Easy Kimchi Recipe

Kimchi is a traditional, staple Korean side dish made from fermented cabbage, radish and or cucumber. 

Most Koreans have it with almost every meal and it's easy to see why, especially once you've tuned it to your personal preference, which is easily done.

One of my favourite parts is the juice at the end! Add it to an omlet and thank me later. 

Easy Recipe For Homemade Kimchi

The suggestions below are just that. People that put all sorts in their Kimchi. It can be a real clean-out-the-fridge-job if you want it too be... 

Below is what I use. You can drop the fish sauce to make to make it vegan. I've kept it's gnarly zang.

If you can, use Chinese cabbage. It soaks up the flavour much better than others. It is readily available from oriental supermarkets (along with gochugaru). 

Lots of kimchi recipes require you to salt the cabbage first. I often find food too salty with this step so I don't bother... 

I also don't peel any veg. The skins are full of nutrients and give a great contrasting texture to the flesh. 

Homemade Kimchi Ingredients

• 1 large Chinese (napa) cabbage, shredded
• 1 Daikon radish, peeled and ribboned
• 1 large carrot, ribboned
• 5 spring onions, shredded
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 50g fresh root ginger, great
• 50g Gochugaru (Korean pepper paste)
• 50ml fish sauce (optional) 
• 1 litre jar (ideally wide mouthed to make it easy to pack in the veg)

Homemade Kimchi Method

• Mix the garlic, onions, Gochugaru and fish sauce together.
• Add all the ingredients to the jar - I recommend doing this in layers e.g. veg, sauce, veg etc.
• With clean hands, mix everything together in jar. The better you do this, the richer the flavour (your hands will smell after - you have been warned).
• Secure a cloth on the top (I do this with an elastic band) and leave at room temperature for two days (sooner if it's hot).
• Give it a try. If you like what you taste, get a secure lid on and transfer it in the fridge. It should keep for months. 
• The longer you leave it, the more intense the flavour will become. I leave mine for four or five days at room temp and it lasts for months in the fridge  
• Tuck in and enjoy a spoonful with meals (and don't forget to add the juice to omlets!).

Troubleshooting Homemade Kimchi

My kimchi is becoming fizzy
It is likely that it has fermented for too long, but it's still perfectly edible (I actually like it when it get a little fizzy!). Get it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation and eat asap (if it's not already too late!).