Vegan Kimchi

Ever since I started watching Korean dramas during the pandemic and drooling at all the yummy food they lay out on the tables (almost every day has key scenes around food and people are around books most of the times, and I LOVE this!), I have developed this interest for Kimchi, and I have been making Kimchi fried rice and Kimchi ramen almost every week. This has now reached comfort food status for me. I had already been eating curd with a little Kimchi with it at night, so now I have three uses for Kimchi.

Buying Kimchi from the stores was not an option, especially during the COVID19 pandemic, because I did not have the time and bandwidth to stop at the aisles, look for a vegan Kimchi, look for its ingredients to ensure it is all natural etc. Also, store-bought Kimchi turned out to be too expensive for the frequency and quantities I was cooking these dishes. Hence the search for the perfect Kimchi recipe.

Notes -

1. Authenticity - I do not claim that this is the authentic version of Kimchi, I have developed this recipe after reading on multiple food blogs, and wanted a Vegan option. This recipe has worked for me for a while now, doesn't go bad, is spicy enough for our palette and refrigerates well for at least 2 months (that is the maximum one batch of Kimchi has stayed in my fridge).
2. Kimchi recipes - There are multiples types of Kimchi in the Korean cuisine. This, I'd assume, is the basic version, and is cabbage based. I add other veggies as I feel when I mix this. 
3. Kimchi Paste - There are also multiple recipes for the Kimchi paste. Some of them use potato starch to thicken the paste. I did not like the taste of the paste much with that option. 
4. Brining the Cabbage - Follow the instructions online on mixing salt into cabbage to remove any harmful bacteria, there are a few videos to show this too. I have not got the salt ratio for the whole Kimchi right, yet, so I am adding a little more salt than required. I adjust salt when I cook the dish, though. 
5. Storage - Kimchi paste freezes well. So I make enough to last me for 2-3 batches. One batch would be a full head of cabbage + 1C of other veggies + a large piece of ginger, julienned. 
6. Other veggies - Some options I have used are bell peppers and spring onions. I always add julienned ginger because I love the taste. I plan to add julienned Radish for the next batch. 
7. Marinate/Ferment - Keep the kimchi on the kitchen counter for 2-3 days before you refrigerate it, but check it every day. I keep some of the brine in the cabbage so it creates some liquid in the Kimchi.
8. Ingredients - If you don't have access to Korean chilli flakes or Gochugaru, you could use the Indian chillis too, either the powder as it is, or the whole chillis soaked in hot water for 10-15 mins. Please adjust the quantity per taste. I have used Costa Rican red chillis a few times, and the Kimchi turned out well. Using Gochugaru gives a beautiful red color to the Kimchi, though. 
9. Other ways to eat this - I have never eaten this with ghee and rice, but friends with whom I have shared this have eaten it that way. So there is always that option :-)
10. Apologies for the typo in 'Chillis' in the above pic. I blame autocorrect and laziness :-)