How to Make an Easy Homemade Kimchi
Easy Homemade Kimchi
Fermented foods are found in every culture throughout the world and before refrigeration, fermentation was the main way people preserved their foods. Kimchi has been a staple in Korean cuisine since the 7th century. Homemade kimchi is an amazingly delicious fermented food that starts with raw vegetables and then lacto-fermented with spices, ginger and garlic. It its loaded with nutrients and probiotics making it an incredible super food. Making your own homemade Kimchi is surprisingly easy and cheap. Some of the ingredients are a bit tricky to find at a regular grocery store, but can easily be found at Asian markets or health food stores like Whole Foods, or Sprouts.
Homemade Kimchi Ingredients
1 large Napa Cabbage or 2 medium cabbages
1 Korean Radish
1 bundle of Green onions
4 Baby Bok Choy
1 thumb sized piece of Ginger root
1 bulb of Garlic
1 cup of Chili powder
Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Fish sauce
4 shallot onions
Homemade Kimchi Equipment
Large stock pot
Knife and cutting board
Blender
Peeler
Large Pickling jar
Homemade Kimchi Instructions
1) Begin by cutting the vegetables into large bite size pieces.
-Cut a cross into the base of the Napa Cabbage and tear apart into quarters before chopping smaller pieces. (See video for example)
-Cut the base off the Bok Choy and chop.
-Peel the Korean Radish, quarter and chop.
-Cut off roots and chop green onions.
2) Wash and separate the vegetables.
-Put all the Napa Cabbage into a large pot, wash well and drain
-Wash remaining vegetables and set aside.
3) Salt the Cabbage.
-Put a 3-4 handfuls of napa cabbage into the large stock pot
-Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sea salt over cabbage
-Using your hands and fist massage the cabbage for about a minute
-Repeat the process until you have used up all the cabbage
4) Mix in the other vegetables
-Mix in the green onions, Korean Radish and Bok Choy.
5) Make chili paste
-Peal and chop ginger. Put into blender. (Take thumb size piece of ginger, finely chop and place into large pot of vegetables.)
-Peal and chop Garlic. Put into blender (Take 4 cloves of Garlic, finely chop and place into large pot of vegetables.)
-Peal and cut onions. Put into blender.
-Add on teaspoon of fish sauce.
-Drain a small amount of salt brine from the vegetables into blender
– Add chili powder
-Blend everything together into a smooth paste.
6) Mix paste and vegetables together
– Add paste to the vegetables in the large pot and mix together until everything is coated in the chili paste.
7) Pack pickling jar with Kimchi
-Transfer Kimchi into jar, making sure you are packing down the mixture eliminating as much of the air pockets as you can.
-Pour left over brine into jar until it covers top of the vegetables.
8) Store Kimchi
-With the pickling jar closed, wrap in towel and store in a place out of the sunlight and at room temperature.
-Let sit for 5 days
9) Transfer to smaller jars
-After 5 days dump out kimchi into large bowl
-Firmly pack Kimchi into smaller jars and store in refrigerator.
10) Enjoy with your meals
-Kimchi goes well with almost anything, but pairs particularly well meat or cheese dishes.
I hope you enjoy this homemade kimchi as much as I do. For some, it is a developed taste, but so worth it!
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DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and the statements on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. Any products or techniques mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I am just a mom who shares what works for me!
October 2, 2015 @ 8:45 am
Okay! I decided to take advantage of my employee discount at Home Hardware, and have purchased an Ohio Stoneware 5 gallon crock – inspired largely by my success with kombucha and this kimchi recipe.
I’m thrilled because I am picking up the crock in the morning after work; however, I have a dilemma: we do not sell the stoneware weights!
For me to import a set of weights, it would cost as much as my crock AND lid (because of ridiculous shipping costs for such a heavy item).
I’ve been looking online at alternatives to the name brand solution, but I was wondering what you do to a) ensure the fermenting vegetables remain submerged and b) ensure an anaerobic environment to keep mold away.
Thanx guys! I really enjoy your blog 🙂
October 9, 2015 @ 11:42 pm
For kimchi, we generally use pickl-it jars to create the anaerobic environment. It works beautifully. And then we don’t have problems with it if a portion doesn’t remain submerged. Never had mold.