Spicy homemade kimchi: Korean fermented cabbage that keeps all winter in the fridge

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Cut the cabbage

   10 min

   Quarter the cabbage lengthwise, cut out the tough core, and cut the leaves into pieces about 4 cm across. Place in a large bowl.

2. Salt the cabbage

   2 hr

   Sprinkle the cabbage with coarse salt in layers and toss with your hands. Let stand for 2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes to salt it evenly. The cabbage will soften and release liquid.

3. Rinse

   25 min

   Rinse the cabbage thoroughly three times in cold water and taste a piece; it should be pleasantly salty, not overly salty. Let drain in a colander for 20 minutes.

4. Make the paste

   10 min

   Finely grate the garlic and ginger, then mix with the fish sauce, paprika, chili flakes, and sugar to make a thick paste. Instead of the paprika and chili flakes, you can use 4 tbsp of gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes. Cut the carrot into thin matchsticks and the scallions into 3 cm lengths.

5. Coat the cabbage

   5 min

   Toss the cabbage, carrot, and scallions with the paste, preferably wearing rubber gloves, since the chili can sting. Coat every piece of cabbage with the red paste.

6. Pack into a jar

   5 min

   Pack the kimchi firmly into a clean jar with a capacity of about 1.5 l, pressing out air pockets and encouraging it to release liquid. Leave about 3 cm of space at the top. Cover the jar with a lid, but do not tighten it.

7. Let ferment

   Leave the jar at room temperature for 1–2 days, until the kimchi starts to turn sour and bubbles appear in the liquid. Once a day, press it down with a clean spoon to keep it submerged. Then seal the jar and refrigerate, where the kimchi will continue to mature slowly. It tastes best after about a week.

Tip: To make it vegetarian, replace the fish sauce with the same amount of soy sauce. Overly sour kimchi works well in fried rice or soup.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Pikantné domáce kimchi: kyslá kapusta po kórejsky, ktorá v chladničke vydrží celú zimu