This kimchi recipe is juicy, pungent, and packed with various vegetable fillings. While it is time-consuming to make, kimchi can be stored in the fridge for well over a year. Making your own kimchi is worth the time and effort, so give this recipe a go!
In my opinion, store bought kimchi doesn’t compare to homemade kimchi. Homemade kimchi is juicy, strong, packed with vegetable fillings, and is a symphony of flavours. Store bought kimchi is expensive, dry, has no fillings, and is more basic in flavour.
Homemade kimchi is just superior in every way. However, it is pretty time-consuming to make, so it is best to make a large batch with a group of your friends to share. I usually just pop my containers of kimchi in the fridge, and slowly eat it over the course of a year.
The flavour and texture of your kimchi will change the longer it is left to ferment. You can enjoy your kimchi as soon as it is made. This fresh kimchi will still be crunchy and won’t be sour yet. My favourite way of eating it, is after it ferments for a few months. After fermenting for several months, it becomes very sour and pungent. Aged kimchi is wonderful to cook with since it has such an intense flavour. I love to cut it up to make kimchi soup, kimchi stew, kimchi pancakes, and kimchi fried rice.
Frequently asked Questions
1) How long do I leave the kimchi at room temperature?
The kimchi will start fermenting a day or two at room temperature. The warmer and more humid the room is, the faster the kimchi will ferment. Once it starts to ferment it will smell and taste sour. Put it in the refrigerator after 1-2 days. If you’re using a sealed jar with a lid, be sure to open it once a while, let it breathe, and press down on the top of the kimchi.
2) Why is my kimchi so salty?
Chances are you did not rinse the cabbage leaves well enough. If you are sure that you rinsed well, you can also decrease the amount of fish sauce, fermented shrimp, or salt in the recipe to suit your tastes in the future. For the current batch, keep it to make kimchi fried rice, stews, or other kimchi recipes. No need to add further seasonings.
3) Why is my kimchi so watery?
After rinsing the cabbage in water, the cabbage needs to sit and dry out. You can gently squeeze the leaves to help remove more water or use a clean cloth to absorb some of the water from the cabbage. Keep in mind that it is normal for kimchi to release water as it ferments. These delicious juices can be used when you are cooking with your kimchi.
4) Do I have to follow this recipe exactly?
Kimchi is very flexible. You can increase or decrease the amount of ingredients to suit your tastes. This recipe is just a guide, feel free to change it!
Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi Recipe Method
Step 1
If the cabbage cores stick out too much or are dirty, trim them off with your knife. Tear away any outer leaves that are damaged or bruised.
Step 2
To split a cabbage in half without shredding the densely packed leaves inside, first cut a short slit (3 inches) in the base of the cabbage, enough to get a grip on either half, and then gently pull the halves apart so the cabbage splits open.
Step 3
Dunk the halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Sprinkle salt between the leaves by lifting every leaf and getting salt in there. Use more salt closer to the stems, where the leaves are thicker.
Step 4
Let the cabbages rest for 5-6 hours. If convenient, turn cabbages over every hour so they get well salted. From time to time you can ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over the top of the cabbages.
Step 5
After 5-6 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water. As you wash, split the halves into quarters along the slits you cut into earlier. Cut off the cores, give them a final rinse, and put them in a strainer over a basin so they can drain well.
Step 6
Combine the water, glutinous rice flour, and sugar in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until it starts to bubble. Add the sugar and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
Step 7
Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, shrimp paste and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste.
Step 8
Add the radish, carrot, pear, and green onion, plus the Asian chives (or more green onions). Mix well.
Step 9
In a large bowl, spread some kimchi paste on each cabbage leaf. When every leaf is covered with paste, wrap it around itself into a small packet, and put into your jar, plastic container, or onggi.
Step 10
Eat right away, or let it sit for a few days to ferment. Kimchi is alive, so the taste will change overtime and become sourer. I have kept it in the refrigerator for over a year.
Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Ingredients
Salting Cabbage
- 8 pounds Napa cabbage (Approximately 3 heads)
- 2/3 cup Coarse natural sea salt (or ¼ cup of non-iodized table salt)
Porridge
- 4 cups Water
- 5 tbsp Glutinous rice flour
- 5 tbsp Brown sugar (or white sugar)
Vegetables
- 3 cups Daikon, cut into matchsticks (Approximately 1 radish)
- 2 cups Carrots, cut into matchsticks (Approximately 1 chinese carrot)
- 8 Green onions, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup Asian chives, chopped in ½ inch pieces (Optional, can be substituted with 3 more green onions)
- 1 Asian pear or apple, cut into matchsticks (Optional)
Seasonings
- 1/2 cup Garlic, minced finely (Approximately 2 heads of garlic)
- 3 tbsp Ginger, minced finely
- 1 Onion, minced finely
- 1/2 cup Fish sauce
- 1/4 cup Fermented salted shrimp (Saeujeot) (Can be substituted with ¼ cup of fish sauce or shrimp paste)
- 1/4 cup Shrimp paste (Optional)
- 2-3 cups Coarse Korean hot pepper flakes (Use less or more depending on how spicy you like your kimchi)
Instructions
Salting Cabbage
- If the cabbage cores stick out too much or are dirty, trim them off with your knife. Tear away any outer leaves that are damaged or bruised.
- To split a cabbage in half without shredding the densely packed leaves inside, first cut a short slit in the base of the cabbage, enough to get a grip on either half, and then gently pull the halves apart so the cabbage splits open.
- Dunk the halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Sprinkle salt between the leaves by lifting every leaf and getting salt in there. Use more salt closer to the stems, where the leaves are thicker.
- Let the cabbages rest for 5-6 hours. If convenient, turn cabbages over every hour so they get well salted. From time to time you can ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over the top of the cabbages.
- After 5-6 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water. As you wash, split the halves into quarters along the slits you cut into earlier. Cut off the cores, give them a final rinse, and put them in a strainer over a basin so they can drain well.
Paste
- Combine the water, glutinous rice flour, and sugar in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until it starts to bubble. Add the sugar and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
- Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, shrimp paste and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste.
- Add the radish, carrot, pear, and green onion, plus the Asian chives (or more green onions). Mix well.
Kimchi Assembly
- In a large bowl, spread some kimchi paste on each cabbage leaf. When every leaf is covered with paste, wrap it around itself into a small packet, and put into your jar, plastic container, or onggi.
- Eat right away, or let it sit for a few days to ferment. Kimchi is alive, so the taste will change overtime and become sourer. I have kept it in the refrigerator for over a year.
Notes
- If you have a fish/seafood allergy, you can omit the fish sauce, shrimp paste, and fermented shrimps. Replace with 3/4 cups of soy sauce
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