Korean kimchi — fermented cabbage with spicy seasoning

Kimchi is the pearl of Korean cuisine and one of the most famous fermented foods in the world. It is Chinese cabbage salted and fermented with a spicy seasoning paste of gochugaru (Korean red pepper), garlic, ginger and fish sauce. Fermentation gives it its characteristic sour-spicy flavor and enriches it with probiotics, vitamins A and C, making kimchi a true ally of digestion and immunity, according to Korean culinary tradition, as also described on Wikipedia. In South Korea it is served at almost every meal as a companion (banchan) to rice, soups and meats, but it also goes wonderfully with plain rice, noodles or sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

For the cabbage:

1 head of Chinese (napa) cabbage, about 1.5–2 kg
4 tablespoons coarse salt
cold water

For the seasoning paste:

2 tablespoons rice flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water
4–5 tablespoons Korean red pepper (gochugaru) — or ground dried chili pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce for the vegetarian version)
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
4 spring onions, cut into 2–3 cm pieces
1 white radish (daikon) or regular radish, cut into thin strips

PREPARATION STEPS:

Cut the cabbage into quarters (or large pieces) and rinse. Sprinkle coarse salt between the leaves and let it rest 6–8 hours (or overnight), turning occasionally. The cabbage will release water and become soft.
Meanwhile prepare the paste: boil the rice flour with the sugar and water over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens (like a thin porridge). Let it cool completely.
Add the red pepper, fish sauce, garlic and ginger to the porridge; mix well until it becomes a homogeneous red paste.
Rinse the cabbage 2–3 times with cold water to remove excess salt and drain well.
Coat the leaves one by one with the seasoning paste; add the radish and spring onions and mix gently by hand (wear gloves).
Pack the kimchi into clean glass jars, pressing lightly so no air remains inside, leaving 2–3 cm of space at the top.
Leave 1–2 days at room temperature for fermentation to start, then refrigerate. Kimchi matures in 5–7 days and keeps its flavor for months.

Preparation time: 30 minutes (+ 6–8 hours salting). Servings: about 2 kg of kimchi (one large jar).