I put this together because ive been asked several times for my recipe and pointers. Its basically a cross of the Maangchi mak kimchi and her emergency kimchi. I often just skip making the "porridge" so its more like her emergency version.
This is basically the same as my homemade Kimchi. I use less salt and far less fish sauce. You can skip the fish sauce if you really want but you wont taste it in the finished product.
Use whatever kind of cabbage you like. I prefer a mix of green cabbage or Taiwaneese cabbage and nappa. Taiwaneese cabbage looks like green but it flatter.
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/yangbaechu-kimchi
Directions
1)Cut 2 pounds of cabbage into thin strips about 2-3 inches in length and ¼ inch wide. Place into a large bowl.
2)¼ cup kosher salt. Mix it well with your hands to properly salt the cabbage. (3-4 tbs is actually enough)
3)Set aside for 10 minutes. (I weep mine for 2 hours turning it every 30min)
4)Make kimchi paste by mixing these ingredients in a bowl:
⅓ cup hot pepper flakes, (You might need more if the paste is too thin)
1 tbs sugar,
¼ cup fish sauce, (only use 1-2tbs)
¼ cup minced garlic,
3-4 stalks of chopped green onion (⅓ cup worth),
¼ cup’s worth of julienned carrot
Optional...A knob of ginger peeled in with the onions and garlic is also really good. Careful not to use too much.
( I also use one smallish chopped yellow or white onion. Add that to a blender with the garlic and fish sauce. Add just enough water to blend it in a "smoothie")
(After you make your "smoothie" add the pepper flakes. You want it the consistency of a medium thick paste)
5)Wash and rinse the salted cabbage in cold water a couple of times. Drain the water. (BE SURE to RINSE the cabbage 3 times and drain well each time)
(Add your chopped green onion and carrot shreds to the rinsed salted cabbage)
6)Mix the kimchi paste into the cabbage thoroughly. (You may not need it all but it freezes well for later. I use enough to give everything a nice coating.)
7)Put the kimchi into a container, jar, or plastic bag. (If using a jar pack it down tight like sauerkraut. The less amount of air touching the cabbage the better.)
8)Press the top of the kimchi down with your hands to protect your kimchi from being exposed to too much air. ( I pack mine down in a 2qt wide mouth Mason jar with a smaller glass bottle)
9)You can eat it right away, just like salad. Or keep it at room temperature and it will ferment in a few days.
It takes about 2-3 days before it starts to sour. You are better off making sure is sour before putting it in the fridge. It takes longer in cooler rooms so store it in a warm spot such as on top of the fridge or in a cabinet.
After is smells sour put it in the fridge. Leave it alone for atleast a week. I let mine go 2 weeks before ever tasting it. Kimchi will continue to ferment in the fridge but it takes much longer. Old kimchi is the best for soups and kimchi lasts a very long time refrigerated. I just used up a batch that was at least 3 months old. Its was excellent.
I would strongly suggest getting a fermenting container from E-jen. These containers keep anything you want to lacto ferment pressed down. They come it lots of sizes and even available on Amazon.
http://crazykoreancooking.com/products/kimchi-fermenter
http://www.shoplivart.com/kitchenware-1/food-storage.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyYza70q9ic