Step-by-Step Homemade Kimchi Recipe • Heartbeet Kitchen (2024)

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Iam a Bohemian girl, through and through. My ancestors came from theCzech/Slovakia area and traveled to Ellis Island long before my time tosow their roots in the wonderful United States. They came from a placecalled “Paa Town”, so when they arrived here in the US and were asked asurname, they removed town and went with Paa. I sure do get a lot ofquestions about my last name….it is very unique. If I get married someday, my plan is to change my middle name to Paa so I am able to carry itwith me forever. I grew up in New Ulm, a small, full fledged Germantown along the Minnesota River in southern Minnesota. It surely is abeautiful place that is packed with history – Hermann the German, The Glockenspiel, Faschinand Schell’s Brewerythe second oldest family run brewery in the United States! As a littlegirl you could often find me wearing a drindl and requesting just aplate of sauerkraut for dinner, maybe a couple of my grandma’s pillowysoft potato dumplings as well. I am still in love with sauerkraut as anadult and recently made my own through lacto-fermentation for the firsttime. It is so yummy and full of probiotics! I even find myself eatingit for breakfast some days.

My adventures in fermenting have not stopped there. With all thebeautiful cabbages and asian vegetables overflowing at the farmer’smarket, I decided I wanted to try and make kimchi. Kimchi is a theKorean version of sauerkraut, a very spicy condiment with a basic baseof cabbage, garlic, salt, peppers. It is loaded with vitamins A, B, andC, along with healthy bacteria (lactobacilli). I looked through severaldifferent versions online before I began, and even asked a few of theAsian vendors at the market for some tips. I found this websiteto have an excellent video on the process of making kimchi! Once I feltlike I had enough knowledge to create my own kimchi, I gathered all theveggies and the madness began!

Here is the step-by-step recipe for homemade kimchi:

1. I gathered about 6 1/2 lbs. of napa cabbage and one large daikonradish. Core the napa cabbage just like a regular cabbage. Cut in halflengthwise, then in half again so you have four quarters, then removethe core from the bottom of each quarter. This picture is the napacabbage chopped into about 1 to 1 1/2 in pieces and the daikon radishjulienned. As you can see, kimchi has a much chunkier texture comparedto sauerkraut.

2. Place into large bowl that you will have enough room to cover withbrine and submerge the mixture. Dissolve 4-5 tablespoons of sea saltinto about 10 cups of filtered water to create your brine. Pour over
cabbage and daikon, then press down with plate that barely fits insidecontainer so that brine rises above mixture. I used a heavy pot filledwith water to keep the plate in place and the mixture fully covered.

3. Let this rest for about 8-12 hours. In the meantime, I julienned 5carrots and 1 green pepper and thinly sliced 2 leeks including greenparts.

4. To make the paste above I pureed the following in a food processor:

-4 cloves of garlic
-3/4 tablespoon of dried, ground alpeppo pepper
-1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
-1 tablespoon sugar
-2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari (which is naturally gf)
-1/4 cup filtered water

5. Once I had let the cabbage/daikon mixture rest in brine for about12 hours I drained all of the brine off into a separate container tokeep in case I needed a little extra after packing the jars. Then Isqueezed all of the brine out of the mixture. To this I added theadditional veggies that I had chopped.

6. Then for the fun part – I poured the paste on top of the mixtureand thoroughly worked it in, coating every inch of it! It is a good ideato wear rubber gloves for this part because of the strength of thepeppers.

7. Finally tightly pack into a crock or glass jars (I like to use THESE) so the brine risesabove the top of the kimchi and put cover on. If you are not gettingenough brine from pressing the kimchi down, feel free to add some of thebrine you drained off.

8. Let ferment on the counter for about 1-2 days, (if roomtemperature is around 70 degrees F), depending on how you like it totaste. Some people put it in the refrigerator right away because theylike a milder version, however you will not get any of the probioticcomponents by doing this. I taste mine every 12 hours or so to make sureI like how it is coming along. Be careful when opening the jar thoughbecause the live bacteria will cause lots of bubbles and fizz!

9. Once the kimchi meets your taste standards, place in refrigerator,where it will last 4-6 months and continue to slowly ferment.

Kimchi is great as a small side dish or condiment on a tasty burger. Need other inspirations to how to use it? Check out these kimchi recipes,everything from kimchi pancakes to fried rice. The nicething about this recipe is you can really adapt it to include whateveryour favorite Asian veggies are and modify the spice level to yourliking. The only things that are a must are having the right cabbage andat least one root vegetable in the mixture. Let your creative juicesflow!

this blog is supported by affiliate amazon links, which i may make a small portion from if you decide to purchase.

Step-by-Step Homemade Kimchi Recipe • Heartbeet Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the mistake in making kimchi? ›

Let us guide you through making your crunchiest, funkiest, spiciest, and most delicious batch yet.
  1. Using store-bought kimchi paste. ...
  2. Buying low-quality ingredients for your kimchi paste. ...
  3. Forgetting to taste your kimchi paste. ...
  4. Settling for low-quality produce. ...
  5. Not brining your produce. ...
  6. Over-salting your produce.
Jan 27, 2024

What is the ingredients of Korean kimchi? ›

Image of What is the ingredients of Korean kimchi?
Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in East Asian cuisine. Since the 20th century, it has also become a widespread crop in Europe, the Americas and Australia. In much of the world, it is referred to as "Chinese cabbage".
Wikipedia

How long does it take for kimchi recipe to ferment? ›

Ferment! Option 1: Kimchi may be placed in refrigerator so it ferments slowly over 3 to 4 days. This may be preferred, especially during hot weather. Option 2: Place sealed container in a well-ventilated location (may become pungent), with a relatively constant room temperature, around 68° F is ideal.

How is traditional kimchi made? ›

Directions
  1. Place cabbage and radish into a large colander. ...
  2. Combine onion, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar in a blender. ...
  3. Transfer drained cabbage to a large bowl. ...
  4. Transfer kimchi to sterilized airtight containers and refrigerate for three days before serving.
Apr 20, 2023

How long to brine cabbage for kimchi? ›

A few hours before you're going to make the kimchi (we usually do this 5-6 hours before but a couple of hours to overnight is also fine) pour the water into a large mixing bowl, add the salt and stir to dissolve. This makes a 5% brine which we've found works well.

Why not to eat kimchi? ›

Kimchi is high in sodium, with about 500 milligrams per cup. That's more than 20% of all the sodium that you're supposed to get in a day. Too much sodium can raise your risk of high blood pressure. If kimchi isn't prepared or stored properly, it can cause food poisoning, especially in people who are immune compromised.

Can kimchi become too fermented? ›

If you leave kimchi outside of the fridge, over time it will become over-fermented and won't taste so great anymore. What are the health benefits of eating kimchi? People have known about the health benefits of eating kimchi for thousands of years.

What happens if you ferment kimchi for too long? ›

Glab says, "Over time, a fermented kimchi will lose its crunch, and flavors will dull, so there is a specific time frame within which kimchi is at its best." Kimchi will continue to naturally ferment even when properly stored, but the flavor can grow dull or even sour. But not all "old" kimchi is bad!

What is the most important ingredient in kimchi? ›

In general, kimchi is made using Chinese leaves (Napa cabbage) or radish as the primary ingredient, with red chilli pepper powder, garlic and spring onions used as supplementary ingredients.

What kind of salt is best for kimchi? ›

I want to take a moment here to emphasize that selecting the right type of salt for kimchi is incredibly important. Natural sea salt is the salt of choice for most Koreans making kimchi, but I've found that kosher salt is a very good substitute.

What makes the best kimchi? ›

In my method I let the kimchi sit in salt until it loosens up and becomes softer. Afterwards I squeeze all the liquids out but I don't wash it with water (like they often do in other recipes). In my experience this keeps the kimchi more crunchy, compact and less soggy – which is the whole point letting it sit in salt.

Can I use paprika in kimchi? ›

Many kimchi recipes require special ingredients, but I like to stick to things that are available at most local supermarket. If you have a good Asian grocery store nearby, by all means go get some gochugaru (Korean ground chili), but a mix of regular chili flakes and paprika will work just fine.

Does kimchi need to ferment in the dark? ›

Stand it in a cool, dark place until it starts to ferment (48-72 hours), then refrigerate. Though the kimchi will be tasty after 24 hours, it will be better in a week and at its prime in 2 weeks and still good for up to a month, though it will become funkier as time passes.

How do you know if kimchi is over fermented? ›

Kimchi spoilage and over-fermentation

It will continue to ferment at a cool temperature. If kimchi over-ferments, it will have a very vinegary odor and taste. It is not pleasant to eat raw, so it is often used for soups and stews. If any fermentation gets soft and slimy, then it is a sign of spoilage.

How is kimchi made underground? ›

As a way of preserving the harvest just before winter, Koreans would first salt then tightly pack their cabbages into large clay urns, burying them underground to avoid the frost. The resulting fermented product took on a delicious flavour, and Kimchi began bubbling up across the whole country.

Is there a difference between kimchi and fermented kimchi? ›

Taste. The biggest difference between fresh and fermented Kimchi is the taste. Fresh Kimchi is more like a salad, so it taste more raw, fresh and crunchy. Fermented Kimchi is softer and tangy.

How does kimchi taste before fermentation? ›

Kimchi is a traditional Korean method of salting and fermenting vegetables such as Cabbage, Radish and Cucumbers, this helps the vegetable last longer. Fresh Kimchi starts off salty and gets more sour as it naturally ferments over time.

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