🤯 TRADITIONAL KIMCHI 🤯

Funky, sour, spicy, and ALIVE, Family.

This one is the heartbeat of Korean fermentation, and I’m buzzing to get you lot making it with me…

Traditional Kimchi (Baechu Kimchi)

This jar of goodness is gonna blow your mind. Think tangy, crunchy, and that proper gochugaru kick. Takes 3-7 days to ferment, and you’ll end up with 1L of pure magic.

What You’ll Need

For the Salting:

• 1 medium napa cabbage (approx. 1kg)

• 1/4 cup sea salt (non-iodised)

• 4 cups water

For the Kimchi Paste:

• 1 tbsp glutinous rice flour

• 1/2 cup water

Aromatics:

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 thumb of ginger, minced

• 3 spring onions, chopped

• 3 small onion, grated (optional but traditional)

Spice & Flavour:

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup Korean gochugaru

Crunch + Sweetness:

• 1 small carrot

• 1/2 daikon radish, julienned

• 1/2 apple or pear, grated

How to Smash It

1. Salt The Cabbage
   Quarter your cabbage lengthwise, then chop it into bite-size chunks. Dissolve the salt in water, dunk the cabbage in a big bowl, weigh it down with a plate, and let it sit 1.5-2 hours. Toss every 30 mins. Rinse 2-3 times ‘til no salt’s clinging on, then drain well.

2. Whip Up the Paste
   In a small pan, mix the glutinous rice flour and water. Cook it low ‘til it’s thick and gluey (3-5 mins). Stir in the sugar and let it cool.

3. Build the Base
   In a large bowl, chuck in the cooled paste, garlic, ginger, onion, gochugaru, fish sauce (or soy), and spring onions. Mix together.

4. Get Messy
   Add the cabbage, carrot, radish, and grated apple/pear to the bowl. Glove up and massage that paste into the veg ‘til it’s coated. Pack it tight into a jar.

5. Let It Ferment
   Leave it at room temp for 3-7 days (taste it daily ‘til it’s sour enough for you), then whack it in the fridge.

Chef’s Ferment Notes

• That glutinous rice paste = body + unami. Don’t skip it.

• Gochugaru gives that iconic red colour + deep flavour. Swap for chilli flakes and smoked paprika in a pinch, but it won't hit the same.

• Want deeper funk? Chuck in a spoon of miso with the paste.

Big love,

Jordan AKA TheNottyChef

P.S. I’ve got some mad news to shout about! I’ve been nominated for Food Creator of the Year at the Fortnum & Mason Awards 2025 🤯 Seven years of grinding, and now it’s down to YOU LOT to help me bring this home. Click here and vote for me 🙏 it’s quick, it’s easy, and it’d mean the flipping world. Thank you.