Spicy Fermented Korean Cabbage (Printer-friendly)

A vibrant, spicy Korean side dish made from fermented napa cabbage with garlic, ginger, and chili. Packed with probiotics and umami flavor.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Produce

01 - 1 large napa cabbage, approximately 2.5 lbs, cut into 2-inch pieces
02 - 1 medium daikon radish, approximately 7 oz, julienned
03 - 4 scallions, sliced
04 - 1 medium carrot, julienned (optional)

→ Salt & Water

05 - 1/3 cup coarse sea salt
06 - 6 cups cold water

→ Spice Paste

07 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
09 - 1 small onion, roughly chopped
10 - 3 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce for vegan option
11 - 1 tbsp sugar
12 - 3 to 5 tbsp Korean red chili flakes (gochugaru), adjusted to taste
13 - 2 tbsp rice flour
14 - 2/3 cup water

# Directions:

01 - Cut the napa cabbage lengthwise into quarters, then chop into 2-inch pieces.
02 - Dissolve sea salt in 6 cups cold water in a large non-reactive bowl. Add cabbage pieces and toss to coat. Place a plate and weight on top to keep submerged. Let sit for 2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes.
03 - Rinse the salted cabbage thoroughly under cold water 2 to 3 times to remove excess salt. Drain well.
04 - Whisk rice flour with 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until thickened, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
05 - In a blender, combine cooled rice paste, garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce or soy sauce, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Stir in gochugaru to desired spice level.
06 - In a large bowl, combine drained cabbage, daikon radish, carrot if using, and scallions. Add spice paste and, wearing kitchen gloves, massage thoroughly to coat all vegetables evenly.
07 - Pack the kimchi tightly into clean glass jars or fermentation crock, pressing down to eliminate air pockets. Leave at least 1 inch headspace at the top.
08 - Seal and leave at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 1 to 2 days, burping the jars daily to release accumulated gas.
09 - Taste after 48 hours; once sour and tangy to your liking, transfer to the refrigerator. Kimchi will continue to ferment slowly and develop deeper flavors over several weeks.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It gets better with time, like a friendship that deepens with every conversation.
  • You'll have probiotic-rich food that actually tastes crave-worthy, not like punishment for your gut.
  • The process feels like kitchen magic, but it's really just salt, time, and patience doing the work.
02 -
  • Rinsing the cabbage properly is everything; if you skip this step or rush it, you'll end up with kimchi that's uncomfortably salty and masks all the other flavors.
  • Room temperature matters more than you'd think; fermentation moves faster in warm kitchens and slower in cold ones, so taste it earlier in summer and be more patient in winter.
03 -
  • Keep a little bit of kimchi brine from a previous batch and mix it into your new batch; it inoculates the fresh vegetables with beneficial bacteria, speeding up fermentation and ensuring consistency.
  • If you see white mold floating on top during fermentation, don't panic; scrape it off carefully and discard it, then transfer the rest to the fridge—surface mold is harmless, but you want to remove it.
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