This Korean fermented side dish is spicy and sour. It's traditionally made with Napa cabbage, radishes, scallions and cucumbers to highlight the spice of chiles. This is a popular condiment, and is often added to soups, dumplings, fried rice and pancakes.
Chef's notes
Some ferments can take longer to initiate, especially ferments with more volume, higher specific salinity and lower room temperature (e.g. in a 55°F/12°C basement vs. a 70°F/21°C apartment).
The longer the ferment, the tangier and more “bioactive” the mixture will become. Once you refrigerate it, the fermentation process will slow dramatically.
Steps
1
Preparing the Ingredients
Ingredients
1/2–head napa cabbage (approx. 1 lb), chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 tsp chile paste or ground cayenne pepper
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
Combine the cabbage, carrot, chile paste, green onion and salt in a bowl and stir. The salt will help the cabbage soften and begin to create the brine liquid.
2
Preparing the Kimchi for Storage
Ingredients
additional Brine Solution (if needed)
Pack the mixture into a pint container and weight it to submerge the kimchi in the brine liquid. If needed, add a bit more Brine Solution so that the mixture will be completely submerged.
3
Fermenting the Kimchi
Leave the mixture out, at room temperature, for 4 to 7 days, or until it begins to produce tiny carbon dioxide bubbles. This is an indicator that the fermentation process has begun. Taste it. It should be a bit sour or tangy.
If there is any scum or mold (called “bloom”), simply skim it off the top– this is very normal and only indicative of surface mold and not contamination.
At this point, seal the container, label and date it and refrigerate. Kimchi can keep six months or more if kept well refrigerated.
11 Comments
Laurie A•
The recipe instructions do not indicate when to add the chili paste. I assume it gets added along with all the other ingredients.
Hi Laurie- Have a look at the the instructions again (first line). "Combine the cabbage, carrot, chili, green onion and salt in a bowl and stir."
Hope this helps.
~Ken
I tried and followed the recipe as best I could. Used the only jar in the house. Apparently it's not totally airtight, some liquid keeps on coming out. Is it all ruined?
Hi Roxana. Do you meant that it is leaking in the fridge? It is probably not ruined. If it is packed very, very full and still fermenting it might seep out. You can take a little out of the jar and reseal it. Maybe transfer to an airtight jar when you have a chance to get a new mason jar with an airtight seal. Let me know if I understood you clearly. Lauren
Roxana, you must pack the cabbage down, should be fully immersed, but leave 1/2 to 1" room under the lid or it will leak or make a mess when opened. BTW, if you do it proper, you prep/brine the very wet cabbage first - kosher or sea salt, every 1/2 hour , RINSE WELL after a few hours. When the cabbage bends a lot before breaking, it's ready. I make a porridge with rice flour and all other ingredients (Daikon radish, green onion, maybe carrot) coating each leaf. Never cayenne. Use Korean chili powder, AKA gochugaru or red pepper powder/flakes (get the coarse) - completely different. It'll be finished on the counter in 1 day, 2 max depending on how sour you like it. Open the jar every 12 hours and push down, you'll see the bubbles. Taste, and fridge when it you like it. It'll continue to ferment slowly, so don't wait too long.
The proper process (there are several), is much more work and more complicated than the shortcut shown here but you'll get a better kimchi in less time. So no one makes a 1/2 Napa. Even so, it would be over 1 lb. and even 1 lb. would never fit in a pint jar. lol That said, I love this site, and have learned a TON, but this recipe is a bit off.
Ken R • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Laurie- Have a look at the the instructions again (first line). "Combine the cabbage, carrot, chili, green onion and salt in a bowl and stir." Hope this helps. ~Ken
Roxana G •I tried and followed the recipe as best I could. Used the only jar in the house. Apparently it's not totally airtight, some liquid keeps on coming out. Is it all ruined?
Lauren L •Hi Roxana. Do you meant that it is leaking in the fridge? It is probably not ruined. If it is packed very, very full and still fermenting it might seep out. You can take a little out of the jar and reseal it. Maybe transfer to an airtight jar when you have a chance to get a new mason jar with an airtight seal. Let me know if I understood you clearly. Lauren
Beverly T •Roxana, you must pack the cabbage down, should be fully immersed, but leave 1/2 to 1" room under the lid or it will leak or make a mess when opened. BTW, if you do it proper, you prep/brine the very wet cabbage first - kosher or sea salt, every 1/2 hour , RINSE WELL after a few hours. When the cabbage bends a lot before breaking, it's ready. I make a porridge with rice flour and all other ingredients (Daikon radish, green onion, maybe carrot) coating each leaf. Never cayenne. Use Korean chili powder, AKA gochugaru or red pepper powder/flakes (get the coarse) - completely different. It'll be finished on the counter in 1 day, 2 max depending on how sour you like it. Open the jar every 12 hours and push down, you'll see the bubbles. Taste, and fridge when it you like it. It'll continue to ferment slowly, so don't wait too long. The proper process (there are several), is much more work and more complicated than the shortcut shown here but you'll get a better kimchi in less time. So no one makes a 1/2 Napa. Even so, it would be over 1 lb. and even 1 lb. would never fit in a pint jar. lol That said, I love this site, and have learned a TON, but this recipe is a bit off.
Clare M •A tip for weighing down the cabbage etc is to fill a zip lock bag with water and put that inside the top of your kilner jar. It works a treat.
Diana K •Using a bag filled with brine works great! Brine is a better option than water, in case of leakage, it will not dilute the salinity of the kimchi.