Kimchi is a delicious Korean condiment loved by many across the world. Here is my super simple way of making great kimchi to preserve Napa cabbage it in my American homestead kitchen.
What is kimchi
Kimchi is a fermented vegetable condiment usually made from Napa cabbage, ginger, garlic, green onions, carrot, daikon radish and delicious Korean chili powder called gochugaru.
Kimchi is a great recipe to make to preserve Napa cabbage for a year or more.
Is this kimchi recipe authentic?
There are as many kimchi recipes as there are family cooks. Like any good food, traditions and family recipes are unique and passed down from generation to generation in noisy kitchens.
I have not been fortunate enough to work alongside a Korean grandmother in her busy kitchen. Because of this, I have had to start my own tradition in my kitchen. This recipe for kimchi is mine. It’s not traditional, not authentic, it’s just my way of making something close to what I’ve had in store bought kimchi, and I think it’s pretty good!
Many kimchi recipes that I find from Korean bloggers contain some type of fish or fish sauce, rice flour and sometimes sugar. I omit these ingredients for simplicity in my recipe. I have not worked with those ingredients in fermented vegetables before, so I just use what I know.
The first time I made kimchi I followed the kimchi recipe from the book Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten Shockey. I highly recommend that book for anyone that wants to dive in to fermenting all the vegetables.
Since making that recipe once, I have not cracked that book again when making kimchi. I committed the basic method to memory and I use the ingredients that I have on hand and in the amounts that I feel best at that time.
No two batches of kimchi that I have made have ever been exactly the same, this is part of why I love fermentation so much! It’s exciting!
I will do my best to note approximate amounts of ingredients so you can try my kimchi recipe, but I hope with all my heart that after you understand the process you will make kimchi your own way and develop your own family recipe.
What does kimchi taste like?
Kimchi is so excellent and unique it might be hard for me to explain. It tastes like kimchi! I think a lot of the characteristic flavor of kimchi comes from the Korean chili pepper powder called gochugaru. This stuff is delicious.
Sure, you can substitute the gochugaru for some regular old crushed chili flakes, but I bet it won’t end up tasting like kimchi.
Do yourself a favor and buy the real stuff. It’s cheap, stores forever in your pantry and makes the best kimchi. This is the brand that I bought from Amazon and I love it.
How does making kimchi preserve Napa cabbage?
Kimchi is made by fermentation. Fermentaion works to naturally preserve vegetables by using the bacteria that are present on the vegetables. By creating an environment where good bacteria can grow and thrive it invites an environment that bad bacteria can not grow in. Using fermentation is my favorite way to preserve Napa cabbage.
Lacto-fermentation encourages good bacteria to take over., Thanks to what scientists call competitive exclusion, bad bacteria won’t grow.
One of the bonuses of vegetable fermentaion is that it creates acids. That makes the brine and vegetables taste like delicious, tangy vinegar pickles. By encouraging an acidic environment, you are guaranteeing that unwanted bacteria cannot grow there.
Mold can only grow with oxygen so by keeping your vegetables submerged under a brine while they ferment, they cannot become moldy!
To learn more about how vegetable fermentation works and how to do it in your home kitchen, read my article Everything You Need to Know To Get Started With Fermented Vegetables.
What is Napa cabbage?
Napa cabbage, sometimes called Chinese cabbage is a variety of cabbage that is usually used when making kimchi. Apparently in Australia they call it wombok. Whatever you want to call it, it’s delicous.
Napa cabbage (or Chinese cabbage) is an elongated cabbage that has many thick white ribs and very light green to medium green leaves. It’s a mild, slightly sweet tasting cabbage with a fabulous crunch. It’s great eaten raw, shredded for slaws, cooked in stir fry’s, or my favorite, fermented into condiments like kimchi!
There are even more names for Napa cabbage, if you want to know more about this vegetable check out this Wikipedia page.
Why would you want to preserve Napa cabbage?
If you grow a garden, you know the abundance that can come about abruptly and all at once. Plating a few rows of Napa cabbage can mean you have 20 heads or more ready to use all at about the same time. A person can only eat so much fresh Napa cabbage!
Even if you don’t grow a garden, there is a time of year when the cabbage in your grocery store or farmers market will be its freshest. This is also usually the cheapest price you will find on those vegetables. Buying locally and in season has so many benefits.
Of course we should get our fill and enjoy these fresh vegetables as they are available. After that, I think it’s a great idea to buy extra and preserve some of what is in season to enjoy in different ways for the year to come.
It’s easy to preserve Napa cabbage with fermentation!
Are there other ways to preserve Napa cabbage?
I think fermentation is the best way to preserve Napa cabbage. However, I have read that people do freeze Napa cabbage for preservation, but I have never tried it.
I have blanched and frozen other vegetables for long term storage. This yields a vegetable that needs to be cooked to be delicious. Blanching and freezing a vegetable changes the texture. After a vegetable has been frozen it’s best to use in cooking like with stir fry or soup.
If you want to enjoy crunchy, raw Napa cabbage all year long, I highly recommend fermenting Napa cabbage. Kimchi is my favorite recipe to do that.
Is kimchi hard to make?
I don’t think so! If you master the art of fermenting vegetables, you can ferment anything and be successful. If you are new to fermenting vegetables, start with my article Everything You Need to Know to Get Started with Fermented Vegetables.
How to make kimchi
This is my way of doing it. I have read other recipes with different ingredients and instructions. This way works well for me with my equipment, skills and available ingredients. I hope you will give making kimchi a try and find the way that’s best for you to make it.
Ingredients
- Korean chili pepper powder (gochugaru)
- Napa cabbage
- Carrot
- Daikon radish
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Water
- Salt
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Box grater or food processor with shredder attachment
- Half gallon mason jar (or other vessel)
- Ball lid and spring set (or other follower, weight, and breathable lid)
- Gloves for mixing the spicy pepper
Method
- Cut root end off of your Napa cabbages and cut them in two lengthwise.
- Rinse well and remove any dirt.
- Make brine of 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water.
- Submerge Napa cabbage into brine, weighing down with a plate.
- Let soak about 8 hours or overnight.
- Place soaked cabbage on to wire rack in the sink so it can drain. Let drain at least an hour or more.
- Peel and then grate carrot and daikon and set aside in medium bowl.
- Peel and grate ginger and place in medium bowl with the shredded veggies.
- Finely mince garlic and add to the shredded veggie bowl.
- Roughly chop the cabbage and green onion into about 1 inch pieces and place that into a large bowl and set aside.
- Measure Korean chili pepper powder and add to the shredded veggies.
- Wearing gloves, mix the shredded carrot, daikon, ginger and garlic with the chili pepper powder.
- Add the spicy shredded veggies mix into the cabbage and green onion bowl.
- Mix really well, separating any leaves of cabbage and making sure everything gets coated with the spicy, garlicy, gingery mixture.
- Pack kimchi into your vessel, pressing down to remove any air bubbles.
- Make sure everything is submerged under the brine and use a weight to hold it in place.
- Cover with a breathable lid and label with the date.
- Put on a plate to catch any spill over and let the kimchi ferment for about 7 days.
- After 7 days taste the kimchi. Let it ferment as long as you like. When the taste and texture is good for you move it in the fridge.
Notes
- Kimchi will last in the fridge for at least a year. Longer than that even.
- Kimchi is good with everything! Eggs, any rice dishes, burgers, stew and so much more.
- Pull the kimchi out and set it at the table at meal time. You might be surprised at how many things go good with kimchi!
- You can make as much or as little kimchi as you’d like. Scale this recipe to make a huge batch, or just a little taste. It’s up to you.
- I usually ferment my kimchi for at least 7 days, and as long as 20. The temperature in your kitchen will determine how fast it ferments. A warm kitchen will ferment faster, if it’s cooler it will go slower.
Watch the video here
How to eat kimchi?
Kimchi is an excellent pickled vegetable condiment. If you make it like I do it has a spicy, garlicy taste. It is so good and can add an exciting vibrancy to many meals.
I love having kimchi for breakfast with eggs or in a breakfast soup (I love making egg drop soup for breakfast). Kimchi is good with any rice dish. Fried rice, congee, I’ve even made rice with a soft cooked egg with kimchi for dinner, nobody complained!
Maybe a better question is what doesn’t go well with kimchi, because it’s so good and goes great with so many things.
I’ve even served it along side a steak and potato, with a beef stew and with pizza!
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Want to Preserve Napa Cabbage? Try This Kimchi Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Box grater or food processor with shredder attachment
- Half gallon mason jar (or other vessel)
- Ball lid and spring set (or other follower, weight, and breathable lid)
- Gloves for mixing the spicy pepper
Ingredients
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Korean chili pepper powder gochugaru
- 2 – 3 Medium Napa cabbage
- 2 Cups Carrot shredded
- 2 Cups Daikon radish shredded
- 1 Bunch Green onions cut 1 inch pieces
- 5-8 Cloves Garlic finely minced
- 2 Tbls Ginger Grated
- 1 Gallon Water for soaking brine
- 1 Cup Real Salt for soaking brine
Instructions
- Cut root end off of your Napa cabbages and cut in two lengthwise.
- Rinse well and remove any dirt.
- Make brine of 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water.
- Submerge Napa cabbage in brine, weighing down with a plate.
- Let soak about 8 hours or overnight.
- Place soaked cabbage on to wire rack in the sink so it can drain. Let drain at least an hour or up to 3 hours.
- Grate carrot and daikon and set aside in medium bowl.
- Grate ginger and place in medium bowl with the shredded veggies.
- Finely mince garlic and add to the shredded veggie bowl.
- Roughly chop the cabbage and green onion and place that into a large bowl and set aside.
- Measure Korean chili pepper powder and add to the shredded veggies.
- Wearing gloves, mix the shredded carrot, daikon, ginger and garlic with the chili pepper powder.
- Add spicy shredded veggies mix into the cabbage and green onion bowl.
- Mix really well, separating any leaves of cabbage and making sure everything gets coated with the spicy, garlicy, gingery mixture.
- Pack kimchi into your vessel, pressing down to remove any air bubbles.
- Make sure everything is submerged under the brine and use a weight to hold it in place.
- Cover with a breathable lid and label with the date.
- Put on a plate to catch any spill over and let the kimchi ferment for about 7 days.
- After 7 days taste the kimchi. Let it ferment as long as you like. When the taste and texture is good for you move it in the fridge.
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