Kimchi Recipe (Napa Cabbage Kimchi)
Learn how to make napa cabbage kimchi, a popular Korean side dish made from fermented napa cabbage.
Equipment
- large bowl
- food grade plastic bag
- bucket
- colander
- Saucepan
- mixing bowl
- kimchi container
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 kg napa cabbage remove thick outer cabbage leaves
- 16 cups water (3840 ml)
- 1.5 cups Korean coarse sea salt or natural rock salt (for salt water) (285g / 10 ounces)
- ½ cup cooking salt (medium sized crystals for sprinkle) (97g / 3.4 ounces)
Kimchi Seasoning / Kimchi Paste
- 2 tablespoon glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour)
- 1.5 cups water (360 ml)
- 1.5 cups gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (141g / 4.97 ounces)
- 540 g Korean radish or daikon radish (19 ounces), julienned
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 3.5 tablespoon Korean fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon salted fermented shrimp (minced)
- 90 g Korean chives (3.2 ounces), cut in 5 cm / 2 inch length
- 140 g carrots (4.9 ounces), julienned
- ¼ cup minced garlic (42g / 1.48 ounces)
- ½ tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon raw sugar
- 75 g onion (2.6 ounces), blended or finely grated
Instructions
Instructions
- Cut the napa cabbage into quarters and rinse it in running water. Make sure the stem is intact.
- Dissolve the coarse salt in the water (16 cups) in a large bowl. Dip the napa cabbage in the saltwater one at a time and transfer it onto a tray for further salting.
- Pinch some cooking salt (½ cup total for all pickled cabbages) and rub over the thick white part of the cabbage. Open each leaf gently and sprinkle the salt over the thick white part.
- Put the salted cabbage in a large food grade plastic bag or large bucket and pour in the reserved saltwater. Close the plastic bag and set aside for 6 hours, rotating every 2 hours.
- Once finished, rinse the cabbages in running water to get rid of the salt. Place them in a colander and allow to drain for 1 hour.
- Prepare the glutinous rice paste. Mix glutinous rice flour with 1.5 cups of water in a saucepan and boil for 5-8 minutes until thickened. Let it cool and then add the Korean chili flakes.
- In a large bowl, combine radish, fine sea salt, Korean fish sauce, and salted shrimp. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then add Korean chives, carrots, minced garlic, minced ginger, sugar, and the chili flakes mixture. Mix well.
- Spread the seasoning over each leaf of the cabbage. Use 1 to 2 small fistfuls of seasoning per quarter of cabbage.
- Transfer the kimchi into a kimchi container or an airtight container. Leave it at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate.
- Once ready to eat, chop a small portion for serving and store the rest intact in the large container.
Notes
Kimchi can typically last in the fridge for a couple of months, but can be stored for up to a year depending on conditions.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 9gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 33425mgPotassium: 1280mgFiber: 19gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 17911IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 9mg
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