An Expert's Advice On Making Vegan Kimchi At Home

Some foods are obviously vegan or not. Then there are the sneaky ones, the are-they-or-aren't-they vegan foods. These require a little bit of detective work and careful studying of ingredients to determine if they're safe for the no-animal-products crowd. Think miso soup, some beers that actually aren't vegan, and of course, kimchi. 

Traditionally enjoyed as a side dish to various Korean meals, the gut-healthy dish is conventionally spiked with savory fish sauce but can certainly still be enjoyed by vegans or those avoiding seafood. To help you make the right vegan-friendly swaps, Chowhound spoke with Sungchul Shim, chef and owner of the Michelin-starred New York City restaurants Mari and Kochi, who shared his wisdom on how to achieve the authentic sour, funky tang, but plant-based. The key, says Shim, is adding back in the salty, umami flavor by using soy sauce, white miso, or kelp stock, letting your taste buds be the guide on the final flavor as you perfect your recipe over time.

As the head tastemaker at the acclaimed Mari and Kochi, Sungchul Shim knows a thing or five about quality kimchi. His restaurant's menus feature the fermented goodness made with inventive ingredients such as squash and chives. So, if you're thinking omitting fish sauce or swapping out ingredients sacrifices flavor or authenticity, not so. In fact, one of the beautiful things about kimchi is its inherent customizability and flexibility, as well as its forgiving nature. 

Case in point: There are over 200 recognized recipes and types of kimchi, so there's no one way to make it right. If you're vegetarian, vegan, suffer from a fish allergy, or just don't like it, you can totally skip the fish sauce. Commonly used in dishes such as pad thai, fish sauce adds a funky, salty depth to food that, as Shim suggests, can be mimicked through the use of other umami bombs such as miso or soy sauce. Kelp stock, also used in miso broth, is another of his suggested substitutes. Simply kelp (aka seaweed) boiled down in water to create a salty, savory broth, it lends that fresh-from-the-ocean vibe sans fish. After experimenting with kimchi, if you find your batch could have used more umami flavoring, Shim suggests adding grated onions or shiitake mushroom powder to take the flavor to the next delicious level. Let your tastebuds be the guide, as again, there's no one way to make a delicious batch.