I’ve tried experimenting with many kimchi recipes, but this one is definitely a masterpiece! I have a lot of jars at home, as we make various pickles quite often. This kimchi recipe is so good that every time I prepare it, I can’t stop eating it.
This Korean fermented cabbage is a gift from heaven, I use it for so many things and I highly encourage you to experiment with it. I recommend you kimchi rice, summer rolls with kimchi, sushi or simply as an addition to your sandwiches. The preparation will take you some time, but it’s definitely worth trying to prepare this recipe yourself at home.
The good news is, if you’re not a fan of Napa cabbage, there are a few other vegetables that you can ferment using the same gochugaru pepper paste. Cucumbers or radish kimchi are just as delicious!
NAPA CABBAGE – try to buy one that has green leaves. When the cabbage is all white, our kimchi will be a bit harder. It’s best to buy cabbage at a farmer’s market, then its quality will be the best.
GOCHUGARU HOT PEPPERS FLAKES – usually packed in 1 kg bags. You can easily get it in any Korean store. WARNING! Ready Gochujang hot pepper paste is not suitable as a substitute for kimchi paste. It has a completely different taste and does not make kimchi ferment well (I found out the hard way).
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 kg of Chinese cabbage
- 1 carrot
- 2 round radishes or half a long white radish
- 3 bunches of green onions
- 1 onion
- 9 cloves of garlic
- ginger (3cm piece)
- 0.5 l of vegetable broth
- 1 cup of gochugaru pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons of rice flour
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- salt
KIMCHI – PREPARATION
- First, we prepare the Napa cabbage. We cut it lengthwise into 4 parts and cut off the hard bottom. Cut into 5 cm pieces and put in a bowl. Sprinkle with 5-6 tablespoons of salt and pour a glass of water, stir and set aside for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, stir and mix the cabbage, repeat this action 3 times, each time the cabbage will release more and more water. The whole process should take about 2 hours.
- In the meantime, cut the carrots and radish into thin sticks and chop the green onion.
- Now you have time, so let’s move to a hot pepper paste.
- Heat the broth in a saucepan and add rice flour to it, and then sugar. When everything boils, leave it on the heat for a minute more and then set aside.
- In a blender, combine the liquid with garlic, ginger, onion and 3 tablespoons of salt, blend until smooth. Put it into a bowl and add gochugaru pepper, mix it and set aside.
- Let’s go back to the Napa cabbage. We rinse it several times in cold water to get rid of the excess salt, and finally drain the excess water.
- In a large bowl, mix the paste by hand with Napa cabbage, green onions, carrots and radish. I recommend using gloves for this, peppers like to stay on your hands, and this one is a bit hot….
- When everything is mixed, put the kimchi into jars and close it with a lid.
- You can eat it right away, but I like to wait a few days. I usually put them in the fridge and then after 2 weeks it tastes perfect.
- When you don’t want to wait that long, keep the jars at room temperature for 2-3 days, then refrigerate. It’s taste will change everyday, but after approx. 2 weeks it’s finally perfect.
