Homemade spicy kimchi is an authentic Korean fermented side dish made by salting napa cabbage, coating it with a pungent paste of gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, and ginger, then fermenting until tangy and complex. This batch recipe yields multiple jars of shelf-stable kimchi ready in days.
Delivery in as fast as one hour.*
Prices vary by store
*Service fees apply. Instacart® and the Instacart logo are registered trademarks of Maplebear Inc. d/b/a Instacart.
Cut a slit into the base of each napa cabbage head and rip it in half. Repeat to create quarters. Chop each quarter into 1-inch wide pieces.
Place the chopped cabbage in a very large bowl. Add the coarse sea salt and toss thoroughly to coat every piece. Let it sit for about 1 hour to wilt and draw out moisture.
While the cabbage is salting, prepare the kimchi paste. In a food processor or blender, combine the quartered onion, chopped apple, garlic cloves, and ginger.
Add the fish sauce to the blender and blend until the mixture forms a smooth purée.
Pour the puréed mixture into a separate large mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the sweet rice flour and water. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a paste. Let it cool slightly.
Add the fine and coarse gochugaru, MSG (if using), and the cooled rice flour slurry to the puréed mixture. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Add the julienned daikon radish and carrots to the kimchi paste and mix again.
After an hour, rinse the salted cabbage thoroughly with fresh water 2-3 times to remove all excess salt.
Drain the rinsed cabbage well in a colander, squeezing out as much excess water as possible.
Return the drained cabbage to a large, clean mixing bowl and add the prepared kimchi paste.
Wearing gloves, use your hands to thoroughly mix the paste into the cabbage, ensuring every piece is evenly coated.
The kimchi can be eaten fresh or packed into airtight jars to ferment at room temperature for 1-3 days before refrigerating.
Store finished kimchi in airtight jars in the refrigerator for up to 2 months; flavor deepens slowly over time as fermentation continues at reduced pace.
glass fermentation jars with tight-fitting lids · food processor or blender (for paste)
Kimchi typically ferments at room temperature for 3–7 days before developing enough tang and flavor. Taste daily after day 2 and move to the refrigerator once it reaches your preferred sourness.
Fish sauce is traditional and adds umami depth, but you can substitute soy sauce or tamari (1:1 ratio) for a vegetarian version, though the flavor profile will shift slightly.
Store kimchi in airtight jars in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Fermentation slows dramatically when chilled, so flavor develops slowly over time.
Gochugaru is Korean chili powder with a fruity, slightly smoky heat. Cayenne or red chili powder can substitute at 3/4 the amount, but the flavor will be sharper and less complex.
Yes. Scale all ingredients proportionally—maintain a 1:3 salt-to-cabbage ratio by weight for proper osmosis and the same paste ratios for consistent fermentation.
Korean Marinated Short Ribs (Galbi)
25 min
Buldak Ramen
10 min
Buldak Carbonara Flavour Ramen
12 min
Greek Potato Salad
45 min
Honey Butter Corn
15 min
Tuna bibimbap with spring vegetables
Bibimbap - Korean Mixed Rice with Meat and Assorted Vegetables
90 min
Ground Beef Bibimbap
30 min
