Best Homemade Kimchi Recipe. Nothing is more delicious or versatile than kimchi, but store-bought is never the same as homemade! Thanks to this delightful, quick, and easy recipe, fall in love with kimchi!
Kimchi is amazing! It can be a dressing, a condiment, or even the main attraction, but many people are intimidated to make this zest Asian food at home. Not anymore! This deliciously simple recipe makes the Best Fresh Kimchi you have ever eaten and is so easy to make!
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What is Kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish. Kimchi consists of cabbage fermented over time with salt, spices, and seasonings. Often shrimp or fish paste is added, as well as other vegetables, to bring a depth of flavor to this delicious fermented dish.
Kimich is used as a condiment or side dish in many Korean meals. It is incredibly versatile, and its fermented, spicy, and fishy flavor is satisfying with all sorts of different main dishes!
Kimchi was developed before refrigeration as a form of food preservation. Some traditional recipes call for the kimchi to be stored in large clay pots called onggi for months, but this simple modern recipe cuts that wait time down so you can have delicious homemade kimchi fast!
Why this Best Homemade Kimchi Recipe is so Great!?
Faster Fermentation!
All kimchi develops a delicious flavor over time, but this fast-fermenting recipe allows you to enjoy kimchi as soon as two days after preparing it! Not only is it ready quickly, but this delicious kimchi will last up to six months in the refrigerator so that you can enjoy it for months!
Endless Applications!
Kimchi is great because it can work with practically everything you want to cook! Salt, hot, and sour are some essential flavors, and this fantastic side dish has them all in spades. It brings pop to plain rice, excitement to sandwiches and wraps, heat to soups and stews, and there is no limit to how you can use this kimchi!
Easy for All Skill Levels!
So many people get their kimchi from the store because they think it’s too tough to make at home. This recipe can change that! You don’t need special equipment or much time to make this deliciously spiced and flavorful kimchi.
Ingredients for Kimchi
- Napa Cabbage-Napa cabbage is a crucial ingredient in kimchi. It has the right crunch and leafy flavor to handle this dish’s bold fermented taste.
Look for Napa cabbage in the produce section of your local grocery store, usually under the misters. Choose a head that is compact and has a nice weight. The leaves should look intact and free of tears.
- Red Onion-Red onion is an excellent choice when you cook the onion in your recipe. It has a beautiful flavor when raw.
- Garlic-Fresh garlic adds a great sweet and savory flavor. Fresh is the best choice, but the jarred and frozen varieties are suitable substitutes.
- Ginger-Beautiful fresh ginger adds a great zing and earthy sweetness. Fresh is best, but if you cannot find that opt for a jarred or frozen ginger.
- Carrots-Carrots add sweetness to the finished kimchi, and the fermentation makes them delightful sweet, and sour!
- Green Onion-Green onion has a delicious crunch and color, perfect for kimchi. Spring onion is an excellent substitute if needed.
- Kosher Salt-Kosher salt is what kicks off the fermentation process. Salt is one of the oldest preservatives, and when rubbed on the cabbage, it draws out excess water, which makes it harder for unwanted bacteria to grow in the cabbage.
- Water-Water prepares the veggies and makes the rice porridge with glutinous rice flour.
- Fermented Shrimp-See the recipe notes for more details on how to prepare this ingredient.
- Fish Sauce-Fish sauce adds a tremendous salty flavor to the kimchi. Oyster sauce or nori flakes are suitable substitutes if you are out of fish.
- Hot Pepper-Hot Pepper is what gives kimchi its classic spice level.
- Glutinous Rice Flour-This ingredient is sometimes called sweet rice flour. It is a starchy thickener in this recipe.
- White Granulated Sugar-A little sugar helps to bring balance to all the bold flavors in this kimchi recipe. It also helps to feed some of the beneficial bacteria that fermentation produces.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the Vegetables:
- Wash carrots and shred them into strips. Slice the green onions into two-inch length pieces and set aside.
- Cut the Napa cabbage lengthwise and remove the core. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Put the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle it with salt. Make sure that all of the leaves are included. Gently mix the leaves and add in water. Add just enough to immerse the leaves in water.
- Every thirty minutes, turn the leaves totaling one and a half hours. This process is essential to ensure that the leaves are coated with salt and, at the same time, let the leaves absorb the salty flavor.
- After one and a half hours, drain the water. Use a large filter to do this. Shake the filter to remove water. Let the leaves sit in the filter for half an hour. The idea is to ensure that the leaves are drained with water as much as possible. Set aside.
Make the Kimchi Porridge:
- Meanwhile, make the porridge by mixing the glutinous rice and water. Let it simmer on low heat and continue stirring. If the porridge turns very sticky and lumpy, add more water, one tablespoon at a time. Please see the photo above.
Make the Kimchi Sauce:
- Mix the Fermented Shrimp, fish sauce, hot pepper, and Kimchi Porridge in a large basin.
- Add the Napa cabbage, carrot, and green onions. Mix all ingredients, ensuring that the Kimchi paste adheres to the vegetables.
- Transfer into a container, store in a dark place for two days and store in the fridge afterward. This Kimchi will last for three to six months.
Expert Tips and Tricks Best Homemade Kimchi Recipe
- Be sure to thoroughly salt all of the cabbage before immersing it.
- Evenly turn the cabbage in the water to ensure proper salt soaking.
- Make sure all of the vegetables are well coated in the kimchi paste.
- For the first two days after making it, store the kimchi like a basement shelf in a dark and cold spot.
What to Serve with Kimchi?
If you love kimchi you will eat it with anything, and that’s okay! Kimchi is delicious in so many ways that it can be fun to pair it with new things. Kimchi is excellent with a bowl of brown rice or a kimchi pancake. It can be significant in stew or on salads. Get creative and be ready to experience exciting and delicious Kimchi combinations!
How to Store Kimchi
After making the kimchi it must sit for two days and then be moved to the refrigerator, where the kimchi will be stable for up to six months!
Keep the kimchi cold when you’re not using it, and try to burp it every day or two. Kimchi continues to ferment in the fridge much slower, so opening the lid every few days lets the fermentation gas out.
Discard uneaten kimchi after three to six months or when it looks bubbly or tastes overly sour.
Is Kimchi Healthy?
Kimchi does have some health benefits. It is high in vitamins and minerals and contains delicious plant-based fiber and protein. Kimchi is also full of natural probiotics, so you can get lots of tasty benefits from one side dish!
However, kimchi is also a high-salt food, so always pair it with plenty of water.
Best Homemade Kimchi Recipe.
Equipment
- Large clean bowl for mixing
- Sealed container
- saucepan
- Spatula for Mixing
Ingredients
- 1 kg Napa Cabbage sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup Garlic, about 10 cloves minced
- 1 inch Ginger minced
- 1/2 cup Red Onion chopped
- 2 stems Green Onion sliced into 2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Kosher Salt
- water
Kimchi Sauce
- Kimchi Porridge
- 1/4 cup Fermented fish see notes for the recipe or you can buy in the Asian Stores
- 1/4 cup Fish sauce
- 1/2 cup Hot pepper Please see notes for the recipe
- 1/8 cup white granulated sugar
Porridge Ingredients
- 1 cup water add more until you reach the desired consistency
- 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
Instructions
Prepare the Vegetables
- Slice the cabbage into four, making sure that the core is removed. Slice the cabbage into bite-sized pieces and wash. Drain the water and sprinkle it with salt. Rub the salt on the leaves and stem of the cabbage. Add water just enough to submerge the leaves. Let the leaves soak in the water for thirty minutes and turn the leaves. Do this every thirty minutes totaling one and a half hours. Drain the water completely.
- Place the ginger, garlic, and red onion in a
Make the Kimchi Porrdige
- Mix the glutinous rice flour with water. Turn o the heat to medium-low. Stir continuously until the consistency looks similar to the picture above. Let the mixture cool down.
Make the Kimchi sauce
- Add the porridge and the Kimchi sauce ingredients in a large bowl and mix until the ingredients are completely incorporated. Please see the photo.
- Add the prepared Napa cabbage. Add them in intervals, ensuring that the sauce adheres to the leaves in each addition.
- Transfer the Kimchi to a clean container. Store it in a dark place, and it will be ready after two days. You can store it in the fridge or eat it right away.
Notes
- Here is the recipe for Bagoong Alamang (Fermented Shrimp)
- Make sure that you coat the leaves with the Kimchi Sauce.
- You can eat this right away, or you can let it ferment in a dark place for two days
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Hi, my name is Shobee. Welcome to The Skinny Pot, where we cook Easy Recipes from the available ingredients from our pantry and fridge! We’re your go-to source for simple and delicious recipes that make the most of what you already have at home. Talk about the pantry challenge. Read more...
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