A Quick Easy Authentic Kimchi Recipe

Intro to cooking kimchi

Kimchi is a traditional dish made of fermented vegetables and spices. The biggest difference between kimchi and other fermented foods such as sauerkraut or pickles is that not only the vegetables but also the rice flour (밀기) will be fermented, making it more like a paste than a pickled vegetable.

The Recipe ( cook kimchi)

– 2 Napa cabbage heads;

– A bunch of Korean green onions;

– 3 cloves of minced garlic;

– 1 tablespoon of minced ginger;

– 5 tablespoons of fish sauce (I used anchovy sauce because I don’t eat any animals except for insects);

– ½ cup of sea salt (do not use table salt!);

– 1 tablespoon of sugar;

– ½ cup of salted shrimp (if you can’t find it, leave it out!);

– Chili pepper powder;

Steps to cook kimchi

1. Wash the cabbage and cut both ends off the leaves. Cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces that are about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. Put them in a large bowl. Add some sea salt and mix well by hand until all the salt is absorbed by the cabbage. Set aside for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally to redistribute liquid from bottom of bowl . After 30 minutes, drain liquid from the bowl and set liquid aside , do not discard liquid or cabbage. You will use this liquid later on when fermenting your kimchi (most Koreans keep the kimchi submerged in this liquid using a weight).

2. Next, make sure you wash the green onions several times to remove any dirt or residue. Some people do not like to use green onions when making kimchi because it will give it an onion flavor. However, most Korean families enjoy kimchi with green onions so that is what this recipe calls for.

Cut off both ends of the bunch of green onions and cut into 2 inch long pieces . Mix together with cabbage by hand.

3. Then mix in garlic, ginger, chili powder , fish sauce/anchovy sauce , sugar , and salted shrimp . If you are using table salt instead of sea salt , add the salt when you add the fish sauce/anchovy sauce.

4. Stir until all ingredients are blended together well. Add some extra salted shrimp in case they disolve too much and your kimchi gets a little runny .

5. Cover bowl with something to keep out bacteria and air, I use a plate because it fits perfectly on top of the bowl- just make sure that there is enough space for carbon dioxide to escape or else you will have exploding kimchi!

6. Store at room temperature away from sunlight , stirring every day for 3 days . After 3 days, transfer kimchi into an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks . If you do not have a container, you can keep your kimchi submerged in its liquid (with a weight on top of it to hold everything down and make sure that it is completely covered by the liquid) and store at room temperature.

7. When eating kimchi, feel free to add some sugar or fish sauce if you think it needs more flavor!

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