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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Crispy, spicy, and fragrant cabbage kimchi is perfect to enjoy with grilled dishes, white rice,… extremely appetizing. With just a few simple ingredients, you can cook cabbage kimchi following the guide from the Cooking Tips section of TasteVN!
Ingredients for Cabbage Kimchi For 6 people
Cabbage 1 head Apple 1 piece Onion 2 bulbs Green onion 1 bunch (cut into pieces) Korean chili powder 100 gr Minced garlic 5 tablespoons Minced ginger 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 120 ml Rock salt 250 gr Sugar 4 tablespoons
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh cabbage for making kimchi
- To make kimchi, choose cabbage with tender leaves, soft stalks, not hard, so that when pickling, the kimchi will be evenly fermented and have a rounder flavor.
- Good cabbage has a round shape, moderate size, with more green than white, and when you pick it up, it feels firm and heavy.
- Those cabbages that are more white are old, hard cabbage, which should not be purchased. Also, avoid buying if you see the outer leaves turning yellow and wilting, or if the size is too large or too small.
See details:
How to choose delicious fresh apples
- To choose good apples, select those that are round, not bruised, with fresh stems still attached to the fruit. Apples with a shiny, taut red skin, speckled with white spots are sweet ripe apples.
- You should choose apples with a label starting with the number 3; these will be fresh, crunchy, and have a slightly sour taste, making them better for kimchi sauce.
- Avoid buying bruised, rotten apples, or those with wrinkled or peeling skin.
Information about Korean chili powder
- Korean chili powder is made from the famous gojuchang chili variety, and it has a strong aroma without being pungently spicy. There are two types of this chili powder: mildly spicy (slightly sweet) and very spicy. Depending on personal preference and the dish, one of these two flavors is used.
- You can easily find Korean chili powder at the TasteVN supermarket or order online at the e-commerce site bachhoaxanh.com to buy Korean chili powder. Additionally, you can make Korean chili powder at home with a simple recipe from TasteVN.
Tools needed
Blender, plastic box, knife, bowl, cutting board,…
How to prepare Cabbage Kimchi
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Prepare the cabbage
Remove the outer old leaves of the cabbage, cut it into quarters lengthwise, and then cut out the hard core inside. Next, cut the cabbage into square pieces about 2 finger lengths.
Then rinse the cabbage 2 – 3 times with water to clean, and let it drain.
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Soften the cabbage
Prepare 250g of coarse salt and a large basin, layer a full layer of cabbage tightly at the bottom of the basin, then evenly sprinkle a layer of coarse salt on top, and layer another cabbage on top and sprinkle coarse salt again.
Continue until all ingredients are used, then mix the cabbage thoroughly with the salt. Let the basin of salted cabbage sit for about 8 – 10 hours to help soften the cabbage.
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Making kimchi mix sauce
Wash the apples and onions, chop them finely, then place them in a blender and blend until smooth.
In a bowl, combine 100g of Korean chili powder, 5 tablespoons of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced ginger, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 120ml of fish sauce, and the blended apples and onions.
Mix all the ingredients well, cover the bowl, and place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours before taking it out to mix with the cabbage.
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Mixing cabbage kimchi
After soaking the cabbage in salt for enough time, remove it and rinse several times (at least 3 – 5 times) with water to reduce the saltiness.
Next, mix the cabbage and chopped green onions with the sauce mixture made in step 3.
Take a sufficient amount of cabbage kimchi out onto a plate, sprinkle a little roasted sesame, and it’s ready to enjoy; store the remaining portion in a container for later use.
Tip: If you want to eat the freshly salted cabbage kimchi right away and prefer it to be more sour, take a portion of kimchi for immediate use, place it in a container, cover it, wrap it in a towel, and place it in the microwave (without using heat) for about 3 hours before taking it out to eat!
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Final product
Cabbage kimchi is soft, crunchy, spicy, flavorful, yet retains its freshness and sweetness. You can enjoy cabbage kimchi with white rice, grilled dishes, or use it as a side dish in family meals.
How to store cabbage kimchi
- If you eat cabbage kimchi right after making it, keep it in a cool place, away from sunlight to prevent fermentation that causes unpleasant sour smells.
- For later use, place it in a tightly sealed plastic container and store it in the fridge refrigerator and keep it for about 2 – 3 months.
Crispy and sweet kimchi can be made very quickly since it doesn’t require the fermentation process. TasteVN wishes you success in making this unique and unusual kimchi dish!
