Kimchi is a fermented food that’s essential to the Korean diet, often eaten with rice, noodles, stews and more! Kimchi has many health benefits you may not even be aware of. It’s a probiotic that is rich in fiber, which can help maintain a healthy digestive system. The antioxidants and nutrients in kimchi can help lower blood sugar and improve heart health. Kimchi’s bacteria and vitamin C can also strengthen the immune system. Koreans even believe that kimchi helps slow aging, as probiotics and fermented foods are proven to promote healthier skin.
So you can continue to make kimchi at home!
1 head of napa cabbage per person should yield enough kimchi for around a month. 2-3 weeks if you plan on eating it everyday.
It’s important to soak the cabbage in salt water, to tenderize the vegetable and begin the fermentation process. We recommend no less than 2 hours to soak, Jisun’s family often prepares the napa cabbage the night before, so the cabbage can soak overnight. Cut into the core about two inches from the bottom, then slowly tear the napa cabbage in half, then quarters. You should end up with 4 pieces from one head of cabbage.
Dunk the large pieces of cabbage in a bowl of water, and begin rubbing a generous amount of salt between every leaf. Use more salt towards the bottom of the cabbage, which is thicker. Continue this process until every leaf is coated, then let rest for minimum two hours, maximum 12 hours. You should rotate the cabbage every couple hours to ensure the salt water is evenly distributed.
Chop your daikon into 1-inch cubes. Pour into a large bowl and cover with salt water. Rinse the cabbage under cold water to get rid of the excess salt and impurities. Place in a strainer to let excess water drain.
In the meantime, you can begin to make a paste mixture which you will massage cabbages with and put into them. But first of all, cook rice porridge. Add 5 spoons of rice into water in a pot. When the rice is fully cooked, let it sit there and cool down for 15 minutes. Chop vegetables of your choice. We will be using scallion, onion and daikon, also lots of garlic, chives, and a pinch of ginger. Option to add carrots, cut the size of matchsticks. Add in salted shrimp, and a bit of anchovy fish sauce to create funky flavors. Option to add sugar, or asian pear, or some apples- these fruits will help fermentation process go faster as well. Blender all of them together with cooled down rice porridge. Now it's time to mix all of them together with pepper powders (고춧가루, gochugaru). Finally, add some salt until it tastes salty.
Coat each leaf with the paste mixture, so that the entire head of cabbage is a vibrant red color. Be generous! Place the kimchi in an airtight container to ferment or enjoy immediately. The longer you wait the more sour the flavor becomes. We recommend storing your container in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days, then taste to ensure the flavor is to your liking. You can open the jar every once in a while to let it breath and press on the top to release fermentation bubbles. Move the kimchi to the fridge – this will slow down the fermentation process. Your kimchi will last much longer this way!
* Savannah’s family’s favorite way to enjoy it is with fresh rice, kim, egg and crispy bacon. Simple but delicious. Jisun’s family’s favorite way is to eat fresh kimchi with freshly made braised pork belly (수육, soo-yuk) and raw oysters.