Tangy Fermented Kimchi

  • 4 Tbsp sea salt or kosher salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 lbs Napa cabbage; roughly chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 daikon radish; thinly sliced into half moons
  • 3 carrots; sliced into small cirlces
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 inch knob of ginger
  • 1-2 Tbsp red chili pepper flakes
  • 4 green onions; chopped into 1 inch lengths

Mix salt and water until salt is dissolved to make a brine. Fully submerge cabbage, radish, and carrots. If needed weight with a plate or lid to make sure everything is fully submerged. Soak for at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours. Put onion, garlic, and ginger in food processor and process until it forms a coarse paste. Mix in chili flakes and green onions. Drain off brine from vegetables, reserving the brine. Taste vegetables for saltiness. You want them to be nice and salty, but not overwhelmingly so. Mix the vegetables thoroughly with the spice paste and pack tightly into a clean glass jar, pressing down until the brine rises. If necessary add enough of the reserved brine to cover the vegetables but no more. Cover the jar with a towel to keep flies and dust out. Ferment in a warm place. Taste kimchi every day and check to make sure it is fully submerged in brine. Depending on your taste and the temperature of where you are storing it the kimchi can be ready after a few days or a few weeks. When your kimchi tastes ripe (sour and tangy) put on lid and move to your refrigerator. It will last for a few months or even longer!