Homemade Kimchi

Ingredients

• 2 large napa cabbages
• 3/4 cup kosher salt (fine salt will make kimchi too salty)
• 3 tbsp glutinous rice flour
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 apple
• 1 Asian pear
• 1/2 sweet onion ((about 250g))
• 1/2 daikon radish ((about 250g fresh daikon))
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 head garlic ((8 to 12 cloves of garlic depending on their size))
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 tsp shrimp paste
• 2 cup chili pepper powder
• 1 carrot ((about 150g fresh carrot))
• 1/2 daikon radish ((about 250g fresh daikon))
• 4 green onions ((about 70g))

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Salt the napa cabbages ---

2. 2

   Cut 2 large napa cabbages lengthwise into 8 quarters. You don't have to wash them yet. We'll wash them 4 hours later.

3. 3

   Apply kosher salt on each leaf, front and back.

4. 4

   Place salted napa cabbages on a large baking pan in a pile, put another large baking pan and something heavy on the top to press the water out. (I placed 12 bottles of water).

5. 5

   4 to 6 hours later, remove the baking pan on the top. Rinse the napa cabbage under cold running water to wash off the salt thoroughly.

6. 6

   Drain the cabbages by twisting them like twisting a wet towel. Set aside.

7. 7

   --- Make rice flour paste ---

8. 8

   Put 3 tbsps of glutinous rice flour, 3 tbsps of sugar, and 1 cup of cold water in a pot, mix well.

9. 9

   Turn on medium heat, keep stirring and boil for about 5 minutes until the porridge turns thicken like school glue.

10. 10

    Turn off the heat, set aside to cool down.

11. 11

    --- Blend fruits and vegetables ---

12. 12

    Peel and shred 1 daikon radish (about 500g) and 1 carrot (about 150g). You can use a cheese grater to shred them easily and evenly.

13. 13

    Add 1 tbsp of kosher salt to the shredded daikon radish, and ½ tbsp of kosher salt to the shredded carrot. Mix well and let marinate for 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, drain and squeeze out excess water.

14. 14

    Peel, core, and cut an apple and an Asian pear into chunks. Cut ½ sweet onion into wedges. Peel a head of garlic and a small piece of ginger. Add these ingredients together with half of the salted daikon shreds, fish sauce, and shrimp paste to a blender. Blend until smooth.

15. 15

    --- Homemade kimchi paste ---

16. 16

    Wash then cut 4 green onions (about 70g) into 2 inch pieces.

17. 17

    In a large bowl, add in blended fruits and vegetables, rice flour paste, chili pepper powder, salted carrot shreds, the other half of the salted daikon shreds, and green onions, mix well.

18. 18

    Put on food handling gloves, spread the kimchi paste evenly on every cabbage leaf. The amount of paste should be just enough for 2 large napa cabbages.

19. 19

    Store our homemade kimchi in a ceramic container with lid or a glass kimchi jar. Do not use metal or plastic container.

20. 20

    --- Fermenting ---

21. 21

    If you are using a ceramic container with lid, loosely cover the lid (do not seal). If you are using a kimchi jar, add cold clean water to the moat, put the lid on. Allow the kimchi to ferment under room temperature for 24 ( summertime) to 48 (wintertime) hours.

22. 22

    After first stage of fermentation, close the lid tightly, store the kimchi in the fridge for 2 weeks for slow fermenting.

23. 23

    Two weeks later, enjoy your homemade kimchi raw as a side dish or cook with it.

24. 24

    --- Storage ---

25. 25

    Always use clean chopsticks or tongs to get the kimchi from the jar. Keep the jar sealed or water-sealed, it can last in fridge for up to 6 months.