Easy Kimchi Recipe for Beginners - Shortcut Kimchi
Ever wanted to make your own kimchi? This healthy Korean side dish is a staple in our house, and it’s not too hard to make!
This recipe is also known as shortcut or ‘emergency’ kimchi because it can be eaten straight away without any fermentation but still has delicious flavour!
Easy Kimchi For Beginners - Shortcut Kimchi
Ingredients
1 wombok cabbage (Chinese cabbage or Napa cabbage)
Salt, for soaking
Water, for soaking
Kimchi paste:
3/4 cup gochugaru chilli flakes
3/4 cup hot water
Apple sauce packet/jar (baby food one is fine!)
6 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar
10 cloves minced garlic
4 spring onions
1 carrot
Method
Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Roughly dice up into rectangle pieces about 3-4cm in length.
Put the cabbage piece in a large bowl (you may need two bowls)and sprinkle very generously with salt and water. Mix together so the salt dissolves and covers all the cabbage pieces. Set aside whilst you prepare the other vegetables.
Juliene the carrot as you can into little matchsticks, with the pieces being about 3-4cm in length.
Chop up spring onions to the same length as the carrot.
Peel the garlic gloves and mince.
Add all the ingredients listed under ‘kimchi paste’ to a bowl. Put on food safe gloves, and mix together by hand until they form a paste consistency. Set aside.
Moving back to the cabbage - wash and drain the cabbage 3 times, squeezing out as much water as you can on the last time. Return to the bowl.
Add the kimchi paste to the cabbage bowl and give it a nice massage to make sure every bit of cabbage is covered.
Transfer kimchi into glass jars or preserving jars, or a special kimchi container with suction lid like we do! You can get your own here.
At this stage it’s important to make sure the kimchi is compacted and as much air is removed from the container as excess air can lead to the kimchi going bad further down the track. If you see any air bubbles try your best to squeeze them out by pressing the kimchi firmly into the container.
Put the container lid on tightly and leave out on the counter for a few hours to marinate. Then you can pop into the fridge and use as needed, or eat straight away!
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