Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cut and salt the cabbageYou cut the napa cabbage lengthwise through the stem into quarters, remove the dense cores, and chop each quarter crosswise into two-inch strips. Strips this size soften during brining but retain enough structure to hold their shape through fermentation. You place all the cut cabbage in your large bowl, sprinkle the kosher salt evenly over the top, and massage it into the leaves with both hands until the cabbage begins to soften and release liquid. You add enough filtered water to cover the cabbage, set a plate on top, and weigh it down with a heavy can so every piece stays submerged in the brine. You let it sit for one to two hours.
- Rinse and drainYou rinse the brined cabbage under cold running water three full times, working your hands through each rinse to flush the salt from between the leaves. Under-rinsing produces a final product so salty it hurts to eat. You transfer the rinsed cabbage to a colander and leave it to drain for fifteen to twenty minutes, then squeeze large handfuls firmly to press out as much remaining water as possible. Wet cabbage dilutes the paste and produces a thin, watery brine that never develops full flavor.
- Make the spice pasteYou combine the grated garlic, grated ginger, sugar, fish sauce, and gochugaru in a bowl and stir them into a uniform paste. The mixture looks intensely red and smells like the best thing you have ever encountered in a kitchen. The sugar dissolves into the paste at this stage and starts feeding the fermentation bacteria the moment it contacts the cabbage. You adjust the gochugaru at this point if you want a milder or spicier batch. According to Healthline, gochugaru contains capsaicin, which provides the heat, along with antioxidant compounds that contribute to the documented health benefits of fermented kimchi.
- Combine and coatYou put on your kitchen gloves before you touch the paste. You add the drained cabbage, radish matchsticks, and scallion pieces to the bowl with the paste. You use gloved hands to work the paste into every surface of every vegetable, rubbing it through the cabbage leaves and coating each radish piece until the entire bowl turns uniformly red. You taste a strand of cabbage and adjust the heat or salt before packing the jar.
- Pack the jar and start fermentationYou grab handfuls of the coated mixture and press them firmly into the quart mason jar, pushing each layer down with your fist so the liquid rises above the vegetables as you pack. You leave one inch of clear headspace at the top of the jar. Packing it to the rim guarantees an overflow on your counter by morning. You place the sealed jar on a plate to catch any bubbling liquid and set it at room temperature away from direct sunlight.
- Check daily and refrigerate when readyYou open the jar once a day and press the vegetables back below the liquid line with a clean spoon or gloved finger. This step releases the fermentation gas that builds inside the jar and prevents pressure from pushing the brine over the top. You taste a small piece each day starting on day two. The kimchi tastes salty and raw on day one, mildly tangy on day two, noticeably sour and funky on day three. You move the jar to the refrigerator when it reaches the tang level you prefer. Most batches reach their peak flavor between two and five days at a kitchen temperature of 65°F to 75°F.