Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Salt-brined napa cabbage packed with a gochugaru, garlic, and fish sauce paste, then left to lacto-ferment for days until tangy and alive.
Vegan-optional
⚠ Contains: Fish, Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 large napa cabbage, quartered lengthwise through the core
- 1/2 cup coarse salt (non-iodized)
- 8 cups water (for the brine)
- 1/4 cup rice flour, cooked with 1 cup water into a thin porridge, cooled
- 1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tbsp salted shrimp (saeujeot), minced (optional)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 daikon radish, julienned
- 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Steps
- Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine. Submerge the cabbage quarters in the brine, making sure the salt gets between the leaves, and let sit for 4-6 hours, turning occasionally, until the thick white stems bend without snapping.
- Rinse the cabbage thoroughly under cold water 2-3 times to remove excess salt, then drain well.
- Combine the cooled rice porridge, gochugaru, fish sauce, salted shrimp if using, garlic, ginger, and sugar into a thick paste.
- Add the daikon and scallions to the paste and mix well.
- Wearing gloves, rub the paste generously between every leaf of each cabbage quarter, making sure to coat evenly.
- Pack the cabbage tightly into a clean jar, pressing down so the paste's liquid rises to cover the cabbage. Leave some headspace, as it will bubble during fermentation.
- Leave at room temperature (around 70-75°F) for 1-5 days, tasting daily, until it reaches the tanginess you like, then transfer to the refrigerator to slow fermentation.
- Kimchi keeps improving for weeks in the fridge and can be used both fresh and fully fermented.