Kimchi (Napa Cabbage Kimchi)
A large refrigerated batch of chopped cabbage and crisp filling vegetables coated in apple, garlic, and Korean red-pepper seasoning.
Ingredients
Cabbage and Salting
- 8 pounds Napa cabbage
- 2 cups coarse non-iodized salt for salting and rinsing off
Seasoning Paste
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup sweet rice flour
- 1 large apple peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 20 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 2 cups gochugaru divided
Filling Vegetables
- 1 pound Korean radish julienned
- 6 ounces carrot julienned
- 4 ounces Asian chives cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
Salt and Make the Paste
- Wash, quarter, core, and chop cabbage into 2-inch pieces. Toss with 2 cups coarse salt; cover for about 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes, until the thick ribs bend easily.
- Whisk 1 1/2 cups water and 1/3 cup sweet rice flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, stirring, until bubbling and translucent; cool fully while the cabbage salts.
- Process the fish sauce with apple, onion, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste. Stir in cooled porridge and 1 cup gochugaru; toss the radish, carrot, and chives with the remaining 1 cup gochugaru.
Pack and Ferment
- Rinse cabbage 3–4 times in cold water and drain for at least 30 minutes. Mix with both seasoning mixtures until evenly coated.
- Press into clean fermentation containers, filling each about two-thirds full with vegetables below their juices. Fit gas-releasing lids and place the containers on a tray.
- Refrigerate at 40°F or below for about 3–4 days, checking daily. Test with food pH strips and continue fermenting in the refrigerator until the pH is 4.6 or below before serving.
Notes
- Keep refrigerated at 40°F or below; use within 2 weeks for best quality.
- Discard kimchi with surface mold.