Homemade kimchi

This simple and easy ferment is popular, versatile, delicious.. and easy to modify and adjust ingredients (the fun of fermenting is getting creative with your batches and trying new things!) For more details and info about the fermentation process, check out my post on my fermenting workshop. Otherwise, proceed to simple version here!



Ingredients:

(amounts vary depending on how many jars you're filling with ferment!)
Cabbage
daikon radish
another radish of your choice (I like to use watermelon radish because it's mild so I can balance out the kick the daikon gives off)
carrots
green onions
garlic
ginger
chili powder or actual hot chili peppers
sea or himalayan salt
filtered water
glass jars and lids

Directions:

Chop your cabbage up into thin strips. Chop your radishes into small pieces roughly all the same size and thickness. Chop carrots in coins that are the same thickness of your radish.

Chop the onions, grate your ginger, and mince the garlic.

Wondering how much of each to add? It's hard to say because I personally never really measure ingredients. It's all to taste. The idea is to make a raw version of your ferment that you would enjoy as a salad. Add ratios of veggies that you like together-- for example, a good amount may be roughly ½ head of cabbage, 1 daikon radish, 1-2 smaller radishes, a green onion, 1-2 carrots, about 1 tablespoon of ginger and 1 tablespoon of garlic. You can't really go wrong though, if you wanted to add mostly radish if you love a strong radish kick, you can have less of the other ingredients. If you LOVE ginger or garlic, have more. You'll know best by taste testing it while it's raw to see what you think! Kimchi will be different every time you make it.. and your kimchi will taste different than mine did last week and my batch from this week. That's what makes it all the more fun! It's great every time regardless.

Add chili powder to your liking and your tolerance. I may usually add about 1 tablespoon to this amount of a mixture for a mild-medium kick. Add chopped chili peppers for even more of a kick in your kimchi.

Hand toss your mixture together in a large bowl. If you know how much you're making (and are familiar with fermenting) you can add about 2 tablespoons of salt per quart of kimchi you're making. If you're not sure, wait and add in the jars after. If you added salt to your bowl mixture first (my preferred method), mix with your hands and let the veggies sweat. Stuff this mixture into your jar(s) until they're literally stuffed to full capacity. You can include the juices that remain from your kimchi mixture, or leave it (but make sure you didn't leave too much salt and spice behind!)

Once your jar(s) are fully stuffed, fill with filtered water to the very top. If you didn't add salt before, add about 2 tablespoons per quart jar's worth. Add a piece of cabbage leaf on top of the kimchi mixture to protect it from the air (or you can use a covered weight system-- a smaller jar or item to "weigh" down the kimchi to keep it below your water line), and seal with a lid. Screw your lid on tight and shake to mix thoroughly if you added your salt to the jar last.

Sit your jar(s) on a tray on your counter in a low-light warm area for 2-5 days until your kimchi has a strong and flavorful sour taste. You can taste test every day while "burping" your ferment (letting out pressurized air, and refilling with water to the very top). This is the best way to ensure you stop he fermentation when it tastes just right. Letting it sit too long can result in over-fermented kimchi (and once it's fermented, you can't reverse the process. This may result in kimchi that tastes too sour to your liking. I ALWAYS recommend taste testing until you're familiar with the process and know how long your kimchi in your home environment takes to ferment). Replace the cabbage leaf or your weight system over the kimchi before closing the lid each time.

Once your kimchi tastes good to you (this timing varies depending on temperature, jar size, amount of salt, size of veggies, etc.), discard your cabbage leaf or remove weight system, eat the kimchi, and immediately put any uneaten kimchi in your fridge to slow the fermentation process. The kimchi will stay good in the fridge for several months (or more). Eat alone, or incorporate into other meals. Kimchi is a fermented product that contains natural probiotics and digestive enzymes to help aid in digestion and increase nutrient absorption in the foods you eat!