Remember my little kimchi misadventure here? I’m proud to say I didn’t let that one hiccup get me down and this second batch did not make me sick. I’m happy to say that I’m back to noshing on fermented veggies and hoping my insides and skin will love me for it. However, I’m still not friends with natto…

Although I deem this as a success, I’ve to say that this is not exactly a traditional kimchi recipe. I did not use rice flour or fish sauce or a lot of salt, but I found it to be yummy all the same. It doesn’t emit the same pungent aroma as store-bought kimchi that is actually a bonus for me because I don’t like anything that smells fishy.

The following recipe makes about 10oz or 280g:

¼ head hakusai or Napa cabbage
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs of Korean hot pepper flakes
4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp sesame oil
5 stalks spring onions or scallions
4 cloves garlic
2-inch piece ginger
Juice of ¼ lemon

I tossed the garlic and ginger into my food processor to mince them, then I put chopped cabbage into a large bowl with all the ingredients and mixed them well. I waited for an hour so that the cabbage leaves would wilt and then bottled them into my glass jars.

I let them sit on the kitchen counter with their lids on loose for four whole days and refrigerated them for 24 hours. I sampled a small dish after that and the flavors just exploded in my mouth. Besides eating kimchi raw, I love cooking kimchi in miso soup and veggie fried rice.

This is actually my own recipe as I was inspired by the marinated veggie dishes I make on a regular basis. I learned that cabbage (basically most leafy greens and vegetables) with just a small squeeze of lemon juice will become much softer and palatable after a few hours. Since I used just a quarter of a lemon, I did not detect any tartness in the kimchi. Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Beauty mishap: Eating fresh kimchi
2. A raw update
3. Drink green juice for radiant skin