Kimchi
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.
Ingredients
- 1 largeNapa cabbage
- 1/2 cupcoarse sea salt
- 1/4 cupglutinous rice flour
- 1 cupwater
- 1/2 cupfish sauce
- 1/2 cupcrushed garlic
- 1 tbspgrated ginger
- 1 cupgochugaru
- 1/4 cupsugar
- 1 mediumdaikon radish, sliced into straws
- 4 scallions
- 1/4 cupsalted shrimp
1 cup = 240 ml
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.
Yes. Replace fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari (same amount). Replace salted shrimp with a tablespoon of white miso paste or seaweed-based sauce. The umami depth will be slightly different but the kimchi will still be delicious and fully ferment. Many Korean vegetarians use exactly this substitution.
The most common reason: the cabbage wasn't rinsed well enough after salting. Always rinse in 3 changes of cold water and taste before mixing with the paste. If the kimchi is already ready and too salty, eat it cooked — in kimchi jjigae (stew) or kimchi fried rice. Salt dissipates during cooking.
Properly prepared kimchi keeps in the fridge for 3–6 months and actually improves with age. The more mature it is, the more sour and complex the flavor. Signs of spoilage (not normal fermentation): unpleasant (not sour) smell, mould on the surface, slimy texture. Always keep it completely submerged in its own brine.
Kimchi is the base for kimchi jjigae (Korean stew with tofu and pork), kimchi bokkeumbap (fried rice), kimchi pancakes (kimchijeon). It's added to ramen, used as a topping for burgers and tacos. Mature, very sour kimchi is best for cooking — it gives the dish a bright fermented flavor.
Rate this
Recipes by email
One letter a week: a recipe picked for your taste, plus whatever is new on the site. Unsubscribe in one click.
Welcome gift: Sergei's cookbook (e-book).
By subscribing you agree to the privacy policy.
Tell us what you like to cook (30 seconds) →Keep browsing
More dishes from the Korean archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (2)
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.
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.