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4.8 from 87 votes

Kimchi Recipe

Learn how to make napa cabbage kimchi, a popular Korean side dish made from fermented napa cabbage, radish, and Korean chives. Includes step-by-step kimchi making instructions, and handy tips for making the best kimchi.

Prep Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Brining
6 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 7 Litre (1.8 Gallon)
Calories: 196 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

MAIN INGREDIENTS
  • 4 kg Napa cabbage (8.8 pounds), remove thick outer cabbage leaves
  • 16 cups water (3840 ml)
  • 1.5 cups Korean coarse sea salt or natural rock salt (for salt water), (285g / 10 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup cooking salt , medium sized crystals (for sprinkle), (97g / 3.4 ounces)
KIMCHI SEASONING / KIMCHI PASTE
  • 2 Tbsp glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour)
  • 1.5 cups water (360 ml)
  • 1.5 cups Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), (141g / 4.97 ounces)
  • 540 g Korean radish or daikon radish (19 ounces), julienned
  • 1 Tbsp fine sea salt
  • 3.5 Tbsp Korean fish sauce
  • 2 Tbsp salted fermented shrimp , minced
  • 90 g Korean chives (3.2 ounces), cut in 5 cm / 2 inch length
  • 140 g carrots (4.9 ounces), julienned
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic  (42g / 1.48 ounces)
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 Tbsp raw sugar
  • 75 g onion (2.6 ounces), blended (with a stick blender or vegetable chopper) or finely grated

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut the napa cabbage into quarters and rinse it in running water. Make sure the stem is intact.
  2. Dissolve the coarse salt in the water (16 cups) in a large bowl. Dip the napa cabbage in the saltwater one at a time and transfer it onto a tray for further salting.Pinch some cooking salt (1/2 cup total for all pickled cabbages) and rub over the thick white part of the cabbage. Open each leaf gently and sprinkle the salt over the thick white part. Repeat this for the rest of the cabbage. Reserve the saltwater from when you soaked the cabbage for later use.
  3. Put the salted cabbage in a large food grade plastic bag or large bucket (wedge side of the cabbage to be facing up) and pour in the reserved saltwater from step 2. Close the plastic bag. If using a bucket, get something heavy on top of the cabbage to press down (e.g heavy pot with water).Set the cabbage aside for 6 hours to pickle. Rotate the cabbage upside down every 2 hours. Using a large food grade plastic bag will make the turning process much easier than using a large bucket.
  4. Once the soaking process is finished, rinse the cabbages in running water, especially the thick white part of the cabbage, to get rid of the salt. Place them in a colander and allow to drain for 1 hour.
  5. While waiting, prepare the glutinous rice paste. Mix glutinous rice flour with the water (1.5 cup) in a saucepan and boil it over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until it thickens. Once ready, transfer the rice paste to the medium-size bowl and let it cool. Add Korean chili flakes once it has cooled. Then, combine them well.
  6. Prepare a large mixing bowl and add radish, fine sea salt, Korean fish sauce, and salted shrimp. Leave it for 10 minutes for the radish to salt down. Add Korean chives, carrots, minced garlic, minced ginger, sugar, blended onion, and the Korean chili flakes mixture from step 5. Mix them well. Now the kimchi seasoning / kimchi paste is made, ready for use.
  7. Place a quarter of a cabbage on a tray. Spread the seasonings over each leaf. (You only need to season one side of the leaf.) 1 to 2 small fistfuls of seasoning is enough per quarter of cabbage. Repeat this step for the rest of the cabbage. Don’t pull the cabbage leaves off the stem, leave them attached so it holds together better.
  8. Transfer the kimchi into a kimchi container or an airtight container (and put the lid on). Leave it out at room temperature for 24 hours, then move it to the refrigerator. While you can start eating it once it’s chilled, you may want to wait 3-4 more days for it to develop more flavor.
  9. Once the kimchi is ready to eat, chop a small portion and store it in a smaller glass container. This makes it more convenient to serve with your meal. Keep the other batches intact in the large kimchi container. This way, you only cut it up as needed, which helps keep the remaining kimchi fresh longer.

Notes

  • 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml
  • If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean ingredients list.
  • If you skipped over my tips for making kimchi, including substitution information, be sure to read them to increase your chance of success.
  • Kimchi can typically last in the fridge for a couple of months, but depending on the storage conditions, you could keep it for up to a year or so. Read more about kimchi storage tips.

Nutrition Information

Calories 196kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 37g (12%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Sodium 33425mg (1393%) Potassium 1280mg (37%) Fiber 19g (76%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 17911IU (358%) Vitamin C 27mg (30%) Calcium 249mg (25%) Iron 9mg (50%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 7Litre (1.8 Gallon)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 196

% Daily Value*

Calories 196kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 37g 12%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 33425mg 1393%
Potassium 1280mg 27%
Fiber 19g 76%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 17911IU 358%
Vitamin C 27mg 30%
Calcium 249mg 25%
Iron 9mg 50%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.