Photo credit: “Daikon Radish” by Carly Lesser & Art Drauglis is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Check out my favorite Kimchi recipe from the lovely Renee Blair of Nourish the Roots. I love her use of grated apple and the way she creates the ginger, garlic, chili paste.

Click here to check out her page.

Kimchi

1 large head Napa cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces
2 baby bok choy, cut into bite sized pieces
3 large carrots, grated
1 daikon radish, julienned
1/2 of an onion, thinly sliced
1 apple, grated
5 scallions, cut into 1″ pieces
7 cloves garlic, peeled
3″ piece of ginger, peeled and cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/3 cup crushed red chili flakes, depending on how much heat you like
1/4 cup fish sauce (optional if you want to make it vegan)
1/4 cup unrefined sea salt

1. In a very large bowl, add the Napa cabbage, bok choy, carrots, daikon radish, apple, scallions, and onion.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, and red chili to a food processor. Process until it forms a paste. Add this paste to your big bowl of vegetables.

3. Add salt and fish sauce to the bowl and massage everything with your (clean!) hands for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables start to break down and there is liquid forming at the bottom of the bowl.

4. Transfer the kimchee to one very large clean jar (or a couple of clean smaller jars), making sure to pack the vegetables in firmly, submerging them in brine. Make sure to leave at least 1 inch of free space at the top of the jars before securing the lids.

5. Leave the jars out on your countertop or in your pantry for a few days, periodically unscrewing the lids slightly to let out carbon dioxide. Also, I made sure to push the vegetables down under the brine with a clean fork every other day. After 3 days, you may begin to taste your kimchi. I liked the way mine tasted after 7 days, but feel free to let it go longer to get it really sour. When it is good and tangy to your liking, transfer the jars to the refrigerator where the kimchi can keep for months.