to ferment
Cook Time None
CLEANSE

1 medium head green cabbage, quartered and cored

5 carrots, peeled

6 red radishes, or 1 small daikon radish

3 Hakurei turnips

½ cup sliced scallions

2½ tsp Himalayan pink salt

3-in piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

8 cloves garlic

2 tbsp red pepper flakes

1   In a food processor fitted with the shredder blade, shred the cabbage, carrots, radishes, and turnips. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the scallions and salt. Toss to combine.

2   Change food processor blade to the s-blade and blend the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes until finely ground. Scrape the sides and blend again. Add the mixture to the vegetables, and use your hands to mix thoroughly. Continue mixing and massaging the vegetables for a few minutes until they become juicy and start to soften.

3   Add a handful of vegetables each to two wide-mouth, quart-size canning jars, and pound down firmly with your fist or a muddler to release any air pockets. Repeat with remaining vegetables, a handful at a time, then divide any remaining liquid from the bowl between the jars.

4   The vegetables should be submerged below the liquid. If they aren’t, push the vegetables down until the liquid rises. Press any pieces of cabbage down from the sides of the jars so they are submerged as well.

5   Fill two smaller jars or bottles with water, and place them on the surface of the vegetables as a weight to keep them below the liquid.

6   Cover both jars with tight-fitting lids to keep any particles out. Place in a cool, well-ventilated area. Ferment for at least 5 to 7 days or for up to 10 days or longer.

7   After 5 days, taste the kimchi and then again every day until the flavor is to your liking. To store, cover the jars with a lid and refrigerate. The kimchi will keep for months, and the flavor will continue to develop and strengthen. Don’t worry if the veggies soften—it is all just part of the process.