Homemade Kimchi
A quick and simple homemade kimchi
Traveling and living in different countries gives you the benefit of making friends from different countries and getting a taste of their culture. This is where Kimchi comes in, as many of us know, Kimchi is one of Korean traditional side dish delicacy; salty, spicy, crunchy, and fermented vegetables. This dish have been in their history for about 3,000 years or more. Korean Kimchi is mostly used as a side dish, however, it can also be in used in main dishes such as, soups, stews, and fried rice. This particular recipe is something I learned from my sister while I was visiting her one Summer in LA. Many Korean restaurants that I have visited in the past, never really had that homemade good kimchi taste to them, they were either too salty, sweet, or overly fermented. Therefore, there is a beauty to homemade kimchi, you can adjust the spices according to your taste. You can either add more or less of the ingredients such as, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper, etc., accordingly.
Side Dish
Recipe Cuisine:
Asian
Servings:
15 people
Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Cooking Time:
-
Step by Step Recipe Instruction Video:
Ingredients:
- 1 large napa cabbage
- 1/2 cup (30 g) or a bit more hot pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) of fish sauce
- 3 stalks scallions
- 5-7 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup (25 g) of fresh ginger
- 2 sticks of carrots (julienned)
- 2 whole apples or pears (julienned)
- 1 tablespoon sugar or stevia (optional)
Steps to make it:
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Here is my quick guide on how to make quick homemade Kimchi. I like using apples for that extra sweetness and crunchiness.
Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about the health benefits of kimchi in general, check out this article from WebMD.
Instructions
- Cut 1 large napa cabbage in half lengthwise. Then cut the halves into another half into quarters. Start placing them in a large bowl.
- Add about 1/4 cup of salt in each layer of the cabbage when placing them in the bowl. By using your hands, be sure to cover every single pieces of cabbage in salt. Then depending on the thickness and texture of your napa cabbage, you can let them sit between 1 hour to 2 hours and turning them every 15-20 minutes. The salt helps to draw the excess water out of the cabbage.
- After an hour or hour and half, rinse the cabbage several times under cold water. This will prevent the kimchi being too salty.
- In a separate bowl, make the spice paste. Mix about 1/2 cup Korean hot chili pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons of Gochujiang, 1/3 cup fish sauce, 5-7 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup of ginger (minced or thinly sliced), 3 stalks of scallions, 1/2 a white onion, 2 sticks of carrots, and 2 whole apples julienned. Mix well until it forms a thick paste. If it is not sweet enough for you taste, you can either add sugar, or I prefer adding 1 tablespoon of stevia.
- Put on a pair of gloves and use your hands to spread the paste on the cabbage.
- Store in a jar or any container that has a tight seal.
With fresh kimchi, you can enjoy immediately or let it sit on the counter or in the fridge for 2-3 hours then enjoy.
Did you make this recipe?
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Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
