Fresh Kimchi Recipe

One of my favorite things to eat that is super tasty and amazing for you is kimchi! Kimchi is a very popular sour and spicy Korean side dish. The most common type of kimchi is napa cabbage kimchi, also known as Baechu-kimchi. Try making some; it’s more simple than you think!

Kimchi Ingredients: 

• 6 pounds napa cabbage
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 2 cups water
• Two tablespoons of sweet rice flour
• Two tablespoons turbinado sugar (or brown or white sugar)
• 2 cups Korean Radish matchsticks (or daikon radish)
• 1 cup carrot matchsticks
• 7 to 8 green onions, chopped
• ½ cup garlic cloves, minced
• Two teaspoons ginger, minced
• One medium onion, Minced
• ½ cup fish sauce ¼ cup fermented salted shrimp with brine, chopped
• 2 cups red pepper flakes
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Kimchi Directions:

1. 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.
2. Cut a slit through the core of each half, 2 inches above the stem.
3. Dunk the halves in a large water basin to wet them. 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.
4. Let the cabbages rest for 2 hours. Turn over every 30 minutes.
5. After 2 hours, wash the cabbage 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.
6. Combine the water and sweet rice flour in a small pot to make the porridge while the cabbage is resting. Mix well with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it bubbles. Add the sugar and cook for one more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
7. Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon.
8. Add the radish, carrot, and green onion, plus the Asian chives and the water dropwort if you’re using them. Mix well.
9. Spread some kimchi paste on each cabbage leaf in a large bowl. When every leaf in a quarter is covered with paste, wrap it around itself into a small packet and put it into your jar, plastic container, or onggi.
10. Eat right away, or let it ferment for a few days.

The kimchi will start fermenting a day or two at room temperature. The warmer and more humid it is, the faster the kimchi will develop. If you’re using a sealed jar with a lid, open it occasionally, let it breathe, and press down on top of the mixture with a spoon to release bubbles from beneath. Once it ferments, store it in the refrigerator to use as needed.