It's really easy to follow this Fermented Korean Kimchi Recipe, and your health will thank you. When I was young I felt invincible, eating whatever I liked, usually. As I grew older and maybe wiser and couldn't keep up with the twenty-somethings anymore, my interest in health miraculously came alive. So how can I combine my love of cooking with the added benefits of probiotics and natural health?
A Korean Kimchi recipe. I love spicy foods and Asian foods, so this is a marriage made in heaven for me! Koreans have eaten Kimchee for over a thousand years, and annually eat over 40 pounds per person! Lucky for me, it's not hard to make, lasts a long time, and I believe will improve my health and boost my immune system. The best part is because I made it, I know exactly what went into it. And it makes a delicious Kimchi Fried Rice recipe.
Kimchi Recipe with Gochujang Paste
Traditionally Kimchi is made by covering the whole pieces of napa cabbage with the spicy Gochujang paste, or Gochugaru (red pepper flakes). Either spice will work, I use the paste. I prefer to chop the cabbage into small manageable pieces. This doesn't impact the fermentation in any way, it's just easier to use as a condiment. You can find Gochujang at any Asian grocer. More and more supermarkets are carrying it in stock now.
In my pantry I had a 1 kg bag of Himalayan Salt, and that is perfectly acceptable to use instead of regular salt. As I always say, use what you've got! If sodium levels are a concern in your diet, use kosher salt, as it has a lower milligram amount of sodium vs regular salt. I think there's no escaping the salt required in this recipe.
Kimchi Recipe with Apple
I love this recipe because it doesn't add sugar or honey like some recipes, but naturally adds sweetness with a grated apple. (You could substitute grated pear or nashi pear instead). That's the secret to an authentic Kimchee. I used a lot of carrots in this recipe, as the carrots I bought were some giant carrots, so I used them all as I don't like wastage. The photos are very carrot heavy, in hindsight, I should have used less carrot due to the physical size of the carrots.
So what do I do with all this Kimchi? I love adding my Korean Kimchi recipe to my chicken burgers, or you can just eat it as a side with your meal. Plus it makes a killer Kimchi Fried Rice which tastes amazing.
I've added naturally fermented foods to my diet, like Beet Kvass and Kombucha. When you eat this Homemade Korean Kimchi Recipe, your health will thank you. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Korean Kimchi Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 large Napa Cabbage or 2 smaller Napa cabbages
- 4 carrots grated
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 knob of ginger, grated approx 75 grams (2.5oz)
- 1 cup garlic chives (optional) chopped
- 4 spring onions chopped
- 1 small daikon cut in 2 inch match sticks
- ¼ - ⅓ cup Gochujang paste or Korean red pepper powder*
- 1 apple peeled, cored, and grated
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce or soy sauce
- ¼ cup sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the cabbage leaves individually, and cut the cabbage leaves into 2 inch pieces, and put into a large bowl.
- Put ¼ cup of salt into a small bowl of warm water and stir until dissolved. Add the salt water to the bowl of cabbage leaves and mix it up using your hands, ensuring each piece gets a good covering of salty water.
- Leave the cabbage in the bowl at room temperature for 3-4 hours. The salt will start to draw out the water from the cabbage. You will see a brine in the bottom of the bowl.
- Strain the cabbage through a colander. Some people quickly rinse it once or twice with water, but not necessary. Put your cabbage back into the bowl.
- Add the grated carrot, match stick daikon, crushed garlic, grated ginger, garlic chives, grated apple and mix together.
- Measure ⅓ cup of Gochujang and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce OR soy sauce, and vigorously mix thoroughly until completely covered. I suggest wearing disposable gloves, so the peppers don't burn.
- Pack Kimchi tightly into glass jars, leaving a few inches from the top. Close lid and allow to sit in a cool dark place for at least 48 hours (longer to increase sourness). Periodically open up the jars to release the pressure that builds up. Bubbles will likely appear, this is normal. When its ready, place in the fridge, where it should last 2 months or more.
Video
Notes
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
Erin
Can I use regular green cabbage instead of nappa cabbage?
Peter's Food Adventures
I suppose fermented cabbage is fermented cabbage. However, regular cabbage is tougher, and that would make it sauerkraut, instead of kimchi. It's close but not cigar for me, but definitely possible. Try to use Napa cabbage is my suggestion.
Derrick
Hi. I’m looking to lower my sodium intake. And I love Kim Chee. Is there a way to reduce the salt and still get safe fermentation? Do you know the sodium content for your recipe? Would love to make this as it sounds delicious. Thanks!!!
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Derrick, I haven't made it with reduced salt before. I am thinking that less salt would be possible as sauerkraut doesn't use this much salt in it's recipe. The fermenting concept is the same. If it was me, I would keep it refrigerated just after it starts to ferment, and maybe make a smaller batch so you eat it faster. Regular Kimchi lasts a long time. If you are ever unsure, throw it out and start again, as even with high salt content, there are things that can go wrong in fermenting. Trust your nose and smell it. If in doubt, throw it out.
Ronda
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own site soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you recommend starting with a free platform like
Wordpress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I'm completely confused ..
Any recommendations? Cheers!
Peter's Food Adventures
Thanks Ronda! I definitely recommend WordPress, I started with the free one and as I grew, bought my domain and went bigger. There are groups on fb to join to help also. Good luck with it! 👍
karin noorbergen
Is there any way to know whether after the first few days it has worked, or not worked, or ‘ gone off’ ? What signs do you look for?
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Karin, well I always first and foremost trust my nose. I smell it to see if it smells rotten or bad. Sour smell is ok, but there is a difference to a rotten pungent smell that is different from fermenting vegetables. Also any fuzzy molds growing, or if it just tastes bad. You should know after a 2-3 days if it's starting to ferment, then pop it into the fridge 🙂
karin noorbergen
Thank you, Peter
Bonita
I always was interested in this subject and
stock still am, appreciate it for posting.
Christian Halderman
Hi Peter,
Thanks for this awesome recipe! Worked perfectly and can't wait to make kimchi fried rice.
Peter's Food Adventures
So glad to hear it! Enjoy! 👍🏻
Angelo
Hi Peter, I was wondering, what is the point of rinsing the cabbage after extracting the brine, if you end up putting it back in the brine anyway? Is it just to lower the salt content slightly?
Thanks
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Angelo, Thanks for your comment. I will need to update to simplify and clarify the recipe a bit more. You are right that the rinsing is just to reduce salt a bit, and can be skipped. The brine doesn't need to be saved. After the draining the brine, when packing it into the jars, it will release more brine or juices when packed. If you want to top up a bit more brine, you certainly can (but then no need to rinse). Thanks for bringing to my attention, I will add it to my recipe review list 🙂
Brian
Looking forward to trying this recipe, I'm wondering how much warm water i'm supposed to be mixing in with the 1/4 c. of sea salt?
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Brian. I use maybe about a cup or so in a small bowl. It makes it easier to disperse the salt over the Napa cabbage. 😊
Peter's Food Adventures
You might need to add a bit more water if the cabbage is old. Old cabbage doesn’t release as much liquid as fresh cabbage. When mixing it in with cabbage, almost massage the pieces with the salt water. Hope that helps 😊
Cindy Jones
Hi Peter,
I just packed up my jars leaving space at the top. Are there any concerns about not having liquid covering the the surface? I love the simplicity of this recipe. My daikon was fairly large so I used only half of it. I can’t wait to try the finished product.
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Cindy! The brine should be near covering the cabbage. Some people place something heavy on the cabbage, which weighs it down into the brine. I have used everything from river rocks to small saucers when making sauerkraut. (got creative). Don't usually have issues with Kimchi as it's pretty juicy. Alternatively you can add more salty water or some of the brine. Mix 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of salt, and add in as needed. It should just be level with the cabbage, not way over the top of the cabbage. Hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy! 🙂
Amy
Hey! This looks delicious. I’m just wondering if you’ve ever used a hot water bath to seal the kimchi in jars so they have a shelf life?
Peter's Food Adventures
Hey Amy, great question. You could definitely use a water bath to seal them, however, it would kill all the probiotics. Then it becomes ‘canned cabbage’. It’s up to you, I find that it keeps in the fridge for quite some time. I love the healthy live probiotics in my diet. 😊
Athena R
Nice and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Judy
This is true. This is my second time using this recipe and the fermentation is on its 2nd day. Im excited to taste it tom night. Thanks, Pete for this easy recipe.
Peter's Food Adventures
You’re welcome! Glad you came back, and thanks for the comment 😊
Billy
I really expected it to be much more difficult to make Kimchi than you outlined in the recipe. I have no fears when it comes to making this now! Thank you for sharing, I can't wait to try making this and reporting back to see how things went!
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks so much for checking it out! Easy and much cheaper than store bought!
Diana
Great and easy to follow kimchi recipe. I have already made two batches and it turned out great! Thank you for sharing.
Peter's Food Adventures
Thanks Diana for the feedback, so glad you love it! 🙂
Hafiza
Hi Peter,
I got left over brine from previous batch. Can I add into the new one?
Thanks for the nice and simple recipe.
Peter's Food Adventures
Thanks Hafiza. No, use a fresh batch each time, it won’t improve the flavor with time and increases the risk of getting sick. Luckily it’s easy enough to make 😊