I’ve been making kimchi on a frequent basis now for almost three years. Each time I make kimchi, I tweak the recipe. I’ll add something new or take something out. Then I’ll increase or reduce the quantity of other ingredients. I play with the salt level and the spiciness. My tweaking has landed me on a new recipe which I am calling Kimchi 2.0.

As great as my old kimchi recipes have been, this one is has a more complex flavor. I love it and some of the early feedback I’ve gotten from friends has been very positive.

Here are the changes I’ve made.

1. Green cabbage vs Nappa cabbage: Koreans use Nappa cabbage and FireFly Kitchens uses green cabbage. For the most part I actually prefer green slightly. Then I started mixing the two and came up with my ideal ratio which is 2 parts green cabbage (sliced thin) and 1 part Nappa cabbage (larger pieces).
2. More Ginger, Less Garlic: I’m learning that garlic is really not that important to kimchi. I discovered this when I ran out of garlic and continued making the kimchi. I didn’t miss it at all and it turned out excellent. As for the ginger – add more.
3. Two Spices: Korean red pepper flakes in my opinion can sometimes need help when it comes to developing a deeper more complex spiciness. If you add more Korean red pepper flakes, it doesn’t get that much more spicy, it just gnaws at your gut. These days I’ve scaled back on the Korean Red pepper flakes and I add a small amount of Extra Hot chili powder, which I acquired at an Indian grocery store.
4. More Salt: In early posts I mentioned using 1/2 tablespoon of salt per pound of cabbage. Besides preserving crunch and extending fermentation times, I’ve discovered that adding a bit more salt accents the Korean red pepper flavor. When you use too little, the flavor tends to disappear too fast. Now I use 2/3 to 3/4 tablespoons of salt per pound of cabbage. I use more salt in the summer and less in the winter when my kitchen is cold.
5. Mustard Leaf: My secret weapon. When I was sampling the different kimchi options at the great H Mart store, I discovered the wonderful bitter flavor of fermented mustard leaf. You will likely have to go to an Asian market to find this item.
6. Only use Green Onions: When I started making kimchi I used regular onions. Not anymore. Green onions are so much better.

I’ve been making kimchi now for over two years. I’d say that about 90% of the people that have tasted my kimchi have found the heat level to be perfect. But I have yet to win over that last 10%, who feel it could be hotter. The problem isn’t easily solved. Adding more Korean red pepper flakes does not increase the heat much. And if you add too much, not only is it not that spicy, but it can irritate your stomach.

What I needed was a second spice to assist the Korean Red Pepper flakes. First I tried the basic dried red pepper used often in Italian restaurants. It increased the heat, but dominated the flavor. Then I tried Thai chili peppers. Although it added some heat, the taste clashed with the other ingredients. I needed another source of heat.

Bring on the Ghost Peppers

In September, I developed a spicy sauerkraut recipe called Ghost Pepper Sauerkraut. If ghost peppers worked for regular sauerkraut, then it was worth trying for kimchi. Last week I tested it out and I love it. When you first bite into Ghost Pepper Kimchi, you taste the Korean red pepper and then slowly the ghost pepper chili sneaks up at the end and adds a wave of heat. Snap!

Warning: It May Be Too Hot!

I’ve made this recipe three times. It may be too hot. The last batch I made was so intense, I needed to cut it with rice. What I discovered is that the heat level is controlled by the ginger. The more ginger, the more muted the heat. So my advice for creating a hot kimchi is to first reduce the amount of ginger before increasing the ghost peppers.

Ghost Pepper Kimchi (left) has less Korean Red Pepper flakes than regular Kimchi (right) and a more orange color.

If you find kimchi is too spicy or have a food intolerance to nightshade vegetables, you will want to make your kimchi without red pepper flakes. The first time I made White Kimchi, I was unimpressed with the flavor. Kimchi without red pepper flakes can be rather bland. I’ve learned a few tricks since then.

You can learn how to make kimchi from my post Kimchi 101. To make White Kimchi, just remove the red pepper flakes. To make the White Kimchi taste better, here are a few ideas.

1. Add more ginger. This will give it the bite to overcome the blandness.
2. Add more carrots. This is will give it a little more sweetness.
3. Add some sugar, sliced apples or sliced pears. Doing this will accelerate the fermentation to about 2-3 days and add a little sweetness.

White Kimchi heavy on the ginger and without carrots. Carrots would have made it better.

Note that this recipe will not have the great flavor found in a longer sauerkraut type ferment. One of the things I really like about Napa cabbage kimchi is the short fermentation time. If you find white kimchi too bland and have 4 weeks, then I suggest making sauerkraut. My Cortido Sauerkraut recipe can just as easily be made without jalapenos and red pepper flakes.

Several people have asked that I post an updated kimchi recipe. I’ve learned a lot since my original Bok Choy kimchi recipe was posted. One of the things I learned is there are infinite ways to make kimchi. In this post, I want go over the basics for creating your own custom kimchi recipe. It is not meant to be complete, but instead serve as a foundation for beginners.

Ingredients

The most common ingredients I’ve used include:

• Nappa cabbage, bok choy or some combination
• Onions – regular and/or green onions
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Daikon (often referred to as a radish in Korean cookbooks)
• Carrots (not in traditional kimchi, but they add a nice sweetness)
• Sea Salt (I use Redmond Sea Salt)
• Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• Sliced Asian pear (for sweetness – optional)

Chop Up the Cabbage

The cabbage should be cut into whatever sized pieces you want to eat. Traditional kimchi will often have very large pieces. The smaller you chop, the easier it will be to pack the jar later. There is no wrong answer.

Starting the Fermentation

To make sure the good bacteria win the battle against the bad bacteria, you’ll be mixing the sea salt into the cabbage. There are 2 techniques that I am aware of that accomplish this.

1. Make a Brine – This is the technique I used in the Bok Choy Kimchi Recipe. It involved mixing a lot of sea salt into clean water and then letting the cabbage soak for a few hours. The cabbage takes in the salt. The brine is drained. I’ve made many excellent kimchis with this method, but it does require the most salt and the kimchi may not be as crispy as you prefer.
2. Rub in By Hand – These days I add the salt to the chopped cabbage and then rub it in by hand. Then I leave it alone for an hour. The cabbage softens during the this time. It is ready for the next step.

How much salt should you use? If you look at other recipes, you will see wildly different salt recommendations. Who is right? They all are. I’ve done lower salt and higher salt and they both taste good. Currently I am using a little more than 1/2 tablespoon per pound of cabbage.

If you have salt concerns, I have read recipes that suggest gently rinsing the cabbage after you’ve rubbed in the salt and allowed it to sit for a few hours. They say that the salt has done its job and can be rinsed. I have not tried this, so I can not comment. The salt has never bothered me. The Fermentation Workshop DVD mentions that you can use seaweed in place of salt.

Add The Other Ingredients

Some recipes say you should put the other veggies in with the cabbage when you add the salt. I don’t do that. I use the time the cabbage is softening as my time to prepare the other ingredients. Chop everything however you like, however I do have a few tips.

1. Don’t grate the ginger. Chop it into tiny pieces. Grated ginger loses its flavor and tastes mushy in kimchi.
2. Daikon works best when cut into little cubes. Like baby dice.
3. If you don’t have Korean red pepper flakes, you can use Italian Red pepper flakes. I found it is hotter, so use less. It is also less flavorful.

Mix and Pack in Jars

Mix all the ingredients and pack tightly into jars. Make sure there is about an inch of room at the top. You also want to make sure all the veggies are underneath the water. Fermentation is anaerobic. If the veggies peek their head out then the bad bacteria could be invited back. This is a minor concern with kimchi, but important with longer ferments like sauerkraut.

Push those veggies down. They need to be below the liquid.

For more ideas on managing multiple or larger ferments read the post My Fermentation Station.

Pushing Down the Kimchi

Most recipes use some sort of weight (crock) that sits on the top. This keeps the veggies under the liquid for fermenting. Another option is to do what I do. Twice a day I push the veggies down. Doing this triggers a release of bubbles to the surface. I’m not against using the crock method, it is just that I don’t have one that works well with my jar.

Here I am using a coffee mug to push down the veggies.

Leaving the Kimchi to Ferment

You will want to put a plate or bowl underneath your kimchi jar, as the juices can over flow. You’ll also want to cover the jars with an old towel or upside down paper bag to prevent light from hitting it. The best temperatures I’ve found for ferments are in the mid 60s to low 70s. Once it get warmer than that the fermentation speeds up, so you’ll want to add more salt to slow things down. Cold temperature ferments are the more the traditional ones that take much longer.

This leads us to the question on how long to ferment? Recipes online range from 2 days to months. I have found 6 days is my usual ferment period. Some things to consider:

1. The longer the ferment, the more the cabbage will move from crisp to soggy. Not a bad thing. Just personal preference.
2. The warmer the area you are fermenting in, the shorter the ferment takes. This is a summer concern if you have a warm kitchen. Move your setup to a basement if you can during the heat of summer.
3. Doing a “jump start” can reduce your ferment by a day. If you mix in a little kimchi from your last batch into the new one, the ferment goes a little faster.
4. Adding sugar or fruit, such as an Asian pear, will speed up the fermentation. It may be ready in as little as 2-3 days. If you are in a hurry, use this method.

Done

I highly recommend tasting as you go. By eating a small amount at different points during the ferment, you will learn the taste profile that you like best. Once the fermentation is to your liking, just seal up your jar, wipe it down and put it into the refrigerator. This slows down the ferment. Good luck!

Microformatting by hRecipe.

Inspired by:

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz

UPDATE (October 2011): The original recipe called for 4 tablespoons of Sea Salt. Way too much.