Kimchi is a fermented side dish made with cabbage & radish. There are many different varieties of kimchi and mostly it is non vegetarian because of the use of fish sauce. But my version of the Korean Kimchi is much more Indianized as I have used ingredients that are easily found in India to make the Korean Kimchi vegetarian & tasty.
Kimchi is known to be good for gut health as it is fermented and takes a couple of days to get ready, but my version is instant kimchi.
Instant Veg Kimchi | Instant Korean Kimchi
Instant Veg Kimchi is a quick, no-fermentation version of the traditional Korean fermented dish. Made with cabbage, carrots, radish, and a spicy, tangy paste of gochutgaru (Korean chili flakes), garlic, ginger, and vinegar, this recipe delivers the bold flavors of classic kimchi in a fraction of the time. Perfect as a side dish, salad, or topping, Instant Kimchi adds a punch of umami and spice to any meal without the wait.
Ingredients
For Chilli Paste
- Dried Red Chillies, Soaked (सूखी साबुत मिर्च) – 25-30nos
- Garlic Cloves (लहसुन) – 8 no
- Ginger, Roughly Sliced (अदरक) – 5 nos
- Water (पानी) – 3 cups
- Vinegar (सिरका) – ¾ cup
- Tomato Ketchup (टमाटर केचप) – ¾ cup
- Sugar (चीनी) – 1 tbsp
Vegetables
- Napa Cabbage, large (चाइनीज़ गोभी) – 400gm
- Cabbage, medium (पत्ता गोभी) – 400gm
- Raddish, large (मूली) – 1 no
- Carrots, medium (गाजर) – 4 no
- Spring Onions (हरा प्याज) – 4 no
- Salt (नमक) – 2 tbsp
- Chilled Water (पानी) – 2 lts
For Slurry
- Water (पानी) – ½ cup
- Rice Flour (चावल का आटा) – 2 tbsp
- Soya Sauce (सोया सॉस) – 1-2 tbsp
- Sesame Seeds, Toasted (तिल) – 2 tbsp
Instructions
For chilli paste
- Soak dried red chillies for 1& half hour in 3cups of water to soften them. Then add them in a pan along with its water and some ginger and garlic. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 5 mins or till the water has almost evaporated. Remove it from heat and cool it completely. Add these chillies, ginger and garlic in a mixer grinder along with vinegar, tomato ketchup and sugar. Grind it into a paste, you can keep the chilli paste a bit course. Once ready, keep aside.Note – vinegar is important as it helps preserve the kimchi and give it taste.
For Preparing Vegetables
- Cut the napa cabbage & regular cabbage into chunks or squared1”x1”. Make sure the cabbage is nicely cleaned before cutting.Peel the radish and carrots and slice them thinly into roundels. Divide the bulb of the spring onions into 2 lengthwise. Cut the green part of the spring onions into 2 inch long finger size. Add salt to the cut veggies and mix them well. Excess salt is used to make the veggies soft and leave its water. Keep aside the vegetables for at least an hour, if possible, keep them for another hour.Post an hour squeeze the veggies to remove the water. Then add chilled water into the veggies to remove any excess salt. Squeeze out the water again and add the veggies into a separate bowl.Once again add some chilled water to further remove any excess salt and squeeze the veggies in your hands once again to remove excess water. You can do this step under running water as well.Place the veggies in a large platter or bowl for the time being.
For Slurry
- To keep the kimchi marinade thick & tasty we will make a slurry of rice flour & water. You can use any rice flour or make it at home by grinding the dried rice into powder.Place the pan and add water and mix in rice flour. Bring it to a boil and cook the water thickens like a sauce. Turn off the heat and cool the slurry completely.
For Assembling Veg Kimchi
- Pour the chilli sauce over the washed & squeezed veggies, add soya sauce, the slurry we prepared and sesame seeds.Mix it thoroughly and our instant veg kimchi is ready. You can serve it immediately though its taste will improve after a day or two.Place the kimchi in a jar and store in the fridge to use it over a month.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!