Even though this recipe is hardly authentic, it's easy & quite tasty.
Cabbage has multiple health benefits including its anti-inflammatory effects & cholesterol-lowering benefits; plus it's high in vitamins C & K and very low in calories.
Since cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable {like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower}, it can reduce cancer rates.
It's obvious that cabbage is a great addition to a healthy diet, but not many people are jumping the gun to go out and fix cabbage every night. It's time to change that...
So I did a little research and thought it'd be fun to make something I would never have made.
First things first...
This is not an authentic recipe for kimchi.
Let me repeat that... this recipe is not authentic.
It's a little sad but as much as I tried, I could not find Korean hot pepper paste or Korean hot chili powder.
Four {different} grocery store trips later, I decided I would have to make do with what I could find.
I was determined to try to make kimchi with or without Korean hot pepper paste and chili powder.
Oh, and I also accidentally bought regular green cabbage instead of Napa cabbage...
Anywho, I found a recipe from David Lebovitz and based mine off his & the recipe he used for his inspiration.
Here is my unauthentic interpretation of kimchi:
Ingredients
- 1 (2-3 lb. head) Napa cabbage or green cabbage
- 2 tablespoon salt Kosher or sea salt
- ½ cup rice vinegar {plain not seasoned}
- ½ tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon red chili paste
- ⅜ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 5 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Cut cabbage in quarters. Cut the core out of each section.
- Slice cabbage leaves into about 2 inch strips.
- Put cabbage in a large plastic or glass bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoon salt.
- Place the salt covered cabbage leaves in a plastic colander {you can use the basket of a lettuce spinner if you don't have a plastic colander}.
- Put the colander over the large bowl {the one you used to toss the cabbage in}.
- Put a plate or bowl over the cabbage to weigh it down.
- Let sit 24-48 hours at room temperature.
- In a plastic or glass bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, red chili paste, cayenne pepper, and Sriracha sauce. Stir in the green onions and set aside.
- Take a little cabbage at a time and squeeze it over a bowl or sink to remove any liquid.
- Transfer the squeezed cabbage to a bowl, and stir in vinegar-chili mixture. Stir so all cabbage leaves are completely coated.
- Pack the coated cabbage leaves into glass jars or other airtight glass container; cover & ferment {you have two options: room temp or refrigerate for at least 4 days before use.}
- Kimchi keeps about 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.
- You can serve it as a side or on top of things like burgers, baked potatoes, or eggs.
Notes
Meme
Elizabeth
I love how easy it is to make kimchi! definitely need to get back to that!
memeinge
I know! I was pleasantly surprised
graincrazy
Thanks for the great information. I have never made this. I will have to give it a try. I have heard about the benefits of eating it. 🙂
memeinge
I hope you get a chance to try it! It's delicious on eggs, plus I love knowing I'm eating something healthy that adds so much flavor to everything
Alysa (InspiredRD)
You could just call this version "Kimchi made from what you can actually find at the grocery store". Love it!
memeinge
That's a perfect name for this recipe!! Just might have to change its name 🙂 thanks!
Carlene RD
Thanks for a good tutorial! We love to make kimchi (although not spicy!) to add to dishes.
memeinge
It's such a great thing to add to dishes! This one is pretty spicy, but I like spicy 🙂
Deanna Segrave-Daly
While I appreciate the disclaimer that this isn't authentic, it sure looks amazing to me! The next head of cabbage in my CSA share will become this recipe - great to have you on board with ReDux. Great post!
memeinge
Thanks! I am loving Recipe ReDux! It's fun to try to come up with the recipe I'll be making each month 🙂