Homemade Kimchi
Kimchi is a common, traditional Korean and Japanese side dish that consists of fermented cabbage and other vegetables that are seasoned with Korean chili powder (gochugaru). Think of it like the Asian version of sauerkraut… but in my opinion, way better because of its much more complex flavor profile and ability to pair well with many foods.
Kimchi is traditionally cooked into fried rice, soup, or eaten on the side with any rice and meat combo. Surprisingly, traditional Kimchi is easy to make if you have a fermentation crock (ceramic fermenting jar), which you can buy for about $50. Additionally, you can save quite a bit of money and have more control of the level of fermentation by making it yourself. Plus, no added preservatives!
Finally, I love the convenience of kimchi. If I ever don’t have a salad or vegetables made for a meal, kimchi is an easy addition which helps me get those veggies in!
Lacto-Fermentation and Health Benefits
Before the technology of refrigeration, lacto-fermentation was a primary way of preserving vegetables before they spoiled. By covering vegetables in a salty brine, you can create an environment where bad bacteria cannot survive, but healthy bacteria flourish because of scientific reasons that I won’t go into. The good bacteria slowly pickle the vegetables in the brine. This process is how true pickles are made even though today, it is common to use vinegar for a quicker workaround.
In lacto-fermentation the healthy bacteria create natural probiotics that are also amazing for gut health and overall digestion. Health benefits also include a stronger immune system, weight management, reduced inflammation, and heart health. Many believe that people from Korea and Japan are so healthy in part because they commonly eat kimchi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If you like kimchi I would highly encourage you to try to make it on your own! You can probably break even on the cost of the crock after one or two batches! If you don’t want to buy a crock, there are also non-fermented versions that you can make that use other vegetables such as cucumbers.
Kimchi Components
The main part of making Kimchi is chopping up the vegetables. Apart from napa cabbage, kimchi often uses a combination of the following ingredients:
- Radish: Daikon radish is often used along with or instead of cabbage.
- Chinese chives: Long, thin chives with a garlic flavor.
- Green onion: Adds a fresh, sharp flavor to kimchi.
- Ginger: Provides a spicy, aromatic note to the kimchi
- Carrots: Sometimes added for color and sweetness.
- Garlic: Adds to a complex, savory, umami flavor
Simply chop up all the vegetables, throw in a few spices, mix it around, and cover with a salty brine. At this point you generally want to ferment your mixture at room temperature for 3-7 day depending on your desired level of fermentation. After the fermentation finishes, I typically store the kimchi in mason jars inside my refrigerator for up to 1-3 months depending on its fermentation level.
Homemade Kimchi
- Total Time: 6 hours
Description
Homemade kimchi is a tangy, spicy, and pungent dish made by fermenting napa cabbage, radishes, carrots, onion, and other vegetables with a mixture of gochugaru (Korean chili powder), garlic, ginger, and salt.
Ingredients
- Water
- 1 cup sea salt, unrefined
- 2 heads of napa cabbage
- 2 cups daikon radish, sliced thin and cut into half-moon shapes
- 3 cups carrots, julienned
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Chinese chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 12 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2/3 cup gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- To a large bowl (feel free to divide all the ingredients accordingly and separate into different bowls if you don’t have a large enough bowl), add 1 gallon of water and the sea salt.
- Cut your washed cabbage into fourths and reserve about 5-6 leaves of the cabbage for later (this is important, don’t forget!). Place the cabbage leaves into the salt water and allow to brine for 4 hours. Make sure the cabbage is completely submerged (I use the weights from my fermentation jar to hold it down).
- While your cabbage is brining, begin chopping your vegetables and mincing your garlic and ginger. Add them all into a large bowl.
- When your cabbage is done brining, reserve about 2 cups of the brine and set aside for later (don’t forget this step!).
- Chop your cabbage into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the other vegetables.
- Add the gochugaru and sugar and mix well to ensure all the vegetables are coated in the gochugaru.
- Use a pair of tongs to transfer all of the vegetables to your fermentation jar, using a stomper to periodically press down the vegetables to ensure they are packed in.
- Using the reserve cabbage leaves from earlier, place them on top of the packed-in vegetables. This ensures the vegetables stay coated in the brine that will go on top.
- Place the weights from the fermentation jar on top, and pour in your reserve brine from earlier.
- Seal the fermentation jar (for mine, this includes pouring about 1/2 inch of water into the little moat area around the lid) and wait 1-3 weeks before opening and consuming. Note that the longer you allow it to ferment, the more pickley the flavor will become.
- Store in jars in your refrigerator for up to one year.
- Prep Time: 6 hours