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I FINALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE KIMCHEE (or homemade kimchi; please read the history of the word ‘kimchee’ and ‘kimchi’ below).
My friend’s Korean mother came over to my house and taught me how to make homemade kimchi/kimchee and I am forever grateful.
I eat so much kimchi/kimchee. I buy bags of them at the Asian mart and they aren’t cheap. One bag is about $13 and it only lasts me about a week.
I also love incorporating kimchee into a variety of dishes.
I put kimchee in fried rice (I have a kimchi fried rice in my cookbook), on top of scrambled eggs, on top of burgers, on top of bulgogi, and so much more.
What is kimchi/kimchee?
Kimchi or kimchee is a staple traditional Korean side dish made of fermented and salted Napa cabbage and radish.
What does kimchee like?
It has a multitude of flavors. The prominent flavors are garlicky, sour, and spicy.
Is homemade kimchee really spicy?
Depends on what kind of kimchee you make and/or buy. Some can be really spicy but with homemade kimchee you can tailor it to your spice level.
Why is it spelled kimchi and kimchee?
Kimchee is the traditional way that South Koreans spell it. Kimchi is made up from the Japanese, but there is history about the spelling that you can explore more here.
Why is homemade kimchi better than store-bought?
- So much cheaper (cost-effective)
- You can make it your own
- You can share with friends and family
- It’s fun!
Can you use American cabbage?
No, it won’t be the same.
Can I use gochujang instead of the red pepper powder?
No, no, no.
Can I use regular salt?
In the video, Chunok told me that you should try to get coarse sea salt and not salt like Morton’s or Diamond kosher salt because it makes the cabbage too soft and wilted and pulls out too much moisture so you’ll have a lot more liquid.
So definitely look for coarse sea salt granules.
What if I can’t find the red pepper powder?
Okay, so I’m about to go on a rant here because everyone wants authentic cultural recipes but no one is willing to actually get the authentic ingredients that make the dish authentic.
You cannot substitute this red pepper powder for anything else. It is specific to kimchi.
It is not the same as cayenne pepper. It is not the same as chili powder. It is not the same as red pepper flakes. It is not the same as red pepper flakes pulverized. It is not the same as sriracha.
Another term for this Gochugaru if you cannot find ‘red pepper powder.’
I know for sure they have it on Amazon.
Please, everyone, if you want to make this authentic and for it to turn out as intended, please stop substituting and please stop lumping all Asian condiments as the same. It’s like saying we can make pasta sauce with ketchup because they’re both red and have tomato in it.
How do I get my homemade kimchee more sour tasting like what I’m used to?
Leave it out longer before you put it in the fridge.
How do I get my homemade kimchee less sour? It’s too pungent for me.
Put it in the fridge earlier. Leave it overnight after you’ve made it and then put it in the fridge in the morning.
What if I don’t have a blender?
You can use a food processor.
What types of jars did you use for your homemade kimchee?
I bought wide mouth half gallon jars. The wide mouth jars make stuffing the kimchi into the jars a lot easier.
Watch us make homemade kimchee and then make it yourself!
Thank you so much Chun Ok for showing me and everyone how to make homemade kimchee! This will be a forever treasured gift.
Homemade Kimchi (Kimchee)
Ingredients
For the cabbage:
- 5 pounds (2268 g) napa cabbage, cut into 1-inch, bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup (146 g) sea salt
- 1 cup (236 ml) water
Seasonings for kimchi:
- ½ medium sweet onion
- 1 bulb garlic, peeled
- ¼ cup (59 ml) water
- 1 bundle green onions, julienned
- ½ cup (118 g) red pepper powder
Instructions
- Place cabbage in a very large bowl. Mix together sea salt and water and stir until sea salt has dissolved. Pour over cabbage and mix together with your hands. Let sit for 1.5-2 hours.5 pounds (2268 g) napa cabbage, 1/2 cup (146 g) sea salt, 1 cup (236 ml) water
- In the meantime, blend together onion and garlic with 1/4 cup water to create a puree. Pour into a medium bowl then mix together with red pepper powder and green onions. If you are making a separate radish kimchi, save a bit of this mixture for the radish kimchi.1/2 medium sweet onion, 1 bulb garlic, 1/4 cup (59 ml) water, 1 bundle green onions
- Once the cabbage has significantly wilted, rinse cabbage to get most of the salt water off. Place back into the very large bowl then toss the cabbage with the red pepper seasoning mixture until well-coated.1/2 cup (118 g) red pepper powder
- Place seasoned kimchi into a large mason jar and using your fist, punch down the cabbage to compress it all in the jar. Keep stuffing the jar until it’s completely full and use another jar, if needed.
- Tightly close the lid on the mason jar(s) and leave out at room temperature overnight. Taste the kimchi the next day and if you prefer to have it more sour, leave out for another day or more. If you think it tastes fine after it has sat out overnight the first night, place in the fridge.
- Kimchi can last for a very long time in the fridge because it’s a fermented dish. I would say probably no more than one year though, but that’s just me haha ;)
Hi! If I combine the cabbage kimchi and radish kimchi should I double everything? I wasn’t sure if I put radish in with cabbage with salt brine or do them separately then add together. Thank you!!
good question. i did them both separately and then added together so i can’t really say if there will be enough brine and sauce to cover it all if you combined them. i’m thinking you can and you won’t have to double the ingredients.
@Julie Chiou, in video she doubled salt water for cabbage and radish but divided out some seasoning for radish
Also Korean radish way way better than daikon
I love everything about this and am so excited to make it!!! I started eating Kimchi for the health benefits of the probiotics but now I just love the taste! Thanks for the video – so helpful to watch it all come together.
Julie I just watched the making of the kitchen. I plan to make this myself. I just want to comment on your hygiene practices.You need to tie your hair back BEFORE you do anything in the kitchen. I wanted to gag watching this video! No one would eat that kimchee if they knew how you made it! Hair and possible dandruff is gross not to mention the licking of the fingers then handling the food!perhaps you need to take a FOOD SAFE class! I’m sure they are in your area.
i hope you enjoy it and tie your hair back when you make this! i don’t really need to take a food safe class when i am making this in my own home and not selling it. this is a food blog of a home cook. this isn’t a professional kitchen. it’s literally a home cook blogging about their recipes. i hope that you are 100% food safe in your home when you cook for yourself or family if you are being so self-righteous about this! anyway, i do hope you enjoy it as so many others have!
@Julie Chiou, Good for you, Julie! I am sick of sanctimonious idiots responding to posts. I love kimchi and cannot wait to make this.
@Jacqueline Rosser, my god… u are a special kind of dumb b**** in these trying times aren’t you?? LOL… I hope next time you go out for dinner you find a fingernail in your food!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOL
@Jacqueline Rosser, When I make Kimchi I usually have my c**k out. It’s an instructional video, she’s not in your home putting her hair or fingers in your food so get off your high horse and suck a bag of d**ks
@Jacqueline Rosser, She’s in her own house! She isn’t cooking in a restaurant. Take your fake rage elsewhere.
@Jacqueline Rosser, this comment was unnecessary and uncalled for. Perhaps you wear a hair net and rubber gloves when you cook in your own kitchen, maybe you drop hair dandruff constantly, but don’t worry about what other people do in their own homes. The instruction is about how to make the dish, not public food hygiene.
@Deion, Here’s what I do when I find a hair in my food….
I pull it out, say nothing , and keep eating. No one requires people to eat the hair. It’s optional.
This is so easy and soooo tasty. I am now eating kimchi. I would not try at restaurants because I am sensitive to spice. My entire family loves this.
I use am empty 36 ounce peanut butter jar for 3 pounds of cabbage.
My wife’s Korean friend put ginger in hers as well as garlic. Looks delicious.
That was so wonderful! I feel lucky to have gotten to share this. What a sweet friend you have! I can’t wait to make this. Thank you!
This looks amazing! I’m so glad my dad introduced me to kimchee when I was a kid. Now I can’t eat enough.
I appreciate you having such a great guest on to share with everyone such an amazing and simply recipe. I’ll make sure to let you know how it goes.
Cheers Julie Chiou and Chun Ok
Just finished making the cabbage recipe…it smells SO good, can’t wait for tomorrow. My 7 year old helped and she loved using her hands to mix and jar. So easy, thanks again!!
Wow, that’s delicious! I’m used to (and like) kimchi that’s much more fermented but eating it after 24 hours still tastes good but is also fresh. I can taste the natural flavours of the green onion and cabbage. Even the puree isn’t overpowered by the fermentation process. Since I got 3 one litre jars out of a 5 lb cabbage, I’m going to refrigerate the one I opened today (24 hours of fermentation) and then try another in a couple days and if still good, try leaving the third for a while longer (maybe a week) to see which I like more, if not the variety of all. This was a great recipe and worked. Thanks again!
I just did it. I live in Hungary, land of chili and paprika so I used my own hot chili flakes and the sweet powder as well, lots of garlic and I also added some radish. Looks same in the jar as yours :D Thanks for the recipe. And there was no lid for the jar but my wife broke a glass jar some time ago and it just perfectl fits. I put a stone on top so the gas dont push it up. :D
Young lady in black, you licked six of your fingers, and went onto help put the cabbage in the jar. Very disgusting. You need to learn hand washing often in the kitchen, when touching food. Germs and bacteria gets transmitted from the saliva on your fingers to onto the food, that others will eat.
as someone else kindly defended me below, i will borrow his comment: “If she’s not selling it (much less to you), but is using it for her own consumption in her own home, can’t see what it is to you. And, if it is so off-putting, why do you continue to watch and, furthermore, to take the time to comment? Oh, b/c you’re self-righteous. Cheers.”
@Julie Chiou, You are Spot on!! Enjoy cooking with your family!!
You may benefit from reading up on the importance of the microbiome. Unless she’s cooking with a transmittable infection/virus, I really don’t see the harm. Remember that we have bacteria to thank for kimchi in the first place!
@Anne, You ignorant idiot. You used the word onto when you should have properly used on to (two words). Maybe they’re right about trolls living in glass houses.
@Anne, she is at home, cooking for her family, not a commercial kitchen. Chill.
@Anne, You should see what the chefs and waiters do at your favorite restaurant. It’s a home how to. Lighten up.
@Anne, You don’t taste the food you’re cooking in your own kitchen, you are preparing for yourself? Relax. She isn’t cooking this for you. You don’t own the internet, or your emotions, apparently. Besides, if you knew how your favorite restaurant handled your meal from prep to table, you’d stay home and cook for yourself. I hope you taste as you go, as all good cooks do.
Mine turned out AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL! It’s fermenting right now and haven’t tasted yet but I’m excited the smell the texture is SPOT ON so far. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR SHARING!