Kimchi: Spicy Fermented Cabbage Delight

Ingredients

• 3 heads napa cabbage
• 3 cups water
• 4 cups coarse sea salt
• 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

Step 1

Peel off any bruised or discolored outer leaves from the cabbage, then give it a good rinse under cold water. Cut the cabbage into chunks about 2 inches big. Next, divide 3 cups of water into three bowls and stir a cup of sea salt into each one. Sprinkle the remaining cup of salt all over the cabbage pieces. Place the cabbage into the salted water bowls so they’re partially submerged and let them sit for 6 to 12 hours.

Step 2

After soaking, rinse the cabbage thoroughly in cold water a few times to get rid of the excess salt. Squeeze out as much water as you can—the cabbage should feel a bit rubbery—and then let it drain in a colander or basket for at least two hours.

Step 3

While the cabbage drains, make the rice flour paste by boiling 3 cups of water with rice flour in a saucepan. Keep whisking until it thickens into a gluey consistency, which should take around 5 to 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. In the meantime, blend the onion, garlic, ginger, and a bit of water in a food processor until it forms a smooth paste, adding a little more water if needed.

Step 4

In a large bowl, mix together the chili flakes, the onion-garlic paste, the cooled rice flour mixture, fish sauce, shrimp, brown sugar, and sesame seeds until everything is well combined. Toss in the radish and green onions and give it another good stir.

Step 5

Now comes the fun part—put on some rubber gloves and rub the chili mixture all over each piece of cabbage. Once coated, pack the cabbage tightly into airtight glass jars or containers and seal them up. Leave the jars at room temperature for about two days to let the fermentation work its magic. After that, pop them in the fridge to slow things down and enjoy your homemade kimchi!