I make each batch about a week before I intend to use it. The flavor of kimchi can change with time, so it's all a matter of experimenting to find out how many days/weeks (perhaps months?) you want it to ferment in your fridge to find the flavor you like. I obviously like the way a week + tastes. Read this whole recipe before you intend to make any, and always use CLEAN utensils when making and picking out the kimchi from the bottle (no licking then picking etc.) as the kimchi can mold and your um... saliva will, I assume, change the flavor for the worse... I also use my sink as my kimchi making "work station," and I make sure to clean that before use too. Hope you enjoy:
Basic Kitchen utensils and stuff, all CLEAN:
Large bowl
Small bowl (I use small rice bowl)
Cutting board & knife
Large vegetable strainer
CLEAN, inside AND out, glass (or plastic) jar, approx. 300 ml size (I think that's the size)
Small rice paddle, or spoon of the same size. I use a rice paddle because it's easier to press the kimchi down (Step 8)
Small plate with edges (see step 7)
A few paper towels
Ingredients:
Half a medium sized bok choy cabbage, 白菜/はくさい in Japanese
Salt, a liberal amount, see step 3
Ingredients after soaking:
Hand minced fresh garlic, about 3 to 4 medium cloves worth
Hand minced fresh ginger, about 1/2 the amount you use for the garlic
1 small to medium onion (any kind), sliced up into thin strips
Soy sauce, maybe about 5 or so tablespoons. See step 4 for a visual (remember I myself don't measure)
Vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon (optional, but I like the tang it adds)
고춧가루, red pepper powder, 1,2,3,4 etc. heaping teaspoons worth, depending on your spice preference(I used 4 here). This is straight up 唐辛子/とうがらし powder with NO added extras. They sell the type specifically used for kimchi in Korea, but you might be hard pressed to find this in Japan. I can't stress enough that this be the pure red pepper powder, or else you might end up with sugar or other fun things added in (like fish powder, read your labels)that many Japanese seasonings contain. You just can't get around substituting for this ingredient, sorry...
Step 1.
Remove any visibly "not so great" parts of the cabbage, like little black spots (or sometimes bugs ha ha). Cut the core out of the cabbage as pictured above.
Step 2.
Now cut it in half as pictured above. Then cut up these two halves into mediumish pieces. Pick out any more visibly "not so great" pieces, like overly black spotted pieces. Some pieces of the cabbage will have tiny tiny black spots. A few are alright, but if too many, take them out. When all that is removed, wash the cabbage thoroughly. Place the washed and cleaned pieces in the strainer.
Step 3.
Place the cleaned and washed cabbage pieces into the large bowl. Fill with water, swish around with your (clean) hands, drain. Do this 2 or 3 times and drain the water. Then sprinkle with a fair amount of salt (I'm guessing like 4 or 5 tablespoons worth), fill bowl again halfway with water and mix around with your hand to swish all the cabbage in the salt water
Then fill up the bowl with more water to cover most of the cabbage. It's okay if a few chunks stick out. Cover with a large clean plate (or seran wrap) and let soak overnight, or less, see note below. When done soaking, drain water from bowl, fill with clean water, swish around then drain again. Do this one or 2 more times to remove excess salt.
One handful at a time, place the cabbage in the strainer and press down to let excess water drain out from the cabbage. Do this until all the cabbage is in the strainer. Rinse the large bowl, and wipe the inside dry with a clean paper towel.
Important Note: If making in the hot humid months, only let the cabbage soak for a few hours or less, maybe even only half an hour. Kimchi is traditionally a wintertime food, so if it's cold enough, you can leave the cabbage to soak overnight, otherwise, only let soak for a few hours or less. I.e. You don't want it sitting in warm water overnight.
Step 4.
Place the garlic, ginger, and onion in a small bowl. Pour enough soy sauce over to look like the picture above. I'm guessing it's 5 tablespoons or so. I placed a 1 cup measuring cup in the picture for perspective.
Step 5.
Place about half the cabbage from the strainer into the now dry bowl. Now the fun part!
Step 6.
Pour the contents of the onion bowl into the large bowl. Add the vinegar (optional), and sprinkle the chili powder over everything. Start mixing slowly with the rice paddle by folding the bottom contents of the bowl onto the top contents. Do this carefully so as to avoid spilling anything out of the bowl. Add the rest of the cabbage and continue folding to mix until everything is evenly distributed.
At this point, be careful not to touch or spill much stuff. It will start getting messy, so avoid spilling or touching other non-clean surfaces like counter tops or even the inside of the sink and such. If you do spill, you'll have to wash what fell out, but then that means you may have to wash the other utensils to get them clean again, your hands to get them clean again as well, etc. So just do this slowly and carefully so as not to spill much into the sink area.
Step 7.
Place the CLEAN (both inside AND out) and dry jar onto a clean edged plate as pictured above. Using the small rice paddle, scoop bits of the kimchi mixture into the jar while holding the jar over the mixture (in case it spills, it'll spill back into the bowl and you'll avoid losing kimchi to the sink monster).
Step 8.
Keep scooping until you get a nice layer, and begin to press the kimchi down with the rice paddle. Press firmly.
Step 9.
Keep scooping and pressing, and you'll notice that the kimchi will begin to let out some juice. Press down harder as you add more kimchi. It's alright if some of the juice spills over onto the jar or the plate. It is CLEAN after all remember.
Step 10.
Most of the kimchi should fit into the jar (any extra you can eat soon as your done). Keep filling and pressing the kimchi mixture until it reaches the top of the jar. See how the juice poured out onto the plate after pressing down firmly? Since everything is clean, place the jar in the large bowl and pour the extra juice from the plate into the jar to fill to the brim.
Using a clean paper towel, wipe the outside top part of the jar (where the lid gets screwed on to) clean. Then screw the jar lid on tightly, but not too tightly or it will be impossible to open later.
Step 11.
Scoop out any extra kimchi mixture from the large bowl into a small plate (see first pic above). Be sure to eat these leftovers the same day, preferably within an hour or two. Refrigerate until then.
Rinse off the extra kimchi juice from the now sealed jar and wipe it dry. Take some pictures to show your friends. Place the jar in the fridge and let the magic potion ferment. I like to let it ferment for a week, but a minimum of 3 days should be fine. Then you'll be ready to eat, hoping that you didn't screw the jar top on too tight making it difficult to open :)
Eating/serving: when picking the kimchi out from the bottle, ALWAYS use CLEAN utensils (no licking and double dipping). I use chopsticks to pick out the amount I want to use. When done picking out, be sure to press the kimchi down again so that everything in the jar is always covered by its own juice and that you seal the jar tightly again. If you don't do this, the top not-in-kimchi-juice bits might mold (which you can just carefully remove and salvage the rest), or it will change the flavor in not-so-good ways (edible, just strange...). Keeping everything submerged in the juice at all times will preserve it longer. You may even notice how the flavor changes day by day. But you probably want to consume this medium sized batch within a week or so of opening it. So always remember clean utensils, and cover everything in the juice at all times. Enjoy!
Variations: This is a basic recipe I came up with after looking at a few online recipes and making a few batches. You can use the same steps to make other types of vegetable kimchi as well, and even add things like radishes or scallions/chives. I also make a sliced cucumber and a sliced onion kimchi using smaller portions and smaller jars. I simply omit the overnight salt water soak and start at step 4.
With the cucumber kimchi, it's a bit harder to get the juices out from pressing firmly. So you may want to add a tad bit more soy sauce or even a very small amount of water to the mixture in the bowl.
With the onion kimchi, I simply use more sliced onion. If the onion is of good quality, the onion will become sweet after fermenting for a while. The spiciness from the red pepper powder mixed with the natural sweetness of the onion is fantastic!
Experiment with other vegetables and fermenting times, then begin practicing the wonderful art of kimchi making. Happy eating!
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