Ingredients:
- napa cabbage 2 pcs
- white radish 1 pc
- carrots (large) 3 pcs
- leek 1 pc
- spring onions 5 pcs
- Korean chili paste (Gochujang) 2 tbsp (30 ml)
- salt 2 cups
- brown sugar 1 tbsp (15 ml)
- fish sauce 1 tsp (5 ml)
Kitchenware:
Large bowls (one for brining cabbage, one for mixing)
Vegetable knife
MAGiC BOX 3,4l or fermentation jar / glass jar
A pair of kitchen / disposable gloves
Let's make it, it is easier than you might think:
- Cut Napa cabbages into halves or quarters
- Salt cabbages generously in between leafs, squeeze and press lightly while putting in a bowl then put aside in room temperature to rest from 1 to 2 hours (up to 24 hours)
- Cut carrots, raddish, leek and spring onion
- Generously wash Napa cabbage at least 3 times from salt in with cold running water, then squeeze lightly and leave to dry for 30 min
- Cut cabbages in to bite size pieces
- Put all vegetables in one large bowl and add Korean chilli paste (Gochujang), fish sauce and brown sugar, then mix by hand (with gloves on)
- Transfer into MAGiC BOX / fermentation container or glass jar
- Ferment in room temperature first 2-3 days, then transfer to fridge
Tip and tricks:
Wear disposable gloves and avoid touching your eyes and sensitive body areas when handling raw Gochujang paste and mixing kimchi
Gochujang and kimchi stains are hard to wash off, so consider wearing apron and using plastic / clay /glass / metal kitchenware
Consider using bigger size bowls (±5 L) for brining and mixing
Getting a big over the counter kitchen strainer will save you a lot of time washing napa cabbages from salt
After washing napa cabbage from salt, taste it. If strong salt taste is still present, wash until it gets to mild
You may add more raddish to lower the taste salt
In this recipe we use Korean chili paste (Gochujang) instead of making our own to make it easier. Nowadays it is common even in Korea. DO NOT use any other chili pastes as they do not have the right ingredients
Never fill your MAGiC BOX or any other fermentation container / jar up to the brim. During fermentation liquids and gasses are produced thus the content of container expands and may result in overflow or container damage
In the first 1-3 days check up on your fermentation to let the excess gasses out and press the kimchi down. MAGiC BOX has the inner lid to make this process much easier
Your kimchi should be ready after 2-3 days of fermentation. Team Youmame recommends to wait at least 7 days, but we eat it after 14 days of fermentation.
ALWAYS label you fermentation projects. Each MAGiC BOX and MAGiC JAR has a Date and Content field on its labeling. You can make your notes there with a pencil and erase it later.