I have had an obsession with making my own kimchi for some time now. But I couldn`t get past the idea of putting raw fish in a jar and letting it sit for days on my kitchen counter. So i did a TON of kimchi research and found out there are many ways to make this spicy goodness in a jar without adding raw fish.
Also where I live (in gods country..its so beautiful here) it is hard to always find napa cabbage. The very cabbage most kimchi recipes state to use. But we do have the round green cabbage heads... Almost ALL the time. So once again I went back into reading up on kimchi. It seems that round green cabbage is also in abundance in most popular kimchi eating areas. And is becoming quite popular in kimchi recipes. That`s all I needed to know. I was set to make kimchi and was very excited about it too!
When fermenting anything such as kimchi you just want to make sure you don`t add to much spice right up front as it will get spicier as it ferments.
My kimchi has been fermenting for 2 days now and I think it tastes DELISH! It is hard not to just eat it a bunch now. But I will probably let it go for another day or two before I tuck it carefully into my fridge amongst the fermented kraut and dill pickles mmmmmm.
Spicy Green Cabbage Kimchi
Makes approx.. 2 quarts
Brine:
3 cups water
3-4 Tbsps. Sea salt
Ingredients:
1 Head green cabbage (the round kind)
1 med. Carrot cut into matchsticks
4 Green onions sliced in 1” lengths
1 Apple or pear peeled/cored and shredded
5-6 Garlic cloves
½ Sweet white onion
1” Piece of ginger peeled
4+ Tbsps. Fish sauce
1 Tbsp. Organic cane sugar
2-3 Tbsps. Dried chili powder (the kind for kimchi)
1/8 tsp. Dried red pepper flakes (optional if you want it really hot like me)
Mix brine together by adding salt to the water.
Cut cabbage into one inch pieces or squares. Wash/rinse. Put into big non-reactive bowl such as stainless steel or plastic. Add the brine. Let cabbage sit in brine for 1 hour or until it starts to wilt. Mix it a few times to make sure all the cabbage has been in the brine. Drain and rinse well. Add the carrot sticks and the green onion. Mix thoroughly..
In a mixer add the ½ white onion, garlic cloves, ginger, sugar and 2 tbsps. Fish sauce. Blend until mixed but still chunky bits remain.
Add mixer ingredients to the cabbage mix. Add the grated apple and pepper powder. I would start with 1-2 tbsps. And if you think you need more add just a bit at a time. Using rubber gloves mix all together squeezing a bit to get every piece of cabbage coated and it starts releasing its own juices.
Pack tightly into 2 quart canning jars. If there is not enough liquid covering the mixture at the top make up a bit of salt brine and top off. Put on lids and let sit on the counter at room temperature for 24-48 hours or up to 5 days. The longer it ferments the stronger it will get so taste often and store in fridge when you think it is to your liking.
Always put a paper towel under any of your fermentation jars as they may leak.
Makes approx.. 2 quarts
Brine:
3 cups water
3-4 Tbsps. Sea salt
Ingredients:
1 Head green cabbage (the round kind)
1 med. Carrot cut into matchsticks
4 Green onions sliced in 1” lengths
1 Apple or pear peeled/cored and shredded
5-6 Garlic cloves
½ Sweet white onion
1” Piece of ginger peeled
4+ Tbsps. Fish sauce
1 Tbsp. Organic cane sugar
2-3 Tbsps. Dried chili powder (the kind for kimchi)
1/8 tsp. Dried red pepper flakes (optional if you want it really hot like me)
Mix brine together by adding salt to the water.
Cut cabbage into one inch pieces or squares. Wash/rinse. Put into big non-reactive bowl such as stainless steel or plastic. Add the brine. Let cabbage sit in brine for 1 hour or until it starts to wilt. Mix it a few times to make sure all the cabbage has been in the brine. Drain and rinse well. Add the carrot sticks and the green onion. Mix thoroughly..
In a mixer add the ½ white onion, garlic cloves, ginger, sugar and 2 tbsps. Fish sauce. Blend until mixed but still chunky bits remain.
Add mixer ingredients to the cabbage mix. Add the grated apple and pepper powder. I would start with 1-2 tbsps. And if you think you need more add just a bit at a time. Using rubber gloves mix all together squeezing a bit to get every piece of cabbage coated and it starts releasing its own juices.
Pack tightly into 2 quart canning jars. If there is not enough liquid covering the mixture at the top make up a bit of salt brine and top off. Put on lids and let sit on the counter at room temperature for 24-48 hours or up to 5 days. The longer it ferments the stronger it will get so taste often and store in fridge when you think it is to your liking.
Always put a paper towel under any of your fermentation jars as they may leak.