Finally made my own Napa Cabbage Kimchi and it’s legitimately addictive best batch yet!
I’ve been buying kimchi from the store for years but decided it was time to make my own. This recipe turned out seriously good crunchy, perfectly spicy, garlicky, and that classic funky fermented flavor. I went with about 3.5 tablespoons of gochugaru and it has a nice medium heat that builds. Made a big jar and I’ve already been putting it on everything: rice bowls, eggs, tacos, you name it.
The salting process takes a bit of time but it’s mostly hands-off. Super customizable too I stuck pretty close to the recipe but added a tiny bit more ginger because I love it.
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Ingredients
1 medium head napa cabbage (about 2 lbs)
¼ cup iodine-free sea salt or kosher salt
Water (distilled or filtered is best)
1 Tbsp grated garlic (5–6 cloves)
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce or salted shrimp paste (or 3 Tbsp water for vegetarian)
1 to 5 Tbsp Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) I used 3½ Tbsp
8 oz Korean radish or daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 medium scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions
- Cut the napa cabbage lengthwise into quarters through the stem. Remove the cores, then cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch strips.
- Place the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with the ¼ cup salt. Massage the salt into the leaves with your hands until it starts to soften. Add enough water to fully cover the cabbage. Weigh it down with a plate and something heavy (I used a jar of beans). Let it brine for 1–2 hours.
- Rinse the cabbage thoroughly under cold water 3 times. Drain well in a colander for 15–20 minutes.
- While it drains, make the spice paste: In the same bowl (rinsed and dried), mix together the grated garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce until smooth. Stir in the gochugaru.
- Squeeze any excess water from the cabbage and add it to the spice paste. Add the radish matchsticks and scallions. Using your hands (gloves highly recommended!), gently massage everything until the vegetables are evenly coated in that beautiful red paste.
- Pack the kimchi tightly into a 1-quart jar, pressing down firmly so the brine rises to cover the veggies. Leave at least 1 inch of headspace at the top. Seal the jar.
- Place the jar on a plate or in a bowl (it might overflow) and let it ferment at cool room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 5 days. Taste daily after day 2 I let mine go 3 days and it was perfect.
- Once it tastes right to you, move it to the fridge to slow down the fermentation.
- The salt massage step is key it really draws out the water and softens the cabbage just enough while keeping crunch.
- I used fish sauce and it gave that deep umami flavor. The vegetarian version with water still works great though.
- Gochugaru amount is very adjustable. Start lower if you’re spice-sensitive.
- Make sure to really pack it down in the jar so it stays submerged. I used a fermentation weight but a smaller jar inside works too.
- It gets better after a week in the fridge. The flavors mellow and deepen.
- My first batch disappeared way faster than expected. Already planning round two with maybe some grated carrot next time.
This homemade kimchi blows store-bought out of the water. The satisfaction of making it yourself is real!