Traditional Homemade Kimchi Recipe (Fermented Cabbage)

fish sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: salt

Soy sauce can provide umami flavor while being lower in calories.

Korean red pepper flakes

🥗Healthier: cayenne pepper

💰Cheaper: paprika

Cayenne offers heat with fewer calories, while paprika is budget-friendly.

Cut the napa cabbage into quarters, removing the core.

Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces and place in a bucket.

Add about 4 tablespoons of kosher salt to the cabbage and mix.

Let the cabbage rest for 30 minutes, mixing every 30 minutes for a total of six times.

Rinse the cabbage to remove excess salt, tasting to ensure it's not too salty.

Prepare other vegetables: cut 1 carrot into strips, 1/2 onion into strips, and 5 stalks of green onion into 1.5-inch pieces.

Combine the rinsed cabbage with the prepared vegetables in a bucket.

Add 2/3 cup minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 3 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon beef bullion, 2 teaspoons salted shrimp sauce, 1/2 cup fish sauce, and 1 cup Korean red pepper flakes to the bucket.

Mix everything together thoroughly, wearing gloves.

Pack the mixture into a jar, leaving about 1.5 to 2 inches of space at the top for fermentation.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens