Simple Napa Cabbage Kimchi Recipe from Scratch
Making kimchi from scratch is a labor of love, but it’s well worth the effort. I love getting in there with my hands and working the cabbage. It feels like I’m building a real connection with my food.
Koreans eat kimchi with almost every meal, and the average Korean eats 79 pounds of it per year!
Traditional kimchi, or tongbaechu-kimchi, is made with an uncut head of Chinese cabbage where the seasoning paste has to be spread individually on each leaf. In this simple kimchi recipe, we’ll be chopping the cabbage into bite-sized pieces instead to make the process easier.
Prep time: 2 hours 30 minutes (includes the 2 hours for salting the cabbage)
Fermentation duration: 3-6 days (depending on preference)
Serves: Given the quantity, this recipe can serve approximately 16-24 servings when used as a side dish
What you'll need:
- A large basin
- Knife and cutting board
- Optional: a food processor for blending the garlic and ginger
- A BPA-free large airtight sealed plastic container or a glass jar with a lid
- Something to weigh it down (I usually use a Ziploc bag full of water, but you can use a heavy ceramic dish, or anything that’s not made of metal and is food-safe)
- Optional: plastic gloves to mix the kimchi by hand and avoid fishy-smelling hands
Instructions
3 stepsBefore diving in, assemble your ingredients and equipment.
Remove the discolored outer leaves of the Napa cabbage, then cut it lengthwise into quarters. Remove the cores and end.
Chop the cabbage into large bite-sized pieces (about 2 inches in length). The leafy pieces can stay large, since they’ll shrink during the salting process.
Put the cut cabbage into a large basin and cover it with cold water. Let it soak for 10 minutes, then drain and transfer back to the basin.
Split the cabbage into two, sprinkle salt on the first half, then add the rest of the cabbage and sprinkle on the remaining salt. Use your hands to massage the salt gently into each piece.
Come back every 30 minutes to mix the cabbage. After 2 hours, the cabbage is ready. You’ll notice it releases a lot of liquid—that’s good.
Rinse the cabbage 3 times and transfer back to the large basin. Taste it and make sure it’s not too salty. If it is, rinse another time.
To a separate bowl, add fish sauce or soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, onion, and Korean chili flakes to taste (4 to 8 tablespoons).
Add the chopped green onions, leeks, and carrots. Stir to combine.
Add the kimchi paste to the large basin of salted cabbage. Put on your gloves and use your hands to mix it in.
Place the kimchi into an airtight sealed plastic container or glass jar, press it down with your hands to remove any air bubbles, cover it with a weight, and close the container or jar.
Ferment kimchi at 12-18°C C (55-65 F), in a cool dark place, away from direct sunlight. Let it ferment for 3-6 days. Check it each day to keep an eye on the process, and to let it burp.
Once it’s to your liking, pop it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process. Kimchi lasts in the fridge for 3-6 months (or more).
Recipe Notes
Tips and Tricks
When massaging the salt into the cabbage, treat the cabbage gentlyso as to not bruise it.
Make sure the kimchi is submerged to avoid oxygen getting to itand possibly causing mold growth. That’s why the weight is so important.
Use chlorine-free water and iodine-free salt to ferment vegetables. Both chlorine and iodine can hinder the fermentation process.
I find that the ideal temperature for fermenting kimchi is 13-18 C (55-65 F), but it’s okay if your room temperature is a bit higher. The warmer the room, the faster the fermentation process, so your kimchi could be done in 1-2 days instead of 3-6.
Add Korean chili flakes to taste. You can even omit them entirely if you’re not into spicy foods. For this recipe, 4 tablespoons results in mildly spicy kimchi, while 8 or more tablespoons makes it super spicy.
