How to Make Kimchi (without seafood)

napa cabbage

🥗Healthier: savoy cabbage

💰Cheaper: green cabbage

Savoy cabbage is more nutritious, while green cabbage is often less expensive.

fish sauce

💰Cheaper: soy sauce

Soy sauce is a budget-friendly alternative for a vegetarian option.

Harvest napa cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, and green onions from the garden.

Make a brine with 2 gallons of water and 2 cups of unrefined sea salt.

Wash the napa cabbage in cool water and reserve a few large outer leaves.

Slice the cabbage into halves or quarters and place them in the brine with weights on top.

Soak the cabbage in the brine for 4 to 6 hours.

Remove the cabbage and let it drain in a colander, reserving about 3 cups of the brine.

Chop the drained cabbage into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl.

Shred the daikon radish and carrots in a food processor and add them to the bowl with the cabbage.

Chop green onions and add them to the bowl; if unavailable, use yellow onions instead.

Mince ginger and chop garlic finely, then add them to the bowl.

Add Korean red pepper flakes, sugar (optional), and sweet rice flour (optional) to the bowl and stir everything together.

Transfer the mixture into crocks, ensuring the vegetables are submerged in the brine, adding reserved brine if necessary.

Cover the vegetables with reserved whole cabbage leaves and place weights on top.

Seal the crocks; one has a water seal lid and the other is covered with a plate.

Let the kimchi ferment in a cool dark area for 7 to 28 days, testing for flavor starting at 7 days.

Once fermentation is complete, transfer the kimchi into individual mason jars and store in the refrigerator.

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens