How to Make Kimchi at Home
Instructions and recipe for homemade napa kimchi
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb napa cabbage cut into large pieces and washed well
- 1/2 cup Kosher salt
- 8 oz daikon radish peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 8 scallions cut into 2 inch lengths
- 1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder
- 1/4 cup fish sauce plus an extra tbsp if not using the shrimp
- 1/4 cup peeled minced fresh ginger
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp Korean salted shrimp
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Prep your cabbage. Slice the napa cabbage into 2 inch or so slices. Wash and rinse well. Mix the kosher salt with the cabbage in a large bowl and use very clean hands to mix well. Cover with cold water until cabbage is submerged and soak for 1-2 hours.
- While it is soaking, you can prep the rest of the ingredients. Peel and slice the daikon and slice the scallions into 2 inch pieces and set them aside.
- In a small blender cup, combine the ginger, garlic, red pepper powder, fish sauce, shrimp and sugar. Blend to process. It doesn't have to be super finely blended.
- When the cabbage is done soaking, pour into a strainer and rinse very well to remove the excess salt. This is important or the kimchi will be way too salty. I drain it and then refill the bowl with clean water and swish it around to be sure I got all the salt off. Drain and squeeze out excess water and rinse the bowl.
- Make sure your hands are clean and add the scallions, daikon and the mixture you blended and mix well using your hands. You want to be sure all the cabbage gets coated evenly. Pack into your clean jars and set on the counter overnight, then store in the fridge. You can eat fresh kimchi right away, and as it sits in your fridge it will ferment and turn more sour. I love both fresh and very sour kimchi.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!