How to Make Kimchi (Beginner's Method)
Salt, a quick chili-garlic paste, and a few days on the counter. The simple method for a first batch of homemade kimchi.
Kimchi is a great second ferment once you've made sauerkraut: same principles, more flavour, and a shorter ferment. Here's a simple beginner version.
What you need
- Napa cabbage (and optionally radish and spring onion), chopped
- Salt to draw out water first
- A paste of garlic, ginger, Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), and a little fish sauce or extra salt
- A wide-mouth jar, a glass weight, and an airlock lid
The steps
- Salt the chopped cabbage and let it sit 1 to 2 hours until it softens and releases water.
- Rinse it well and drain, this washes off the excess surface salt.
- Make the paste by mixing the garlic, ginger, gochugaru and fish sauce or salt.
- Mix the paste through the cabbage (wear gloves, the chili stings) until evenly coated.
- Pack tightly into the jar so the vegetables sit under their own liquid, leaving headspace.
- Weigh it down, fit the airlock lid, and ferment at room temperature.
- Taste daily from day 2. Kimchi is usually ready in 3 to 7 days, faster in a warm kitchen; refrigerate when you like it.
Keep it submerged, and expect it lively. Kimchi bubbles vigorously and can overflow, so leave extra headspace and stand the jar on a plate. As always, anything above the brine is where mould starts.
The verdict
Salt and rinse the cabbage, coat it in a garlic-ginger-chili paste, pack it under its liquid with a weight and an airlock, and ferment 3 to 7 days before chilling. It's faster and bolder than sauerkraut, and the method is otherwise the same.
For beginner kimchi, salt napa cabbage, rinse it, coat it in a garlic-ginger-gochugaru paste, pack it under its liquid with a weight and airlock, and ferment 3 to 7 days at room temperature before refrigerating. Leave extra headspace, keep everything submerged, and taste daily.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use instead of fish sauce in kimchi?
For a vegetarian kimchi, use extra salt or a splash of soy sauce or miso in place of fish sauce. The result tastes a little different but ferments the same way, since the salt, not the fish sauce, keeps it safe.
How long does kimchi take to ferment?
A few days at room temperature for a young, tangy kimchi, then the fridge, where it keeps developing more slowly for weeks. Taste as you go and refrigerate when it suits you, keeping the vegetables pressed under the brine.
Do you need gochugaru for kimchi?
Korean chili flakes, gochugaru, give kimchi its signature colour and flavour and are worth seeking out. In a pinch you can adjust with another mild chili, but the taste will differ from traditional kimchi.
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