Simple Kimchi
My version of Simple Kimchi uses commonly available ingredients. You need a minimum of 3 days to make it, but the actual time required to make Simple Kimchi is only 30minutes or so.Total Time does not include 2 days of drying Chinese cabbage or marinating time of minimum 8 hours.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 21 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ¼ Chinese Cabbage/nappa cabbage wedge with the stem intact ((note 1))
- 2-3 (40g/1.4oz) shallots/scallions, diagonally sliced thinly
- 40g/1.4oz ginger (, finely julienned)
- 10g/0.6oz garlic chives (, cut into 5cm (2”) long pieces (optional))
- 15g/0.5oz roasted sesame seeds (, grated)
- 30g/1.1oz coarse chilli powder ((note 2))
- 50ml/1.7oz sesame oil
- 15g/0.5oz salt
- 25ml/0.8oz soy sauce
- 20ml/0.7oz fish sauce ((note 3))
- 1 anchovy (not dried one) (, finely chopped (note 3))
- 1 apple (, peeled and grated)
- 4 cloves garlic (, half grated and half finely chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Place the Chinese cabbage cut sides up on a newspaper and leave it outside in a sunny place for 2 days (note 4).
- 2
Mix the Kimchi Marinade ingredients well in a bowl. Then add shallots, ginger and garlic chives. Mix well.
- 3
Place the dried Chinese cabbage, cut sides up on a large plate or a tray. The stem should be on the left and the end of the leaves on the right (for right handers).
- 4
Starting from the outer-most leaf of the Chinese cabbage, smudge (note 5) the marinade between the leaves, working through one by one to the inner smaller leaves. Make sure that the marinade goes up to the stem end of the leaves.
- 5
Smudge the surface of the Chinese cabbage with the remaining marinade and make sure that the marinade covers almost every part of the Chinese cabbage leaves (note 6).
- 6
Place the marinated Chinese cabbage in a large zip lock plastic bag. Transfer any marinade left in the bowl and the plate/tray to the bag.
- 7
Remove air from the bag as much as possible and seal. Store in the fridge for minimum overnight (note 7).
- 8
Remove the stem and cut the leaves to 4cm/1½" long crosswise, then plate them (note 8).