Ingredients
3 pounds (two large heads) of Napa cabbage
3/4 cup kosher salt
8-10 cloves of garlic
one 4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 TBSP Korean fish sauce
2 TBSP finely chopped salted shrimp (optional)
1 TBSP honey
1/2 – 3/4 cup Korean red chili powder
1 daikon radish, cut into thin 2-inch strips
8-10 scallions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
Cut the cabbages in half lengthwise then chop each half into 1-inch sections.
In a large bowl combine kosher salt and 8 cups of cold water and stir so that salt dissolves. Add cabbage. Let soak for 6 hours, occasionally stirring the cabbage.
Remove cabbage from water and give it a quick rinse with clean water. You don’t need to rinse all the saltiness out, as it will give the kimchi flavor. Squeeze as much water from the leaves as possible or run it through a salad spinner a few times.
Combine garlic, ginger, and fish sauce (and shrimp, if using) and honey in food processor or blender until very finely minced. Stir in chili powder.
Combine radish, green onions and cabbage with the spice mixture, mixing really well to coat all the cabbage leaves. Using your hands works best for this, but put on plastic gloves if possible or the chili powder will likely burn your hands (and anything you accidentally touch with your hands, like your eyes. Ouch!)
Divide cabbage between two 1-quart canning jars, pressing down firmly to remove any air bubbles.
Cover the surface with tight plastic wrap, using a rubber band to seal the plastic wrap around the rim of the jar. Let it sit out at around 70 degrees for 72 hours, or longer, to ferment.
Store in the refrigerator, up to about 3 weeks for best flavor.
Recipe from marksdailyapple.com.