Hi everybody! I’m introducing “mak-kimchi” to you today! It’s made with napa cabbage (baechu in Korean), pre-cut into bite size pieces, so you can serve it without cutting. This way of making kimchi is really time saving compared to making whole cabbage kimchi. But the taste is exactly the same as whole cabbage kimchi because the ingredients are the same! So I am translating “mak-kimchi” into “easy kimchi.” I hope this recipe makes your life easier! : )

Since I posted my whole cabbage kimchi recipe in June 2007, so many people have surprised me with their kimchi related stories and questions. A lot of my readers make their own kimchi on a regular basis and they email me the photos of their delicious kimchi! Some people modify the recipe to their taste and some people add more ingredients to invent their own kimchi!

For example, Julie made vegan kimchi. She skipped fish sauce and used a little soy sauce and salt instead. Smart! Isn’t it? Some people like Reinier, James, Sylvia, Clyde, Sara make kimchi on a regular basis. They say, “oh, my kimchi runs out, I will make it this weekend.” If any of you reading this might want to be included the list of people who make kimchi on a regular basis, please email me. I will include your names here. : )

I’m surprised to see all these mouth-watering looking kimchi photos!

But as you know, the kimchi recipe was not using exact measurements. You remember? I said, “use 2 medium napa cabbage and 2 radishes.” The size of cabbage is actually huge by American standards! ; ) And the amount of kimchi paste you need to make is for both cabbage kimchi and radish kimchi. Some people only want to make only cabbage kimchi. They sometimes ask me, “Maangchi, can you tell me how much salt do I have to use for only 1 napa cabbage?”
How can I know?

I didn’t measure when I filmed the first video recipe years ago. : ) Anyway, whenever I was asked the similar questions, I felt kind of bad and a little bit guilty and I always thought I should post a more accurate kimchi recipe.

Here you go! : )

So this recipe will be for a total beginner. Just follow the recipe step by step. This recipe is mine that I have been using for my kimchi for decades and popular among even my Korean friends.

If you want to use whole cabbage kimchi, you can check my whole cabbage kimchi recipe and this easy kimchi recipe, then you will figure out what to do. Only difference is how to handle cabbage: cutting , salting, and how to put or mix the kimchi paste with the cabbage!

Did you see how many questions and answers were made for my whole cabbage kimchi?  So far  831 comments!  These questions are the most frequently asked, so I’m letting you know this.

FAQ

Q: Maangchi, do I have to make porridge to make kimchi? If I don’t want to use porridge, what shall I do?
A: No, you don’t have to. Some people don’t use porridge, but I always make porridge to make good kimchi paste. Porridge helps hot pepper flakes, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and all spices mix together. Otherwise, the kimchi paste will be too thick to put it between cabbage leaves easily. So you can use sweet pear juice instead of making porridge if you want. I sometimes use pear to make kimchi paste, too.

Q: Why do you give a shower to the cabbage before salting? : )
A: If you sprinkle salt on cabbage directly without pre-soaking in water, the salting process will take too long: this is “osmotic pressure.”

Q: Maangchi, kimchi never goes bad? How come there is some white stuff on the top of my kimchi?
A: If you keep your kimchi properly, it won’t go bad months and months. Don’t forget to press down the top of kimchi in the container with a spoon whenever you take some. It will prevent your kimchi from being exposed to air. If you see the top of your kimchi already has white stuff (mold), remove the top layer of the kimchi and you still can eat the rest of the kimchi.

Q: Maangchi, you used squid this time! Last time your kimchi was made with raw oysters! My other Korean friends never use oysters or squid.
A: Kimchi recipes vary from region to region, so some ingredients will be different. You can follow a few different recipes and choose the best recipe that suits your taste.

Q: I’m interested in adding raw oysters or squid in my Kimchi, but afraid that it might go bad so that I may have a stomachache.
A: You should use very fresh oysters or fresh frozen product, then it will ferment along with your kimchi.

Q: Ok, Maangchi, can you tell me how to make the salty, fermented squid for kimchi?
A: Choose about 300 grams (⅔ pound) of very fresh squid. Then:

  1. Remove the guts and backbone and rinse it.
  2. Add 3 tbs kosher salt and mix it with a spoon.
  3. Put it in a container or glass jar and keep it in the refrigerator for a week.
  4. Rinse the squid thoroughly until not slippery and drain it (you can skin it if you want).
  5. Dry the squid with paper towel or cotton and chop it up.
  6. Add it to your kimchi paste!

I answer many other frequently asked questions about making kimchi in this video.

Ingredients

  • 10 pounds baechu (napa cabbage)
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • ½ cup sweet rice flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • water
  • 1 cup of crushed garlic
  • 1 to 2 tbs ginger, minced
  • 1 cup onion, minced
  • 1 cup fish sauce
  • salty, fermented squid (see FAQ, above)
  • 2½ cups Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) (to taste)
  • 2 cups leek, chopped
  • 10 green onions (diagonally sliced)
  • ¼ cup of carrot, julienned
  • 2 cups Korean radish, julienned

Directions

Prepare the cabbage

  1. Trim the discolored outer leaves of the napa cabbage.
  2. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Chop it up into bite size pieces.
  3. Soak the pieces of cabbage in cold water and put the soaked cabbage into a large basin. Sprinkle salt.
  4. Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage over to salt evenly (total salting time will be 1½ hours).
  5. 1½ hours later, rinse the cabbage in cold water 3 times to clean it thoroughly.
  6. Drain the cabbage and set aside.

Make porridge

  1. Put 3 cups of water and sweet rice flour in a pot and mix it well and bring to a boil. Keep stirring until the porridge makes bubbles (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add ¼ cup sugar. Stir and cook for a few more minutes until it’s translucent.
  3. Cool it down.

Make kimchi paste

  1. Place the cold porridge into a large bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
  2. Add fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, crushed garlic, minced ginger, and minced onion.
    *tip: it’s much easier to use a food processor!
  3. Wash and drain the salty squid. Chop it up and add it to the kimchi paste.
    *tip: how to prepare salty squid is posted on the FAQ above!
  4. Add green onions, chopped leek, Korean radish, and carrot.
  5. Mix all ingredients well and your kimchi paste is done.

Action! Mix the cabbage with the kimchi paste!

  1. Put the kimchi paste in a large basin and add all the cabbage. Mix it by hand.
    *tip: If your basin is not large enough to mix all the ingredients at once, do it bit by bit.
  2. Put the kimchi into an air-tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.
    You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented.

I usually put all my kimchi in the fridge except for a little bit in a small container. I like fresh kimchi, so this way the kimchi in the fridge ferments slowly and stays fresh, while the smaller container ferments faster and gets sour. I use this sour kimchi for making things like kimchi jjigae where sour kimchi is better. Then, when the small container is empty, I fill it up again with kimchi from the big container. It takes a little management, but experiment and you’ll get the hang of it!

How do you know it’s fermented or not?

One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.

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1,180 Comments:

  1. Bailey1856 Ontario, Canada joined 7/14 & has 1 comment

    My korean friend introduce me to Kimchi and I thought it was okay but now I’m addicted. Thanks to your recipe I can now make a mean kimchi impressing even my friend who’s been eating kimchi all her life.

  2. Suesee US joined 7/14 & has 3 comments

    Dear Maangchi,
    I went to Wuajimaja yesterday to buy the ingredients to make low sodium kimchi for my mother. I am not doing it yet and waiting for a reply from you because because I am afraid that if I don’t salt the cabbage enough bad bacteria will grow and it can make my mom sick.
    Can I use 1/4 of a cup of salt instead of 1 cup to soak the cabbage?
    Would it be ok? Will cabbage turn slimy?
    Thanks!!
    Sue

  3. Suesee US joined 7/14 & has 3 comments

    I made Kimchee for the first time in my life yesterday using your recipe and it turned out DELICIOUS!!!
    I shared with my mother and she loved it, except she has high blood pressure (hypertension) and cannot eat things that have a high salt content. She loved your recipe so much that I would like to make a low salt version for her, but I want it to still taste good.
    I was thinking of reducing the fish sauce to 1/4 and 1/4 of the salt to soak the cabbage.

    She likes fish sauce so I rather use 1/2 of the fish sauce and skip the salt soak.

    However, I don’t want to compromise the kimchee in case the salt soak is used to prevent the growth of BAD bacteria. What is the purpose of the salt soak.

    Thank you very much for taking the time to reply!
    Sue

  4. Leichel-M Kenosha, Wisconsin USA joined 7/14 & has 3 comments

    The first time I had kimchi I was at the H-Mart food court. It was not very good and I was a little sad because it always looked so tasty to me.

    Today I made this easy kimchi. I used your recipe from the whole leaf kimchi to make the paste (except I had to halve the ingredients because my cabbage was around 3 pounds). It turned out delicious! It was also fun and pretty relaxing to make. Thank you so much. ^^

  5. SupaPandaaa United States joined 7/14 & has 2 comments

    Hello Maangchi! I really want to make kimchi but none of the Asian markets that I’ve went to have hot pepper flakes. What can I do?

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      If you find any dried red peppers, you could use them to make kimchi, too. When you buy dried red peppers, choose large and mild ones. Remove the stems and soak them in cold water for 1 hour. Drain and grind them with a food processor or blender until smooth. Then you can mix it with other ingredients and make kimchi.

  6. Estar Singapore joined 7/14 & has 7 comments

    I’ve never liked kimchi (too sour!) but tried making your mak kimchi for the first time and it was great fresh and not that difficult at all! Just a tip for people who use daikon radish instead of Korean radish: I was worried when the kimchi was fresh – it was bitter! But after a day of fermenting on the countertop, it lost some of its bitterness, so I think it will be fine when it fully ferments. Will keep watching your videos – they’re awesome. Thanks Maangchi!

  7. seto Malaysia joined 6/14 & has 1 comment

    i used to eat store-bought kimchi but living in Malaysia; the store-bought kimchi is kind of expensive. Upon reading your kimchi recipe, i decided to make it myself 2 weeks ago for the first time using your recipe and it tasted GREAT! i halved your recipe and thought that i made a pretty abundant stock for myself and my husband (at first). But in 2 weeks time, i am left with just 1/10 of the original volume. sigh. haha. (i ate it with bibimbap, made kimchi jjigae and kimchi ramyeon).

    I didn’t have time to make the salted squid, so i added dried prawn in the kimchi paste. it still tasted FINE.

    Thank you with all my heart, Maangchi. i will read your blog pretty much every day now.

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      “… left with just 1/10 of the original volume”
      Yes, that’s why Koreans make huge batches of kimchi and always store them in the refrigerator.
      Dried prawn sounds great to me! It will make the kimchi juice more delicious.
      Good luck with your Korean cooking!

      • yanyanyap malaysia joined 5/14 & has 3 comments

        Hi Maangchi & Seto,
        Am living in Malaysia as well :) and thanks Maangchi for the precious recipe, bought blender (finally) and tempted to try the kimchi soon!

        Mind if i ask..if wanted to replace salty squid with dried prawn , what is the recommended amount? and, do i need to blend it as well ?

        many thanks.

  8. katty Indonesia joined 6/14 & has 1 comment

    Maangchi, can i just make my kimchi with hot pepper paste?

  9. badboy12345 England joined 6/14 & has 2 comments

    I am going to make kimchi on my birthday this week i can get all the Ingredients but Korean radish can i leave the radish out or use English radish instead.

    Maangchi help me!

  10. iTom Israel joined 5/14 & has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi!
    Love your recipes! you are amazing! My grandmother from Uzbekistan learnt from her Korean friends in Uzbekistan how to make kimchi and I really like it! Looking forward for more recipes!
    Thank you!
    Tom

  11. sasori1290 Philippines joined 9/13 & has 2 comments

    Maangchi님!!! I made my first batch of this recipe, using only 1 cabbage head… I lessen all the ingredients measurements and it turns out sooooo delicious! Instead of turning the salted cabbage head every 30 mins., I add a water on the salted cabbage and then I use a plate and a heavy object to submerge the cabbage in the water. I soak it for 2 hours.. ^_^
    진짜 맜이서요 마앙치님.. ♥ It didn’t last a month for us.. haha..

    I made my 2nd batch today using 4 cabbage heads.. ^^ It was also delicious, I made it spicier than the first batch.. Thank you for sharing your recipe.. I think I couldn’t eat without having 김치 every meals… ♥

  12. elgranpiro PR - Puerto Rico joined 5/14 & has 4 comments

    My wife was Korean and she died of cancer, she used to make me beef prepared with carrots strings (thin sliced) sesame seeds and would leave it in the fridge, my kids and i would pick on it, take a few bites, she would make sure there was enough for a few days and she would make this ralish kimchee I think it was called MUCHEE, would love to have both recipes PLEASE and include yakymando. thank you

  13. superstitious USA joined 6/13 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi!

    Your big fan here. I have been following you (and your delicious looking food) for a long time. I made several batches of this delicious kimchi already. This time I was thinking about experimenting a bit. Of all the time I made kimchi, I opted for no squid or oyster. It still tasted great!! I’ve heard that you could use Korean salted shrimp in there as well. So I was wondering if I use the salted shrimp instead of squid or oyster, how much would I put in? Thank you so much!

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      yes, you can use salted shrimp called saeujeot, but it’s very salty. Use just 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup for this recipe. https://www.maangchi.com/ingredient/salted-shrimp

      • seascent Switzerland joined 10/14 & has 2 comments

        Hi Maangchi,

        Can I just clarify your reply to ‘superstitious’?

        Do you mean adding 2tbsp to 1/4 cup saeujeot for this recipe IN ADDITION to the 1 cup of fish sauce used here? Or do you mean to replace the 1 cup of fish sauce with 2tbsp to 1/4 cups of saeujeot?

        Thank you!

        PS: I really enjoy your videos and blogs. As an Asian (Singaporean) in Europe, Korean food (and ingredients) are very hard to come by. So, we stock up on the basic Korean ingredients such as Gochugaru when we can. Through your blog, we can at least recreate some of the more common dishes. Sure helps alleviates home-sickness a lot!

        • sanne Munich joined 8/14 & has 309 comments

          Hi seascent,

          “As an Asian (Singaporean) in Europe, Korean food (and ingredients) are very hard to come by.”

          That may be true for Switzerland, but not for Germany e.g.
          You may try shinhan-mall.de – they deliver to Switzerland, too.
          About 10 Euro per package, customs will apply – see the hints at “Versandkosten” -> “DPD SL”.
          I don’t work there, I’m just a frequent customer.

          Bye, sanne.

          • seascent Switzerland joined 10/14 & has 2 comments

            Hi Sanne,

            Thank you for taking time out to give me a source for ingredients. I really appreciate it. Will check it out and try out this website if possible!

            :)

            Cheers!
            Nicole

          • sanne Munich joined 8/14 & has 309 comments

            Hi Nicole,

            You’re welcome. Good luck!

            Bye, Sanne.

  14. jelly_bear Belgium joined 4/14 & has 5 comments

    Hi,
    I really want to make kimchi with the salted squid. I brought fresh sqiud and salted it for on week. It smells quite string is it ok to use it??

    Thank you .
    I love this recipie!

  15. Choijia Indonesia joined 4/14 & has 1 comment

    Can I ask you? I try to make kimchi but I can’t find Gochugaru in my town, so I used other pepper flakes, but it turn out bad. Did the types of pepper flakes change the taste of the kimchi? Do we have to use Gochugaru to make Kimchi or we can change it with another kind of pepper flakes?

  16. suuahmad malaysia joined 4/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi maangchi, im malay woman from malaysia, im so interested about korean food,by the way i wanna know..how long we can preserve mak kimchi in fridge.?

  17. Vinthundar Horseyville joined 4/14 & has 5 comments

    I made my first kimchi yesterday! It was so easy, and it turned out delicious. I did not follow the recipe exactly (no squid or oysters) but I look forward to making it again and again. I am so excited! And my friends are excited. I already have two people who want me to make it for them.

    I have so enjoyed my start with Korean cooking and the recipes I have tried here so much that I am going to start a Korean garden in my yard this summer. I have tw varieties of cabbage, perilla, chives, Korean variety of daikon. If you can think of anything else I should add, Maangchi, I would be most grateful. I am going to have a wonderful summer growing food to use in your recipes, to enjoy myself and share with my friends.

  18. piperjohn3 NYC joined 12/11 & has 10 comments

    Batch number eleventy-something today–fresh oysters are my fave.

    I still really enjoy making this recipe: Skrunching through lots of cabbage with a really sharp knife. The gloopy bubbles in the rice flour paste. Whizzing the garlic/ginger/onion. The tangy sweet smell of the pepper powder as it absorbs the garlicky fish sauce and turns that incredible red. Julienning the radish and carrots just the way I like them on the mandoline. More fast knife chopping. Bathing the salted down cabbage in clean icy water. And of course the pre-school fun of mixing the cabbage and paste by hand. It’s all so oddly satisfying.

    I am totally beat yet again. But there’s nothing nicer than a spotless kitchen, 5 kilos of fresh kimchi in the fridge and the rice cooker playing the “I’m ready” tune.

    Thanks again Maangchi!

  19. jasperridge San Diego, California joined 2/14 & has 6 comments

    Just wanted to say thanks for a great recipe and video/photos! My friend and I made our first kimchi on Saturday and it turned out perfectly. Even only two days later and the container on the countertop has begun fermenting nicely. It’s already tasty! The rest is in the big container in the fridge, and I’ll continue to re-fill the countertop stuff as needed ;-)

    This is my first time using one of your recipes and everything went so well. The comments section provided a lot of help, too. For instance, we didn’t want to wait a week for the squid, so we substituted fresh raw oysters, as you suggested. Fantastic! Spicy, fishy, tangy: perfect!

    Can’t wait to try the next recipe. And I camp all the time so I’ll be making that mackeral/kimchi stew very soon.

  20. ADADADA Hong Kong joined 3/14 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi ,
    First ,My english not very well hope you can understand what i say .
    Thank you for your recipe . I`m first time to make this kimchi ,I `ve some questions hope you can reply THANK YOU .
    I `ve finished 2 box kimchi yesterday night .1 box i stay in the room temperature, after around 6 hours and put it into the refrigerator , and the other box i put it in the refrigerator when i finished . But 2 box have too much liquids ,Is that correct ? Thank You Very Much.

  21. pianistadejazz Malaysia joined 3/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi,
    Thank u for the recipe! I’ve tried to make kimchi using your recipe but I did not put squid. I was wondering why my kimchi become so watery after one overnight?? Is there anything wrong? Do I need to throw the watery sauce away??
    Hope to hear from your reply soon.

  22. tat4fun Bandung, Indonesia joined 1/14 & has 4 comments

    Hi Maangchi, and everyone,

    I’ve finished making my 1st batch (well, 1st half batch to be precise :D )

    This what happened after 3 days :

    I put large container in the refrigerator, and it just slightly sour, bearly not. I wonder will it getting more sour along the way?
    The small container, however, is put outside at room temperature, and become extremely sour to eat as side dish. I don’t remember to have that sour kimchi as side dish at restaurant.
    I think I have to adjust the timing in and out of refrigerator?

  23. prudence Benguet joined 2/14 & has 1 comment

    HI Maangchi, is it okay add shiitake mushroom?

  24. reciecup Cleveland joined 2/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi,

    I’m half korean and LOVE fresh kimchi. My mom doesnt make it often enough for me so I finally decided to start making my own korean food. I loved your recipe. However, I didnt pay attention to the batch size.. I only bought a head of cabbage but made the entire batch of paste. Of course, I didnt use the entire batch of paste to coat my cabbage. However, now I have a jar of paste left.

    How long is the paste good for? Do I just need to get more cabbage now and make rest or can I store it in the frig for a while?

    Thanks.

  25. ryulite Brisbane,QLD, Australia joined 2/14 & has 5 comments

    just made this with fermented shrimp paste!! and i substituted hot pepper flakes (didnt went to the korean supermarket at all to grab them) for hot chilli powder and cayenne pepper (extra hot). because i had used 2.2kg of cabbage…. so everything was halved for me but the chilli amount, even though I had halved it but because of the extra spiciness of the ceyanne pepper ….. it became hot! hahaha… I cant wait to eat them and … i am really eager to use them for kimchi soup with tofu and rice!!!! thanks maangchi for all your recipes!

  26. Sarka CZ Czech Republic joined 2/14 & has 1 comment

    Dear Maangchi! Today I made my first (and definetly not last) kimchi! Thank you so much! Few years ago I saw some documentary about Korea and there I saw Kimchi. I was very curious about it and now that I found your recipe I decided to try it. Unfortunately I never had a chance to try the original kimchi made by some Korean cook. I made mine from half the dose. It came out so delicious! I cannot stop “tasting” it so I hope there will be some rest to ferment actually LOL My advice for everyone who is still hesitating would be: Do not be afraid! Use all the ingredients. Do not be afraid of using the squid or fish sauce. All the tastes together match just perfect! If you cannot get all the ingredients, replace them with something similar. I could not get the special pepper flakes and rice flour. So I bought the chilli flakes and put smaller amount plus sweet red pepper powder for the colour. Replacing the rice flour was very easy in fact – I bought the rice porridge for babies, which is actually 99% rice flour! Maangchi, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Thanks to you I tried something new and cannot wait to try more of Korean recipes! Sarka, Czech Republic

  27. tinabanana Philippines joined 2/14 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi!
    Your website is really helpful for a starter/ beginner like me!
    I’m an English teacher to Korean students and they introduced me to Korean food.
    I just started to have this interest in cooking especially korean dishes.
    I first tried yukgejang by following your recipe… next was kimchi jeon…
    and just last Sunday, I made kimchi since I and my friends are big fans of Korean dishes.
    The kimchi was great! all of them loved it! I was like in heaven when I tried my very own kimchi… I was speechless! (sorry for exaggerating a bit, but I am just so excited and happy)
    Thank you so much for wonderful recipes!

    Love lots,
    tinabanana

  28. blablablo6 France joined 2/14 & has 3 comments

    Hi Maang Chi!

    I’ve made the kimchi using your recipe and it’s been already a week but it hasn’t fermented yet, in fact it is more sweet than sour… I didn’t put the whole cup of salt but only half of it in the cabbage. Perhaps is that the reason why? Thanks in advance!!

    • ddnorman Southern NH, USA joined 9/13 & has 75 comments

      Hi blablablo6,

      I would suspect the fermentation temperature rather than salt content. At what temperature did your kimchi ferment? It must be warm enough or the kimchi will ferment slowly or not at all. I usually leave mine out on the kitchen counter (65 to 72°F this time of year) and it is fermenting vigorously in 2 to 3 days. In fact the last batch of kkakdugi I made almost blew the lid off the jar I was fermenting it in after 2 days at room temperature. I hope this helps!

      Dave

      • blablablo6 France joined 2/14 & has 3 comments

        Hi Dave,

        I did like Maangchi and put the kimchi on the fridge directly. Should I take it out now and let it ferment in 2 days or should i just wait a little bit longer then? Thanks in advance!!!

        • ddnorman Southern NH, USA joined 9/13 & has 75 comments

          Hi blablablo6,

          I would suggest taking a portion out and putting it in a smaller container and letting it ferment for 2 or 3 days. Check it once a day until it starts to smell or you can see bubbles. Then if you want you can put it back in the fridge to slow it back down.

          In my case I happen to like strong kimchi so I leave my entire batch out and when I’m happy with it I put it in my kimchi fridge. I see in the end of Maangchi’s post she “usually put all my kimchi in the fridge except for a little bit in a small container. I like fresh kimchi, so this way the kimchi in the fridge ferments slowly and stays fresh, while the smaller container ferments faster and gets sour”.

          I hope this helps.

          Cheers,
          Dave

  29. Dusty8314 Watsonville joined 2/14 & has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi,

    When you make you make the sauce do you need to add fish sauce or no?

  30. chika UK joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi

    I love making kimchi but in the last year or so haven’t seen napa cabbage with lots of green leaves. The ones in the stores have some darker green leaves on the outside but are mostly pale/white and often the cabbage is more stalk than leaves. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing and I haven’t noticed! In the UK this cabbage is called ‘Chinese cabbage’ – is there a good substitute for it? I don’t enjoy kimchi that is mainly stalk!
    Thank you

  31. millangyn Sweden joined 1/14 & has 2 comments

    Do I have to make kimchi with squids and is it ok if i use chinese soya instead?

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      yes, squid is optional. Without squid, your kimchi will turn out delicious.

    • KimchiMunch Cheshire, CT joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

      I have been a fan of kimchi for decades. I have always wanted to learn to make it but was under the mistaken impression it was too hard. The video and webpage are so awesome. I was able to find the exact ingredients you displayed. Your instructions, both written and demonstrated, were perfect. The recipe produced the best kimchi I have ever had. Great job! Thank you so much!!

  32. haksaeng St. Louis joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

    너무 맛있겠네요~
    제가 다음 주말에 꼭 만들어 볼게요!

  33. chawisssse Manila joined 1/14 & has 4 comments

    omg Maangchi!!! I made this kimchi a while ago and I’m eating it fresh now! It tastes super good on rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds and a little bit of sesame oil!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I still can’t believe I made it with my own hands! So excited to have my korean friends try it as ask what they think!!!

    • ddnorman Southern NH, USA joined 9/13 & has 75 comments

      Chawisssse,
      I always reserve some for my Korean friends as well. So far the results have been good…and that’s saying something since their family has a really good Korean restaurant with delicious kimchi! ^^
      Dave

  34. NinahFox Finland joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi, i want to make so i am asking, if i add just a bit of the spicyness, because i don’t like so much of spicy food, but have tasted the real kimchi here in Finland, we one KoreanHouse Reutaurant and foods are good, the kimchi is too spicy fot me, is it a kimchi if i add like one teespoon or half..?

    • Edelweiss Singapore joined 4/14 & has 1 comment

      I also can’t take much spiciness, and I couldn’t find the Korean pepper flakes, so I added a tablespoon of chili powder and a teaspoon of paprika to my first kimchi. All mixed up it’s hardly spicy at all! In fact, it lacked “zing”, so I’ll add a fresh red chili next time and blend it with the ginger and garlic. I think it’s fine for you to play safe and just add a teaspoon. You will be able to adjust the taste by adding a little more chili after you’ve finished.

  35. LinAah France joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

    HI Mangchi !
    This is my 2nd try with Kimchi and I failed again lol
    first time, it was too salted and didn’t use the right ingredients…(paste instead of powder)
    2nd time, too much water, it wasn’t salted enough…
    as for the rice flour, can I use something else instead?
    for the oyster, in france, we don’t find it except buying the oyster by dozen.
    and squid, depends on the fishermen
    any advices? I want to become a kimchi queen !
    thank youuuuuu

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      yes, you will be able to become a kimchi queen someday! : )
      You can replace rice flour with plain flour (all purpose flour), too. And your kimchi will turn out delicious without oysters or squid. If you want to add oysters or squid, follow the recipe tightly.

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