KIMCHI

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from fermented vegetables, primarily napa cabbage and Korean radishes, seasoned with a mix of spices, garlic, ginger, and often chilli. It’s tangy, spicy, and packed with probiotics, making it a tasty and healthy addition to meals. Kimchi can be enjoyed on its own, as part of a bento box, or incorporated into a variety of dishes like fried rice or stews.

There are many little tricks do doing kimchi at home as my recipe below simplifies it down to make it as easy as possible. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you like that work with fermenting. It doesn’t have to be cabbage as kimchi is the process not the vegetable.

Once the kimchi is made, the days after are just as important as the making of it. Burping the kimchi is really important to give it air and once you see those little bubbles popping up when you push down on it, you’ll know you’re onto a winner.

KIMCHI

〰️

KIMCHI 〰️

(KOREAN FERMENTED VEGETABLES)

1 large whole Napa cabbage/wombok

2/3 cups salt

1/2 daikon or Korean radish 

2 carrots

1 bunch spring onion

10 garlic cloves (skin removed)

Small knob ginger (skin removed)

1 brown onion (skin removed)

1/2 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup salted fermented shrimp

1 tbl sp plum sauce or 1 tea sp sugar

2 cups gochugaru (korean chilli powder)

*recommend getting some plastic gloves for this as the red will stain.

Part 1: Wombok Prep.

Start by cutting up the wombok. Cut into the core one way until whole life is in and then remove and pull the wombok into two. Repeat this process until you have quartered it. Chop the core off each end of each quarter. Then begin cutting against the quartered wombok into 2-3 inch pieces.

Pop into large bowl and throughly clean the wombok with cold water. Remove all the water. Add in the half the salt with 1 cup water and massage it into the wombok. Add the remaining salt in with another cup of water and massage it all in again. Place to the side to gently wilt for 1 hour.

Part 2: Prep The Veg & Sauce.

In a seperate bowl peel the daikon and carrots before cutting them julienne (thin matchsticks). I use a special peeler to do this but a sharp knife will be fine. Then cut off the white root ends of the spring onion before chopping into medium sized pieces.

In a food processor add in garlic, ginger and onion and blitz on high until all minced. Add in the fish sauce, shrimp and plum sauce and blitz again until homogenous. Pour the mixture into a bowl and pop on some gloves. Add in the gochugaru and mix through until you have a deep red thin paste.

Part 3: Combine.

Once the hour is up remove the salty water from the cabbage and give the cabbage a wash with cold water, to help get all the salt out. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the cabbage without breaking it. 

Add everything together, but adding the chopped vegetables to the wombok and pouring the paste over the top. Popping on gloves on both hands, massage the paste into everything, taking your time to rub it onto every piece. Place lid that seals on the top and leave it a room temperature.

Part 4: Fermentation.

Now you can eat the kimchi as is, or allow it to ferment which will allow it to get nice and sour and flavoursome. I will burp (lift open the lid to give it some air) 2 hours after finishing. Then I will burp and push down on the top of the kimchi, allowing the juice to bubble and let out air twice a day for 2-5 days. Taste it as you go, and when it hits the tang you enjoy pop it in the fridge which will slow down the fermentation and enjoy whenever you like.