Korea · Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes · Spicy

Kimchi

Name: Kimchi
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 large Napa cabbage; 1/2 cup coarse sea salt; 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour; 1 cup water; 1/2 cup fish sauce; 1/2 cup crushed garlic; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 1 cup gochugaru; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 medium daikon radish, sliced into straws; 4 scallions; 1/4 cup salted shrimp

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish — fermented Peking cabbage with spicy spices and seasonings. Characterized by a bright tangy flavor with sour notes, crisp texture and intense aroma.

45 min 50 kcal 4 serves Medium🌶️Spicy🇰🇷Korea★★★★★4.7· 6 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

1 largeNapa cabbage
½ cupcoarse sea salt
¼ cupglutinous rice flour
1 cupwater
½ cupfish sauce
½ cupcrushed garlic
1 tbspgrated ginger
1 cupgochugaru
¼ cupsugar
1 mediumdaikon radish, sliced into straws
4 scallions
¼ cupsalted shrimp

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“Making kimchi at home taught me more about patience than any other recipe in my collection. The fermentation is where the real magic happens — those first three days at room temperature when the lactobacillus bacteria transform simple salted cabbage into something alive and complex. I always use Korean gochugaru flakes rather than any substitute; their fruity, smoky heat is irreplaceable and gives kimchi its signature deep-red color. Don't skimp on the fish sauce and salted shrimp in the paste — they provide the umami foundation that makes fermented kimchi taste so addictively savory.”

After packing the kimchi tightly into jars, leave at least 2 cm of headspace — the fermentation produces CO2 and the liquid will rise, potentially overflowing without that buffer.

Method

Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Sprinkle salt between the leaves and leave for 2 hours.
Rinse the cabbage three times and squeeze out the water. Set aside.
Prepare the paste: mix the rice flour with the water, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cool.
In a large bowl, mix the cooled rice paste, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, gochugaru and sugar. Add the radishes, green onions and shrimp. Mix thoroughly.
Apply the paste between the cabbage leaves, rubbing thoroughly. Tuck the cabbage tightly into a clean glass or ceramic container. Leave at room temperature for 1-5 days to ferment, then store in the refrigerator.

FAQ

At room temperature (20–22°C), kimchi is ready in 1–2 days — it becomes sour and slightly fizzy. In the fridge it ferments slowly over 1–2 weeks and develops a deeper, more complex flavor. Signs it's ready: pleasant sour smell (not rotten), the liquid is slightly cloudy, the cabbage has softened but still has a crunch.

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Comments (2)

Злой Повар
28d ago
Кимчи — это не салат из капусты с чили. Это ферментированный продукт, который требует времени и правильной соли. Йодированная соль убивает полезные бактерии. Морская крупная — вот что нужно. И руки при замешивании должны быть в перчатках, если только вы не хотите оранжевые ладони на три дня.
Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
The fermentation time for kimchi depends entirely on your kitchen temperature. At 20°C, I find 3 days on the counter hits the sweet spot between tangy and fresh. In summer, check it after just 24 hours — it ferments noticeably faster and can go from perfect to aggressively sour overnight.