Kimchi
The best kimchi is made with the freshest ingredients, so make this during one of napa cabbage's peak seasons: spring or fall.
Ingredients
- 8 cups filtered water
- ½ cup + 2 tsp. kosher sea salt
- 1 big head or 2 medium heads napa cabbage, washed well and cut into wedges or coarsely chopped or torn
- 2 or 3 daikon radishes or 1 bunch other radishes, julienned
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. Korean chili flakes or other dried ground red chili peppers
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. raw coconut or cane sugar
- 3 or 4 green onions, chopped
- 4 garlic scapes, chopped, or 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine ½ cup salt and water; stir until salt is dissolved. Add cabbage. In a small bowl combine daikon and the 2 tsp. salt. Cover both bowls and let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 hours or until white parts of cabbage are softened. Drain cabbage, reserving a couple cups of the brine, and rinse well. Return cabbage to bowl. Rinse daikon and add to cabbage mixture in bowl.
- Combine chili flakes, ginger, sugar in a blender. And ½ cup of the cabbage brining liquid. Cover and blend until smooth, adding more brine as needed. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in rinsed daikon, green onions, and garlic scapes.
- Spoon chili mixture over cabbage in bowl. Rub cabbage pieces well to coat with chili mixture, then pack into a crock or jar. If necessary, add more brine to submerge kimchi mixture by at least ½ inch.
- Cover loosely and ferment 2 to 4 days or until bubbly when you jostle it and slightly sour. Chill at least a few days before serving. Kimchi will continue to evolve in flavor and get more sour in the fridge.