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Instant Korean Kimchi

Name: Instant Korean Kimchi
Prep time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: korean
Ingredients: napa cabbage leaves; coarse salt; daikon radish; celery; green onion; Garlic; ginger; Apple; salted fermented shrimp; Korean chili powder; sugar; toasted white sesame seeds; honey; cold boiled water

groups4 servingsspeedEasycountertopsPrep: 300 minsscheduleTotal: 300 minsoutdoor_grillNo-cooklocal_fire_departmentMedium

Allergens:warningShellfishwarningSesame

Allergen labels are AI-generated and may be incomplete or wrong. If you have a food allergy, always verify every ingredient yourself.

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

8 Steps Total

schedulePrepare in advance

circleNapa cabbage needs to be salted and pressed under weight for 3 to 4 hours in advance3.5h
circleRinsed napa cabbage needs to drain naturally in a colander for 1 hour in advance1h

Preparation

00:00:52

warningStay safe

Hold the cabbage firmly with fingers curled inward while chopping to prevent the knife from slipping.

Wash 750g napa cabbage and dry thoroughly. Separate and cut the stems into 5cm pieces (optionally cut on a bias). Place into a mixing bowl, sprinkle with 20g coarse salt, and toss evenly until all stem pieces are lightly coated in salt.

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Watch out

Be sure to use coarse salt

fine table salt penetrates too quickly, making the cabbage bitter and overly salty

Ingredients:napa cabbage leaves (750 g)coarse salt (20 g)

Tools:mixing bowlchef's knifecutting board

Preparation

00:01:46

Cut the napa cabbage leaves into broad pieces and place them on top of the salted stems. Add the remaining 20g coarse salt and gently toss with your hands until the leaves are evenly salted.

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Watch out

Toss gently as cabbage leaves bruise easily, which will spoil their texture.

Ingredients:napa cabbage leavescoarse salt (20 g)

Tools:mixing bowl

Waiting Time

00:02:00

Cover the salted cabbage directly with a layer of plastic wrap. Place a flat plate on top, followed by a heavy pot (add water inside to make the total weight 2 to 2.5 times the cabbage weight). Let sit pressed for 3 to 4 hours until significantly wilted and water is released.

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Watch out

Ensure the weighted pot is balanced properly on top of the plate to prevent it from slipping.

Ingredients:napa cabbage leaves

Tools:platecast iron potplastic wrap

Preparation

00:02:24

warningStay safe

Keep fingers tucked when chopping shrimp and julienning radish to prevent accidental cuts.

Julienne 100g peeled daikon radish into 3-4cm thin strips. Remove leaves from 1 stalk celery and cut stems into 3-4cm segments. Cut 1 green onion into 3-4cm segments. Grate garlic and ginger into 1 tsp paste each, and grate 1/4 peeled apple. Finely mince 40g salted fermented shrimp on a board.

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Watch out

Remove all celery leaves as they add unpleasant bitterness to the kimchi.

Ingredients:daikon radish (100 g)celery (1 piece)green onion (1 piece)Garlic (1 tsp)ginger (1 tsp)Apple (0.25 piece)salted fermented shrimp (40 g)

Tools:graterchef's knife

Active Cooking

00:03:55

Halfway through pressing (about 1.5 to 2 hours in), when released liquid reaches ~20% of cabbage volume, remove the heavy pot and wrap. Flip the cabbage layers upside down by hand to ensure even salting. Re-cover with plastic wrap and heavy pot, and continue pressing for the remainder of the 3-4 hours.

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Watch out

Flipping is essential for uniform wilting

un-flipped cabbage leaves top layers tough while bottom layers over-soak

Ingredients:napa cabbage leaves

Tools:mixing bowl

Preparation

00:04:30

In a bowl, combine 25g Korean chili powder, 40g minced salted shrimp, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 grated apple, 1 tsp white sesame seeds, and 1 tbsp honey. Mix well with a wooden spoon into a thick paste. Add the sliced green onion, celery, and daikon strips, then toss together until vegetables are thoroughly coated.

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Watch out

Mix the liquid/spice paste thoroughly first before folding in the vegetable strips to avoid snapping the radish and green onions.

Ingredients:Korean chili powder (25 g)salted fermented shrimpgingerGarlicsugar (1 tsp)Appletoasted white sesame seeds (1 tsp)honey (1 tbsp)green onioncelerydaikon radish

Tools:mixing bowlwooden spoon

Waiting Time

00:05:27

warningStay safe

Use only filtered or boiled water to rinse the cabbage. Never use unboiled tap water to prevent bacterial contamination.

After 3 to 4 hours of pressing, pour off all released brine water. Rinse the cabbage thoroughly with about 1500ml running filtered/drinking water until excess surface salt is removed. Test by bending a stem piece—it should be pliable without snapping. Spread cabbage evenly in a large colander/strainer and let it drain naturally for 1 hour.

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Watch out

Do not squeeze or wring the cabbage by hand to drain water, as this crushes the fibers and ruins the crisp texture.

Ingredients:napa cabbage leavescold boiled water (1500 ml)

Tools:slotted strainer

Active Cooking

00:06:14

warningStay safe

Wear food-safe gloves when mixing the spicy paste to prevent skin burning from chili capsaicin.

Pour the prepared kimchi paste over the thoroughly drained cabbage in a bowl. Wearing disposable gloves, carefully toss and rub the cabbage by hand until every piece is evenly coated in red paste. Serve immediately as fresh kimchi, or pack into an airtight container and refrigerate for fermented aging.

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Watch out

Ensure paste is rubbed into every leaf layer fold, otherwise taste will be uneven.

Ingredients:napa cabbage leaves

Tools:disposable food glovesserving bowl