김치
Kimchi (김치)
Salt, gochugaru, and time — a home batch you can start in a foreign kitchen.
Heat: medium · Vegetarian: yes (check fish sauce)
What you are making
김치 is salted vegetable fermented with chili, garlic, and usually salted seafood. Napa cabbage 배추김치 is the default. The goal is crunch plus a sour-savory backbone, not red dye.
Method (small batch)
- Quarter 1 napa, salt between leaves, rest 1–2 hours, rinse well.
- Paste: 3 Tbsp gochugaru, 1 Tbsp salted shrimp or fish sauce (skip + use soy + kelp for vegan), garlic, ginger, a spoon of cooked rice or sweet-rice porridge.
- Pack into a jar, leave headspace, ferment at room temp 1–2 days, then fridge.
Abroad
No gochugaru? Use a mix of mild paprika plus a little cayenne — flavor will be thinner. No salted shrimp: soy + a strip of kombu in the paste. Keep the cabbage crunch; mushy kimchi is usually over-salted time or a warm kitchen.
Shopping
- napa cabbage
- Korean chili flakes (고춧가루)
- garlic
- ginger
- salt
- scallion