6 Delicious and Healthy Vegan Kimchi Cooking Recipes - Ep.1
Kimchi has been long regarded as one of the healthiest fermented food, which has been eaten by Koreans for hundreds of years. Kimchi is not only full of nutrients, such as Vitamin A, E, and K, but also is a very rich source of “healthy” gut bacterias, which can aid digestion and improve the immune system. Kimchi, a staple of Korean cuisine, is a very versatile food that can be used very widely in many Korean traditional dishes. As long as you have Kimchi and a couple of simple ingredients, you can transform Kimchi into a variety of dishes. In this blog, we are going to share with you three types of traditional Korean dishes that use Kimchi as their main ingredient. All three of the dishes are very easy to make and require very few ingredients!
Note:
Our recipes do not contain garlic, onion, nor animal products.
We recommend using “old” kimchi - Kimchi that has been fermented for long enough to give an extra sour taste.
1. Vegan Kimchi Jeon - Kimchi Pancake
Kimchi-jeon is a very easy-to-make Korean-style pancake, which only requires 4 ingredients! Kimchi pancakes are not your-typical Western pancakes that you eat it with a drizzle of maple syrup on top. Unlike Western pancakes which are normally sweet and savory, Kimchi pancakes are crispy on the outside and chewy and savory on the inside, thanks to spicy fermented kimchi. Typical Korean Kimchi-jeon is cooked with scallions; however, even without scallion, the natural fermented flavor of Kimchi provides a very savory taste to it.
Ingredients:
100g of Vegan Kimchi
40g of Flour
80 cc of water or kimchi water
3 tablespoon of Olive Oil
Instruction:
In an empty bowl, place kimchi, flour, and water and mix them together.
Preheat the frying pan on medium-high heat, then put the olive oil around the pan.
Scoop out the pancake mixture with a ladle and pour out the desired amount on the pan.
Flip the pancakes once the radius of the pancakes turns into darker orange color.
Press the pancakes with the spatula a couple of times to ensure they become crispy.
Turn off the heat and place the cooked pancakes on an empty plate
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Notes:
If you do not mind adding scallion into your cooking, a little bit of scallion can provide a naturally sweet taste to your dish, as well as added chewy texture. Also, we recommend adding extra oil to the pan before you flip the pancakes.
2. Vegan Tofu Kimchi
Tofu Kimchi is one of the most popular drinking food among Koreans. Commonly found in Korean pubs, Tofu Kimchi is a must-try side dish when you visit a Korean pub. This dish consists of blanched tofu pieces and stir-fried kimchi, giving a nicely spiced and sweet flavor for well-fermented kimchi. Though Tofu Kimchi is a popular type of “drinking” food for many Koreans, it is also very commonly cooked at home since it is both simple and delicious.
Ingredients:
200g of Vegan Kimchi
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 tablespoon of Kimchi water
1 tablespoon of sugar
4 pieces of firmed tofu
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Instructions:
Cut the tofu into wanted size.
Preheat the frying pan on medium-high heat, then put the olive oil and nicely cut tofu.
Cook the tofu until both sides turn brown.
Take out the cooked tofu and place them on a separate plate.
Put sesame oil on the pan and place kimchi and sugar.
Cook the kimchi until it turns brown.
When it’s done, place the kimchi with the cooked tofu.
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Notes:
If you do not mind adding scallion into your cooking, a little bit of scallion can provide a naturally sweet taste to your dish, as well as added chewy texture. Korean chili pepper powder and green onions are often added for this dish in Korea.
3. Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice
Kimchi fried rice is a very addicting, simple-to-make Korean dish that can be cooked in less than 15 minutes. Cooked without meat, this dish is full of flavor and easy to be customized. Kimchi fried is perhaps one of the most popular Kimchi dishes among non-Korean people.
Ingredients:
60g of Kimchi
1 tablespoon of kimchi water
180g of rice
50g of Hericium Mushrooms, or any kind of Plant-based protein source
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Instructions:
Before measuring out the kimchi, squeeze the juice out of kimchi into a cup. This liquid is the kimchi “water”. In this video, we already combined the kimchi and kimchi water together in a bowl.
Marinate the Hericium Mushroom with soy sauce.
Preheat the frying pan on medium-high heat, then put the sesame oil and grated ginger.
Cook the grated ginger for 1 minute.
When the grated ginger turns brown, add in the marinated mushrooms and kimchi (and kimchi water) and cook for 1 minute.
Add in the rice and a pinch of sesame
Cook until the rice becomes crispy. Then move the cooked kimchi fried rice into a bowl.
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Notes:
If you do not mind adding scallion into your cooking, a little bit of scallion can provide a naturally sweet taste to your dish, as well as added chewy texture. Korean chili pepper powder and green onions are often added for this dish in Korea.
