I LOVE KIMCHI. It’s perfect for adding a burst of flavour to all sorts of dishes. However, my kids aren’t willing to eat something made with raw garlic, ginger and onions. That’s why I created this kid-friendly kimchi!
Eaten fresh, kid-friendly kimchi is sweet, salty and mild. It also happens to be my daughter’s favourite fermented food. She loves to eat it by the forkful after 3 to 5 days of fermenting, when the radish and carrots have started to ferment, but are still sweet.
However, even kimchi that’s a few weeks old is enough to tempt her into eating dinner. That’s mostly because she’s a salt-craving kid. But I’d rather have her eating kimchi than potato chips!
How to serve kimchi
In Korea, fresh kimchi is served alongside every meal. It’s eaten like a salad or pickles. And as my daughter will confirm, fresh kimchi is absolutely delicious.
However, as kimchi ages, it turns sour. The flavour will become more like sauerkraut as the lactic bacteria eat all the sugars in the fresh vegetables.
While sour kid-friendly kimchi is still a tasty condiment, we usually serve it alongside soups, stews and stir-fries.
However, one of my favourite ways to use kimchi is for quick weeknight meals. A batch of kimchi provides enough prepped vegetables for at least three meals for our family of four. Here are a few quick kimchi meals:
- Kimchi fried rice is our FAVOURITE. If you have pre-cooked rice it’s literally ready in 15 minutes.
- A quick kimchi soup is a no-fuss meal, perfect for days when you have a lot going on.
- My kimchi noodle bowl is actually one of my dinner party go-to meals. It’s impressively delicious.
- Kimchijeon (kimchi pancake) is a traditional way of serving sour kimchi.
Kid-Friendly Kimchi
Kimchi is a salty-spicy Korean condiment. This kid-friendly kimchi is made without hot peppers, garlic or ginger for a mild-tasting and delicious kimchi. Not sure how to serve probiotic kimchi? See the section above for a few suggestions.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 quarts 1x
- Category: Condiments
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp non-iodized salt
- 2 cups of water, chlorine-free
- 1 large head of napa cabbage
- 3 carrots
- 4 green onions
- 1 daikon radish (6 to 8 inches in length)
Instructions
- Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine.
- Roughly chop the cabbage into large 1-inch pieces. Slice the radish, carrots and green onions into thin 1 inch sticks.
- Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl. Pack into jars for fermenting. It should fit into a 3-quart jar or several 1-quart jars.
- Pour the brine over the vegetables. Use a weight to keep the vegetables from floating. And add enough brine to make sure that all the vegetables are submerged. Two cups of brine should be enough if you’ve really packed the vegetables into the jar(s).
- Allow to ferment in a dark and cool location for up to 3 days. Stashing in a kitchen cupboard or closet is fine.
- Store the kimchi in the refrigerator to stop fermentation.
Notes
- If you want to add a bit of spice, follow my recipe for spicy vegan kimchi. I usually make a spicy version and a no-spice version all at once so that everyone in our house is happy. My husband has a shellfish allergy, so I haven’t tried one with shrimp.
- Kimchi is generally eaten fresh (after 3 days of fermentation). It will be sweet and sparkling for at least a week, after which it slowly becomes sour. Either way, it is probiotic and delicious. See the section above for 4 delicious ways to enjoy sour kimchi.
- Napa cabbage is the best variety to use. However, if you can’t find it in your local supermarket, use a savoy head instead.
Keywords: kid friendly, family friendly, no spice, no garlic, no onions, probiotic, vegan, gluten free, keto, no fish, no shellfish, no shrimp
I’m trying this recipe by how I understand it. Could you specify:
I bought a bundle of what I thought were daikon radishes. They are super small. So if you call for one raffish, is that literally one or a bundle? And are you calling for 1- 16 oz mason jar? Thanks! I’m trying it now by my understanding of the recipe. 🙂
There are a lot of different Asian radishes. In my end of the world daikon is about the size of my arm. 🙂 So maybe use the bunch instead? Luckily kimchi is a forgiving ferment, and you can pretty much include whatever you want! The radish is one of my kids’ favourite parts so I always use lots.
Hi, what temperatures are considered cool and warm where you live please?
Regardless of where you live, vegetables generally like to ferment in a cool location: 18C, 64F. It’s not always possible, however, warmer temperatures will just cause the ferment to go faster. Check out my post on basic fermentation information for more details.
Hi Emilly, I am looking at the photos of Kim Chi and I cannot tell if the jar is supposed to be full to the top. I used a large container and it is only three-quarters full. I am not sure if that is sufficient but don’t more vegetables. Any suggestions on what to do so it ferments well, please. Thank you.
It doesn’t have to be full to the top. It really depends on the size of your jar and the size of your vegetables. Just make sure the vegetables are fully covered by brine and use a weight if you have one. Enjoy!