Napa Cabbage Kimchi
The Korean fermented condiment that wakes up all your dishes
- Prep time: 54 minutes
- Cook time: 0 minutes
Want to spice up your daily routine? This napa cabbage kimchi is your passport to Korea, straight from your kitchen. Fermented, spicy, crunchy, it transforms any meal into a flavor festival. And bonus: it gets better with time!
Ingredients
Recipe steps
Prepare the cabbage
Cut the napa cabbage into pieces about 2 inches long. Sprinkle with Korean coarse salt and mix well. Let drain for 2 hours, then rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain completely.
Grate the vegetables
Finely grate the carrots. Chop the green onions and grate the fresh ginger. Set everything aside in a large mixing bowl.
Prepare the spicy paste
In a bowl, mix the Korean red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and chopped candied ginger. Add a little water to form a thick paste.
Assemble the kimchi
Add the drained cabbage to the grated vegetables. Incorporate the spicy paste and mix vigorously with gloves (important for your hands!). Pack everything into a sterilized jar.
Start the fermentation
Let ferment at room temperature for 1 to 3 days depending on your taste, then store in the refrigerator. Kimchi keeps for several weeks and develops its flavors over time.
Tips and variations
- No Korean pepper flakes? You can use Espelette pepper or regular pepper flakes, but the taste will be different.
- For milder kimchi, reduce the amount of pepper. For more punch, add a crushed garlic clove.
- Kimchi is perfect as a side dish with rice, in stir-fried noodles, or even on pizza!
Anti-waste tips
Don’t throw away the outer leaves of the napa cabbage! You can use them to make a flavorful vegetable broth or add them to miso soup.
The tougher cabbage stems can be finely chopped and added to vegetable stir-fries to add crunch.
