Authentic Vietnamese Kimchi With No Vinegar Recipe
You may not have heard of Vietnamese Kimchi, a variant that has its own unique flavor and method of preparation.
I am going to share my own easy-to-follow recipe for making your own Vietnamese Kimchi at home.
I have been making Kimchi for several years now and often recommend it to my clients with gut issues.
Every time I make this Vietnamese Kimchi it takes back to my younger days roaming around Vietnam and trying amazing new foods.
Vietnamese Kimchi Ingredients
The ingredients for my Vietnamese Kimchi recipe are listed below.
Vietnamese Kimchi Nutrition Facts
The nutritional facts for my Vietnamese Kimchi recipe are listed below.
Detailed Vietnamese Kimchi Directions
The directions for making my Vietnamese Kimchi are listed below with images.
- Cut the napa cabbage into thinly sliced bite-size pieces and place them into a clean bowl.
- Peel and cut the carrot into circular or long pieces and add them to the same bowl as the cabbage.
- Peel the cucumber, leaving some skin on for thickness, and add it to the same bowl.
- Spread sea salt over the vegetables in the bowl and let them sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour, rinse off all of the salt from the cabbage and make sure to squeeze out all of the water with your hands.
- While we are waiting for the vegetables in the bowl we can start on the Kimchi paste. You will need chilli flakes, fish sauce, garlic and garlic chives.
- In a blender, blend chili flakes, fish sauce, garlic, and garlic chives. If the paste is too thick, add more fish sauce and clean water.
- After 1 hour has passed, transfer the vegetables into a new bowl and mix the paste in with your hands or a spoon, making sure it is evenly mixed.
What Is The Final Step?
After the fermentation process is complete, enjoy your homemade Vietnamese Kimchi! It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
Is Vietnamese or South Korean Kimchi Better?
The better kimchi will depend on if you prefer the taste of Vinegar or not since Vietnamese Kimchi tastes like pickled Kimchi. The Kimchi I tried in Vietnam was way less spicy than Traditional Korean and the portions were a lot smaller.
From my experience travelling in Vietnam, they don't prepare large batches of Kimchi and ferment it for a long time. They make smaller portions and ferment it for a shorter time. Because of the intense in Vietnam, fermenting can be as short as just leaving it for 1 night.
Side Dishes For Vietnamese Kimchi
My Top Tips
Vietnamese Kimchi is a delicious and healthy addition to any meal. It's easy to make, and you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
To keep the Kimchi fresh, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
You can also swap out the vegetables to your liking, such as using daikon instead of carrots or adding radishes for extra crunch.
Check out this Cubed Turnip kimchi recipe if you are planning on changing the ingredients with turnips. It tastes similar to Vietnamese Kimchi.
Remember to be patient during the fermentation process, and don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. Enjoy!
Alicia Harper is a NASM-CNC Certified nutritionist and the editor of ProbioticReviewGirl.
After suffering from recurrent gut issues she spent years researching Probiotics and the microbiome.
She has tested 29+ different Probiotics and is a probiotics expert. As a probiotic fanatic, she has valuable knowledge to share with the world.