Kimchi Recipe - A Quick and Easy Recipe for Beginners

[wayv127]

As someone who enjoy eating Korean cuisine, I can say that my meal would not be complete if there would be no Kimchi. But here's the problem - Kimchi is really expensive here in my area. Making kimchi usually takes a lot of time and it's usually done in big batches. That's why I've tried and experimented lots of recipes and had come up with this one that would really help you save time and money I tried to make it as traditional as possible and foreigner-friendly at the same time cause it's sometimes hard to find an ingredient that will be needed for the recipe. Anyway, let's start now!

Here's what you'll need to prepare:
Ingredients

2 medium size Napa cabbages
1-1/4 cups coarse sea salt less if using finer salt
6 cups water
1 small Korean radish (optional)
5 - 7 scallions roughly chopped
1 cup Korean red chili pepper flakes
⅓ cup salted shrimp, finely minced
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
Utensils
large bowls preferably at least 7 - 8 quarts
large colanders
kitchen gloves
airtight containers or jars - about 1.5 gallons total

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage heads into quarters and remove the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter crosswise into bite sizes.
2. Place the cabbage pieces in a large bowl(s). In a smaller bowl, dissolve 1-1/4 cups of salt in 6 cups of water. Pour over the cabbage. Toss well to wet the cabbage pieces evenly with the salt water. Let stand until the white parts are bendable, about 2 hours, turning the cabbage pieces over occasionally.
3. Cut the radish into bite sizes (about 1.5-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick). Sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt. Toss well. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Drain. Do not wash. (Skip step 3 if you won't put radish in yours)
4. Mix the chili pepper flakes with the remaining seasoning ingredients along with 1 cup of water.
5. Rinse the salted cabbage three times and drain to remove excess water.
6. In a large bowl, add the radish, scallions and seasoning to the salted cabbage. Using a kitchen glove, mix everything well by hand until the cabbage pieces are well coated with the seasoning mix. Place the kimchi in airtight containers or jars.
7. Rinse the bowl with 1/2 cup of water by swirling around, and pour over the kimchi. Press it down to remove air pockets.
8. Leave the kimchi out at room temperature for a day to two depending on how quickly you want your kimchi to ferment. Then, refrigerate.

If you like lighter tasting kimchi, just reduce the amounts of red chili pepper flakes, salted shrimp, fish sauce, and/or garlic. If you don't have salted shrimp, just add more fish sauce (and salt if needed) to achieve the desired salt level. You can eat this kimchi any time, but it will taste better after fermenting a week or two in the fridge.

 

[legendleejieun]

Awesome! Been wanting to try making kimchi at home, and your easy recipe sounds like just the ticket. Can't wait to get fermenting!

 

[aurora]

Ohhhh, I also love Korean cuisine, but I've never cooked it for myself. Maybe I'll try making this as a starter .

 

[Mui]

That's nice; I am currently making my own kimchi and came across this recipe. I'm going to use this as a guideline. Thank you for sharing this affordable kimchi!