Kimchi (Korean Fermented Spicy Cabbage)
Ingredients
- 3 heads napa cabbage
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups coarse sea salt
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
- 1 yellow onion
- 12 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon water, or as needed
- 4 cups Korean red chile flakes (gochugaru)
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup dried salted shrimp (saeujeot)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, or more to taste
- 2 cups Korean radish, cut into matchstick-size pieces
- 3 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
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Instructions
- Remove discolored, bruised outer leaves of cabbage and rinse cabbage under cold water. Cut cabbage head into 2-inch pieces.
- Divide 3 cups water among 3 bowls. Stir 1 cup sea salt into each bowl of water. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup sea salt over cabbage.
- Place salted cabbage in the 3 bowls salted water until partially submerged; let sit 6 to 12 hours.
- Rinse cabbage thoroughly under cold water several times. Squeeze cabbage to remove excess water. Cabbage should have a rubbery texture. Transfer cabbage to a colander or basket to thoroughly drain the cabbage, at least 2 hours.
- Combine 3 cups water and rice flour in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk mixture until a glue-like consistency, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool rice mixture to room temperature.
- Combine onion, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor; pulse until smooth, adding more water if needed.
- Pour chile flakes into a large bowl; stir in onion-garlic mixture, cooled rice flour mixture, fish sauce, shrimp, brown sugar, and sesame seeds until well mixed. Add radish and green onions and mix well.
- Coat each cabbage piece with chile mixture by using your hands. (Rubber gloves are highly recommended.) Pack coated cabbage leaves inside air-tight glass jars or containers; cover each tightly with a lid. Keep jars at room temperature for fermentation to occur, about 2 days. Refrigerate kimchi after the 2 days.
Source
Original recipe: View Original