A little love letter
Dear homemade kimchi,
Making you is a project, and I love you for it. Salting a whole napa cabbage, blending onions, apple, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and a generous pile of gochugaru into a paste that turns my hands red, and then the hardest part: leaving you alone.
For a few days you sit there quietly, doing your thing, getting sour and fizzy and funky. Every time I open the jar, you've become a little bolder.
And then you're everywhere. Next to rice, on top of eggs, in a quick fried rice, or, let's be real, eaten straight from the jar with a fork while standing at the fridge. Spicy, tangy, crunchy, deeply savory. You make everything around you more interesting.
Let’s make this piece of happinessxo, Kimberly
saved you a seatUp close
Homemade Kimchi
Napa cabbage, carrots and green onions in a spicy garlic ginger paste, fermented for a few days. About 45 minutes of work, the jar does the rest.
Hi, I’m Kimberly. The kitchen is my happy place, and everything that turns out really good there ends up here. Including the little tricks I’d usually only tell my friends. more about me
salt the cabbage
Quarter the napa cabbage lengthwise, then chop it into bite-sized pieces. Place it in one of the large bowls and cover completely with cold water. Add a generous amount of sea salt and mix well with your hands or a spoon. To keep the cabbage submerged, weigh it down with a plate and something heavy. Let it soak for 30–45 minutes.prep the vegetables
While the cabbage is soaking, peel and julienne the carrots. Thinly slice the green part of the scallions. Set both aside, they’ll be folded into the paste later.blend the paste
Peel the apple, onion, garlic, and ginger. Toss everything into a blender with a splash of water. If you’re using mini shrimp, add those now. Pour in the fish sauce and soy sauce, then blend until smooth and pulpy.stir in the gochugaru
Transfer the paste to your second large bowl. Stir in the gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) until the mixture is a vibrant, rich red and has a spreadable texture.make the slurry
In a small saucepan, combine water and rice flour to make the slurry. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a sticky, glue-like consistency. Let it cool for a few minutes, then stir it into the chili paste mixture.add the vegetables
Add the sliced carrots and scallions to the paste. Stir well until everything is evenly coated and combined.coat the cabbage
Drain the soaked cabbage, rinse it under cold water, and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Add it to the bowl with the red paste and (with gloves, highly recommended!) mix everything thoroughly until all the cabbage is coated.pack & ferment
Spoon the kimchi mixture into a clean, airtight container. Press it down firmly to eliminate air pockets. Wipe the edges, cover with plastic wrap, and seal tightly. Leave it at room temperature for about two days to ferment.taste & chill
After two days, your kimchi will be lightly fermented and ready to taste. If you like it funkier and more sour, give it another day on the counter. After that, pop it in the fridge, it’ll keep for several weeks and just keeps getting better.Pairings
How do I know it’s fermenting?
How long does homemade kimchi keep?
What is the rice flour slurry for?
Why is my kimchi too salty?
Tell me how it went
A little love letter
Dear homemade kimchi,
Making you is a project, and I love you for it. Salting a whole napa cabbage, blending onions, apple, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and a generous pile of gochugaru into a paste that turns my hands red, and then the hardest part: leaving you alone.
For a few days you sit there quietly, doing your thing, getting sour and fizzy and funky. Every time I open the jar, you've become a little bolder.
And then you're everywhere. Next to rice, on top of eggs, in a quick fried rice, or, let's be real, eaten straight from the jar with a fork while standing at the fridge. Spicy, tangy, crunchy, deeply savory. You make everything around you more interesting.
Let’s make this piece of happinessxo, Kimberly
saved you a seatUp close
Homemade Kimchi
Napa cabbage, carrots and green onions in a spicy garlic ginger paste, fermented for a few days. About 45 minutes of work, the jar does the rest.
that’s meHi, I’m Kimberly. The kitchen is my happy place, and everything that turns out really good there ends up here. Including the little tricks I’d usually only tell my friends. more about me
