Celery Kimchi transforms what you used to think of as simply "filler" into a fiery side dish that makes celery the star ingredient! With only a few ingredients and no need for long fermentation, Celery Kimchi is super easy to make, and tastes so perfectly deliciously customized to your preferences, you'll never be able to stop eating it. Shall we?
Is Celery Actually Healthy?
Yes! Celery is healthy! Despite the criticism that celery has no nutritional value or that it's simply just filler, the truth is, celery does have nutritional value, depending on your health needs and dietary considerations, of course. To be honest, I can't really think of a case in which celery would not be healthy, unless the garlic in the recipe causes heartburn or other gastric issue for you.
As mentioned above, celery is a non-starchy vegetable that provides a number of nutritional benefits like:
- high volume of water which helps with hydration
- fiber which promotes gut health, primarily in the form of insoluble fiber which adds bulk to stool, and some soluble pectin
- provides vitamin K, vitamin A, and potassium
Dietary Considerations of Celery Kimchi
As published, this recipe for Celery Kimchi is:
- pescatarian (uses fish sauce)
- dairy-free
- gluten-free/wheat-free
- sugar-free
- anti-inflammatory
What Ingredients You Need for Celery Kimchi
If you've spent some time around here and made some of the recipes, then you more than likely already have the pantry ingredients. If not, they're some of the easier ones to find at the grocery store.
Celery Kimchi fresh/refrigerator ingredients:
- celery, 1 pound, which is about 1 bunch
- garlic, 1 clove very finely minced or grated
- ginger, ½ teaspoon grated
- green onion, 1 stalk sliced
Sliced red on white onions are a great optional addition if you like a little extra bite that comes from fresh alliums.
Celery Kimchi dry/pantry ingredients:
- sea salt, 2 teaspoons
- gochugaru, 1½ tablespoons
- fish sauce, 1 tablespoon
- rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon
Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources
This recipe for Celery Kimchi is easily vegan/vegetarian-adaptable by substituting in vegan fish sauce (usually made with mushrooms) for the regular fish sauce.
Gochugaru: Gochugaru is a bright red Korean chili pepper powder made from a specific variety of Korean chili pepper. Its heat level ranges, but gochugaru is generally considered a medium spicy chili powder. Look for gochugaru that is made from Korean peppers that are sun-dried, and for this recipe specifically, a coarse grind, or flakes, not a fine powder. You can find gochugaru in Korean grocery stores like H-Mart and other Asian grocery stores. I have also seen some independent, new-ish spice companies like this and this at Whole Foods. This organic brand and the one in the photo above, purchased at HMart, are currently what I have in my pantry.
Fish sauce: This brand has been my favorite for years available at Whole Foods if you can't get to an Asian market, and this one I've tried recently and like, too!
Onions, garlic, and all other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, or Whole Foods Market.
How to Store Celery to Keep it Freshest Longest
Obviously I'm going to tell you not to store celery at all and to just make all of it into Celery Kimchi!
But if you do have to store celery, the best way is to cut off the stem end, wash the stalks (so they're ready to eat straight fro the fridge at any time!) and store in a glass container with some water, uncovered. In the refrigerator, they will stay fresh for up to two weeks!
Pro-tip: Try your hand at growing your own food and sticking the cut off end in a small cup or jar of water and new celery will sprout!
What's the Best Way to Prep and Cut Celery for this Recipe?
The best way to prep and cut celery for this recipe:
- cut off about 2 inches of the end; you can stick the cut end it water and grow more celery!
- remove the leaves, which are totally edible so save them for another use!
- slice each stalk on a deep bias (diagonal) about ¼-inch wide and 2-3 inches long
Pro-tips and Technique Tricks for Celery Kimchi
- Rinse salted celery WELL. Celery naturally has a "salty" flavor to it already, so make sure to throughly drain and rinse off the salt or else the Celery Kimchi will taste too salty
- Start with a little less gochugaru. Different brands of gochugaru range in heat level, so start with a little less, and add more to your taste preference.
- Add julienned radish and/or carrots for extra crunch and color!
Best Non-traditional Kimchi Recipes
Celery Kimchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bunch celery ~ 1 pound
- ¼ onion
- 1 stalk green onion cut into 2-inch pieces
Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons gochugaru
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic very finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger grated
Garnishes to Serve (optional)
- 2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Prep Vegetables
- Separate leaves from celery stalks and save for another use. Slice celery stalks on the diagonal into pieces ¼-inch wide and 2 inches long. Toss with sea salt and set aside to draw out some water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain salted water from celery, rinse celery, and squeeze out excess moisture.
- Soak sliced onions in ice cold water for about 10 minutes to take off some of the bite.
Make Celery Kimchi
- Place drained/rinsed celery, green onions in a large mixing bowl. Drain ice water from onions and add to the mixing bowl is using.
- Sprinkle gochugaru, fish sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, and grated ginger over the celery and onions. Stir everything to combine. Make sure the celery slices are evenly and well coated; using your hands to gently massage the seasoning into the slices is highly encouraged, but wear gloves!
- To eat right away, garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Within the first few hours, the Celery Kimchi will taste like a highly seasoned, spicy salad.
- Place the Celery Kimchi into a glass container. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Valerie says
Yes, please! I'll take two.
Cowen Park Kitchen says
Amazingness.
Jackie says
Great recipe and also FANTASTIC SASS. Love your style of writing
dsl76 says
I will have to make this for my grown up kids sometime, those that love kimchi and ramen noodles. Great idea!
Joanna says
I thought it was salmon lox - maybe that would taste good too!