• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Minnesota from Scratch

Thanks for stopping by! I'm Stephanie Thurow / MinnesotafromScratch and this is my website. I'm a food preservation instructor and bestselling author of Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. My fourth book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is now available for pre-order! Join me here for info on food preservation, recipes, organic gardening, chicken keeping, urban homesteading and so much more.

  • Home
  • About Stephanie
  • Order my books
  • Nav Social Menu

    Connect with Me!

    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

How to Make Kimchee (Kimchi) from Scratch: Step by Step Guide with Photos!

February 18, 2014 by Stephanie 21 Comments

IMG_4620

Kimchi has been one of my favorite things to eat for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, many of the store bought brands have preservatives in them that do not allow fermentation to happen. Once I learned that a couple years ago, I began making my own. After years of friends asking me for the recipe, I am finally ready to share – I just needed time to get the taste down to my exact liking.

This is what  you’ll need:

  • 2 heads of Napa cabbage
  • kosher salt
  • Half a bulb of garlic (More if you prefer more, less if you prefer less)
  • 1 medium onion
  • a chunk of fresh ginger (again… add more if you like a prevalent ginger flavor)
  • 5 organic green onions
  • coarse hot pepper powder (found at the Asian food store)
  • HOT chili powder (optional)
  • Red Boat fish sauce (optional)
  • Food processor

Now here’s how you do it…

Buy two or three heads of Napa Cabbage (2 large or three small). I have seen organic Napa at a select few places, and I always prefer that to conventionally grown, but use what you have available.  Clean with cold water, rinsing in-between each leaf as well as you can.

001

Cut the cabbage in half length-wise and rinse again with cold water. Then cut a small slit into the core of the cabbage as seen below:

003

Sprinkle Kosher salt in between each leaf, gently massaging the salt into the leaf and be sure to get down towards to core. The salt gives the cabbage flavor and also tenderizes it.

005

After I am finished salting, I pile up the cabbage into a large pot and leave them for two hours. Then I turn them over and let them sit for two more hours. There are ways to speed up this process, but from my experience, I personally enjoy the flavor and texture best when I salt the cabbage for four hours.  Towards the end of the four hours, I’ll clean and prep my garlic, onion, green onions and ginger.

009

After salting, rinse the cabbage with cold water 3-4 times to remove the salt.

Now it’s time to grab the food processor. Toss in the garlic, ginger and onion. Pulse until it is evenly chopped up and put into a bowl.

IMG_4592

Cut up the green onions into about 1″ pieces. I use the green and white portion. Add the green onions to the bowl as well. Then add in the hot pepper powder(s). The amount of heat you want your kimchi to have will determine how much hot pepper you add but I add about 1 cup of the powders total.

IMG_4594

Then add 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce. I specifically say Red Boat fish sauce because it is only made from black anchovies and sea salt – no added water, no MSG, no preservatives.

Mix everything together and there you have your kimchee base.

IMG_4597

Grab the Napa cabbage, remove the cores and chop it up into bite size pieces. Once you have chopped it all up, grab the kimchi base and combine it with the cabbage.

Kimchi

Once mixed evenly, store the kimchee in sanitized, air-tight jars and leave on the counter for 5-7 days. You must “burp” the kimchi daily – this means open the jar, push down the cabbage and let any excess air escape. I do this twice a day, but I’m kind of obsessive over and I like to take a big wiff of it too. After 5-7 days, store in the fridge.

IMG_4615

You do not have to follow my recipe exactly. I tried a lot of different versions before I found what I liked best. Play around with the ingredients until you come up with what you like. If you are looking for a very hot kimchi, add more spice. It will turn out great no matter what. No two batches ever turn out exactly the same. I suggest taste testing the kimchi daily so you can see how as it ferments, the taste changes.

I’ve learned that kimchee makes everything taste better so be adventurous!

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Canning, Fermented Foods, Organic, Paleo, Recipes Tagged With: a step by step guide to making kimchi (kimchee) with photos, fermented food recipe, fermented kimchee recipe, fermented kimchi recipe, homemade kimchee, homemade kimchi, how to ferment kimchee, how to ferment kimchi, how to make kimchee, how to make kimchee from scratch, how to make kimchi, how to make kimchi from scratch

Harvest Right

https://affiliates.harvestright.com/1340.html

Seeds for Generations

Vegetable Garden Planning Training- Get the Most out of your Garden this Year

Mountain Rose Herbs

http://aspireiq.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=24&aff_id=9294

Nakano Knives

https://nakano-knives.com/mfromscratch

Use code MFROMSCRATCH at checkout for a special discount!

Previous Post: « Bone Broth: Why it is So Beneficial to Your Health and Recipe {Guest Blog Post}
Next Post: 5 Ways to Feel Like a Gardener – When the Ground is Frozen Solid! {Guest Post by EcoGrrl!} »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megan June says

    February 18, 2014 at 11:50 am

    Ok. That sounds simple enough. I might have to make that this summer.

    Can you tell me how summer heat might change the fermenting times? We don’t have air in our new place. Fermenting may be different at 67 degrees as compared to the 90 degrees I plan to endure this summer in my kitchen. I could ferment them downstairs in the basement. Yes. Problem solved. Unless you have another better Soloution. Thanks for the not-scary-at all recipie!

    Reply
    • MinnesotaFromScratch says

      February 18, 2014 at 12:06 pm

      Yep! You answered your own question… keep it in the cool basement, just don’t forget about releasing the air daily or you’ll end up with a red kitchen like Eric and Rhonda did a couple months ago 😉

      Reply
  2. Allison A says

    February 18, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    Yum. I had kimchee with bone broth this morning. Does it get any better?

    Reply
    • MinnesotaFromScratch says

      February 18, 2014 at 12:56 pm

      Not really!

      Reply
    • Kirsitn says

      February 18, 2014 at 6:49 pm

      Such an overachiever you are 🙂

      Reply
      • MinnesotaFromScratch says

        February 18, 2014 at 7:06 pm

        It is truly the best thing ever. I can’t stop making bowls of it. The kimchee flavoring makes the broth taste so perfect. Mmmm I actually just finished a bowl myself, AFTER dinner. haha

        Reply
  3. Kirsitn says

    February 18, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    This looks quite tasty I will have to try it!

    Reply
  4. the RIB KING AKA Captain Heavy says

    February 18, 2014 at 9:39 pm

    Stephanie i hear you make a killer pickle beets can you place it on the website

    thank you Rib King AKA captain Heavy

    Reply
    • MinnesotaFromScratch says

      February 19, 2014 at 8:19 am

      I will work on getting that recipe up for you!

      Reply
  5. Barbara says

    March 17, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Just delicious; I think, if I made this for my family, I would add pepper flakes to reduce the heat. This is a great idea to get veggies while spicing it up.

    Reply
  6. outersparkle says

    March 17, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    I’ve never had this before nor have heard of it. Would love to try it,but most definitely will not be making it,(cooking challenged) lol what origin is it?

    Reply
    • MinnesotaFromScratch says

      April 4, 2014 at 8:34 am

      It’s actually Korean.

      Reply
  7. Risa says

    March 18, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    My husband has a friend that eats kimchee and it STINKS! Does it stink? Just curious!

    Reply
  8. MinnesotaFromScratch says

    March 18, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    My husband says it stinks too, but personally, the smell of garlic and ginger just makes my mouth water. You either love it or hate it. I LOVE it!!!

    Reply
  9. livehealthywithpattyblog says

    March 21, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    Looks yummy!!! WIll be trying this!! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  10. Allison A says

    April 22, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    Just got done with my third batch 🙂 I added some cayenne pepper and smoked paprika to the recipe, worked great. Thanks again for posting this.

    Reply
  11. Bali tour says

    April 22, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    Good article
    Thanks for the recipe

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Paleo Diet: Our 30-Day Update | MinnesotaFromScratch says:
    February 20, 2014 at 9:57 am

    […] Chicken bone broth with poached eggs and homemade kimchi […]

    Reply
  2. 2015 Canning/Fermenting Season Yield | MinnesotaFromScratch says:
    October 20, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    […] beans from the garden, which of both were amazing.  Every  3 weeks or so I make a large batch of kimchi – I’m totally obsessed and have been since childhood. I’m working on fermenting […]

    Reply
  3. Chicken Foot Bone Broth Recipe: Step by Step Guide to Making Gelatinous Broth | MinnesotaFromScratch says:
    February 1, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    […] absolute favorite way to use my broth is to make soup with it. Almost daily I have kimchi, broth and two poached eggs for breakfast or lunch. It’s a fantastically flavorful meal that […]

    Reply
  4. Delicious Korean Tacos with Kimchi: Recipe | MinnesotaFromScratch says:
    April 26, 2016 at 10:51 am

    […] (I use my homemade kimchi recipe, but store bought is just […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

FEATURED POSTS

Archives

  • November 2022
  • May 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • April 2017
  • November 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • May 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013

Footer

WELCOME

Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm the best selling author of Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. My fourth book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is now available for pre-order! I'm a certified master food preserver, food preservation instructor, organic gardener, chicken keeper and nature lover. I specialize in creating easy to follow recipes and directions to help other homesteaders meet their goals.

Copyright © 2023 · Midnight theme