I have been making homemade kimchi for years now. It was actually my first fermentation project. The first few batches of kimchi I made were vegan since I was concerned about improperly fermenting animal products. I tried out a few recipes on Pinterest and YouTube, including Mommy Tang’s, and adapted Maangchi’s recipe to make it vegan by making a few changes here and there. Eventually, I settled on this low-hassle base kimchi recipe and process.
Whenever I make kimchi now, I refer to this recipe, and I often make a few adjustments based on what ingredients I have in my fridge or pantry. For instance, I might replace the glutinous rice paste (which serves as food for the bacteria) with pureed apples or pears. Below are the essential standard ingredients that I always keep on hand.
The method
1a) Chop the napa cabbage and place it in a bowl with salt and water. Allow it to soak for about 4 hours, stirring the mixture every hour.
1b) Alternatively, chop up the napa cabbage into slices with the bottom still attached. The best way to do this is slice a napa cabbage in half and then chop that half into thirds or quarters. Sprinkle coarse salt between each leaf and let sit for about 4 hours or until the cabbage is can easily bent but still holds a crunch.
2. Make the seasoning paste: mix rice flour with water in a pot and put over medium heat, stirring until thickened ~5 minutes. Add paste to a large bowl and mix with fish sauce, gochugaru, and sugar. Let cool. Minced garlic and ginger and chop up scallions or chives and add it to the mixture.
3) One the napa cabbage is ready, thoroughly rinse and drain.
3a) Massage paste into the napa cabbage and transfer to mason jars or containers.
3b) Alternatively, if you kept the napa cabbage in slices, generously layer the paste between each leaf. Roll it up starting from the steam and place it seam side down in a mason jar.
Make sure to densely pack the cabbage– we want as few air pockets as possible. Seal and store in a leak proof bag or on a plate or tray. This will help with any spilling that may occur during the fermentation process.
4. Let ferment in a dark space for about two to four days depending on your taste preference. The longer it goes for, the more sour it will be. When you are ready to open, be careful and open in a sink since the fermentation introduce gases, so the kimchi and gases may try to force its way out.
Easy Classic Kimchi
Ingredients
Cabbage
- 3-4 tbsp sea salt i usually just eyeball it
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 small napa cabbage or 1/2 a large napa cabbage
- 1/2 daikon optional
Kimchi paste
- 1 tbsp glutinous rice flour*
- 1 cup water*
- 1/2 cup gochugaru
- 3 tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce
- 1.5 tsp salt or more fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp ginger finely minced
Extras
- 2 scallion stalks or chives
- 1/2 carrot optional
Instructions
- Chop the napa cabbage and place it in a bowl with salt and water. Allow it to soak for about 4 hours, stirring the mixture every hour.
- Make the seasoning paste: mix rice flour with water in a pot and heat over medium heat, stirring until thickened ~5 minutes. Add paste to a large bowl and mix in fish sauce, gochugaru and sugar. Add in finely chop up garlic and ginger followed up chopped up scallions and chives.
- When the napa cabbage is soft– it can easily bent but still holds a crunch– it is ready. thoroughly rinse and drain.
- Massage the seasoning paste into the napa cabbage and transfer to mason jars or containers, packing tightly to remove as much air pockets as possible
- Cover and place it on a drip tray. This will help with any spilling that may occur during the fermentation process. Let the kimchi ferment in a dark space for two to four days depending on your taste preference. The longer it goes for, the more sour it will be. When you are ready to open, be careful and open in a sink since the fermentation introduce gases, so the kimchi may force its way out.
- Store in the fridge and enjoy within 3 months.