Hello everybody!
Today I’m going to show you how to make classic, spicy, traditional napa cabbage kimchi called tongbaechu-kimchi, a.k.a. baechu-kimchi or pogi-kimchi. But this dish is so common and iconic among Koreans that we simply call it “kimchi.” When people talk about kimchi, this is the side dish they’re referring to, despite the fact that there are many kinds of kimchi in Korean cuisine, and many made with napa cabbage, too.

Over the years I’ve posted recipes for a few of them, but I’ve never made an in-depth video for making tongbaechu-kimchi! I’ve made a video for mak-kimchi (easy kimchi recipe), which is very similar but is easier because you to chop up the cabbage into bite size pieces first, and I’ve made an ultra simple yangbaechu-kimchi (emergency kimchi). Many years ago I even posted a recipe showing how to make baechu-kimchi with kkakdugi in one batch. But until now, I’ve never posted the most classic and traditional napa cabbage kimchi. (I also have a vegan kimchi version of this recipe, too!)

For me, this kimchi recipe has the traditional flavor I am looking for. It uses the whole cabbage leaf, which makes it more labor-intensive than the other ones on my website, because you’ll need to take time to spread the spicy paste leaf by leaf. It’s more work, but this is the traditional style and if you can make this kind of kimchi well, you can consider yourself good at Korean cooking.

To make this kimchi we need to first soak the cabbage in a salty brine to soften the leaves (some people swear by sea salt but I always use Kosher salt in all my Korean dishes). Then lactobacillus bacteria can do their work and convert sugar into lactic acid, which preserves the cabbage and changes the flavor over time. But you don’t have to wait for the kimchi to ferment before you enjoy it, you can eat it right away and keep eating it as it ferments and eventually goes sour. Then it’s perfect for dishes like kimchi-jjigae and kimchi stir fried rice.

As I mention in the video, my mom used to make kimchi from 200 heads of cabbage! This was kimjang kimchi, made with her friends at the beginning of winter, and meant to last until the spring. 3 to 4 of her friends would come over and help her chop vegetables and most importantly, spread the paste on the leaves. This always needs to be done by hand. They would bring their own rubber gloves, and spend the day talking and laughing, and always had pollock stew or beef radish soup for lunch. They had a lot of fun!

At the end of the day they would take some kimchi home with them, but my mom would get all the rest, which lasted my whole family through the winter. And when my mom’s friends needed to make their winter kimchi, my mom brought her gloves over to their houses and helped them, like they did for her.

In the video I also show you how to ferment it in a traditional onggi. Using an onggi is not mandatory, but for those of you who have one already, this is how you use it! If you don’t have one, just use a BPA-free plastic container, or a glass container.

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

I hope you enjoy the recipe, and if you love kimchi, I encourage you to make your own kimchi at home. It’s delicious, easy, and a fun thing to do!

kimchi_onggi (포기김치)

Ingredients

Makes about 8 pounds (3.6 kg) of Kimchi

For salting cabbage:

For making porridge:

Vegetables:

Seasonings and spices:

Directions

Prepare and salt the cabbage

  1. If the cabbage cores stick out too much, trim them off with your knife over your cutting board.
  2. To split a cabbage in half without shredding the densely packed leaves inside, first cut a short slit in the base of the cabbage, enough to get a grip on either half, and then gently pull the halves apart so the cabbage splits open. kimchi_cut cabbage
  3. Cut a slit through the core of each half, 2 inches above the stem. You want the cabbage leaves to be loose but still attached to the core.napa cabbage_cut (배추)
  4. Dunk the halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Sprinkle salt between the leaves by lifting up every leaf and getting salt in there. Use more salt closer to the stems, where the leaves are thicker.Salting cabbage cabbage_salting (배추 소금절이기)
  5. Let the cabbages rest for 2 hours. Turn over every 30 minutes, so they get well salted. From time to time you can ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over top of the cabbages if you want to.kimchi_cabbage salting (배추소금절이기) kimchi_cabbage salting (배추소금절이기)
  6. After 2 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water. Giving them a good washing, to remove the salt and any dirt. As you wash, split the halves into quarters along the slits you cut into earlier. Cut off the cores, give them a final rinse, and put them in a strainer over a basin so they can drain well.

kimchi-cabbage wash (배추씻기)

While the cabbage is salting for 2 hours, and in between the times you’re turning it over, you can make the porridge:

  1. Combine the water and the sweet rice flour in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it starts to bubble. Add the sugar and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
  2. Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste.salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot: 새우젓)kimchi_seasoningskimchi_paste (김치양념)kimchi paste
  3. Add the radish, carrot, and green onion, plus the Asian chives (or more green onions) and the water dropwort if you’re using them. Mix well.Kimchi making (김치)kimchi paste (김치속) kimchi paste

Make kimchi

  1. In a large bowl, spread some kimchi paste on each cabbage leaf. When every leaf in a quarter is covered with paste, wrap it around itself into a small packet, and put into your jar, plastic container, or onggi.
  2. Eat right away, or let it sit for a few days to ferment.

kimchi makingwhole-cabbage-kimchifresh-kimchi (포기김치)

On fermentation

  1. The kimchi will start fermenting a day or two at room temperature, depending on the temperature and humidity of your room. The warmer and more humid it is, the faster the kimchi will ferment. Once it starts to ferment it will smell and taste sour, and pressing on the top of the kimchi with a spoon will release bubbles from beneath. If you’re using a sealed jar with a lid, be sure to open it once a while, let it breathe, and press down on the top of the kimchi.
  2. Once it starts to fermented, store in the refrigerator to use as needed. This slows down the fermentation process, which will make the kimchi more and more sour as time goes on.

fermented kimchi (포기김치)

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995 Comments:

  1. devine joined 10/15 & has 3 comments

    Hi Maangchi…
    I have a question. what is the substitute for the fermented shrimp to make Napa Kimchi as I have a vegetarian kimchii request from my family. Please Please reply me back. Thank you.

  2. dreamseakr Leeds, UT joined 12/15 & has 3 comments

    Made my first batch of Kimchi today; eating some freshly made with sprouted brown rice now :)
    Thank you for the recipe Maangchi :D


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  3. cfoong joined 12/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi, thank you for your recipe! My kimchi turned out too salty, perhaps I put too much salt or did not rinse the cabbage enough. I have added more radish and carrot into the pot to reduce the saltiness. Are there any other ways that I can save my kimchi? If not, how can I use this kimchi that is too salty? Can I still make dishes like kimchi jiggae with it?

    After rinsing away the salt from the cabbage, if i taste the cabbage, how salty should it be so that it is correct?

    Sorry for having so many questions, thank you Maangchi! (:

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

      It might be better after fermenting. If it’s still salty, just eat less of it when you serve it, and use less of it in other recipes. My Grandma used to make VERY salty kimchi, she made it that way so it would last a long time.

      Good luck with your Korean cooking & with your next kimchi!

  4. Hello . Can I replace the sweet rice flour with all purpose flour? And Is it okay if I leave the salted cabbage for at least 12 hours? Thank you :)

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

      Yes, you can use all purpose flour, too. “Is it okay if I leave the salted cabbage for at least 12 hours?” Your cabbage will turn out too salty, but if you sprinkle less salt on your cabbage, it will be ok. You still need to turn over the cabbage to salt evenly though.

  5. Tatty joined 12/15 & has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi~ I’m your fan from Russia! Yesterday l made your kimchi recipe and its smells really good))
    Its not as red as I want but its seems to be because of my papper flakes ((
    When I can make 김치찌개 with this kimchi?Can I make it after 2-3 days?)
    And I hope one day to have your 궁중약과 recipe haha Have a nice day♡♡♡


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  6. Yj joined 12/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi, Maangchi! I’m going to try out your kimchi recipe tomorrow but I really can’t find korean hot pepper flakes in the grocery stores near by. What I got on hand is malaysia’s chili powder, will it makes a big difference if I use this instead ?

  7. Haysha joined 12/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi, this is the first time I ever made Kimchi and I have never even tried kimchi before so I’m not sure how it should taste. I followed your recipe and the Kimchi has been sitting in a jar on my counter for about 48 hours. it started producing gas and lots of bubbles which you say is good, but it doesn’t taste so sour. it tastes very sharp, like when tomato sauce is starting to go bad. almost like it’s slightly carbonated.
    did I do something wrong?
    will that taste go away?
    is that how it’s supposed to taste?

  8. Lisa2321 USA joined 5/13 & has 4 comments

    Maangchi, can we substitute watercress for minari? This is what the person at my local Korean grocery store in Orlando is suggesting. However, I did not tell him it was for kimchi. He says minari is a seasonal green available usually in spring or early summer. Thanks in advance!

  9. iken joined 12/15 & has 1 comment

    dear Maangci, i can’t find Hot Papper Flakes in my local market, can i use chili powder instead?

  10. Hi Maangchi,
    i am very addicted watching your YouTube videos.
    You are amazing! tonight I finally made this napa kimchi recipe, but mine turned a bit salty, how can i fix it, or should I wait for 2 days and put the kimchi in room temperature before i taste it again? I rinsed the cabbage twice after salting, is that what I did wrong? really sad as I make a big batch :(

    Hoping for your response, Thank you :)

  11. Hi Maangchi! I tried making kimchi using your recipe and it was awesome!!! Two days ago, I made 13lbs of kimchi! That was real work! Im just worried because the second container had too much brine and is not as red as i want it to be. Is that okay?

    Anyway, this is the 1st container and it’s perfect! So red! :) thank you Maangchi! as red as i want it to be. Is that okay?

    Anyway, this is the 1st container and it’s perfect! So red! :) thank you Maangchi!


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  12. jk1794 joined 11/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi :)

    I just wanted to start by saying thank you so much for all of the wonderful recipes you post! You are the sole reason I want to start making Korean food, and I feel such a connection with your culture. I was looking online to see where I could get all of the staple ingredients required for your recipes, and I was shocked to learn how close my local Korean grocery store is. I am so excited to visit it and buy all of the great ingredients.

    I decided, if I’m going to start cooking the glorious Korean cuisine you share, that there is no better dish to start with than Kimchi. My only question is, I’m vegetarian and your recipe calls for fish sauce, so would you suggest substituting that with soy
    sauce? Or would you just recommend leaving it out all together? If you would suggest leaving it out altogether, do you think I’m going to lose much of the authentic taste by not including the fish sauce of the fermented salted shrimp, or do you think I can still enjoy the wonderful Kimchi experience? Lastly, are you able to tell me if hot pepper paste and soybean paste is vegetarian? I know this particular recipe doesn’t call for either of them but I would love to know because they are such dominant ingredients on most of the dishes you cook.

    Thanks again for inspiring me. Sending lots of love from the UK.

  13. Hello Maangchi,

    Thank you for your amazing recipes, I always enjoy making them.

    I made this kimchi recipe, but I used black garlic instead of white garlic (because of the smell I don’t like to eat garlic during week days and the black garlic has no smell at all and doesn’t give garlic breath). At first the mix of garlic and onion from the food processor was black, but as soon as I mixed it with the porridge and other ingredients it became red as normal. The kimchi tastes great!

    Many thanks from Holland!


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  14. Hi maangchi! i am your very big fan from Turkey i made the kimchi but it was so spicy :) my mom so like it and she said “wow i dont know what it is but it is so delicious. i think you should make again when i finish this.” :D Thank you so much. i am very happy couse my mom liked kimchi!!


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  15. Dear Maangchi,

    Wan to ask after wash the Napa cabbage,need to drain it how many hours?or just drain it few mins and apply the kimchi paste?

  16. Roman joined 11/15 & has 2 comments

    Dear Maangchi,

    Thank you a lot for your detailed recipe !

    I have one question, my friend bring from Korea salted shrimp like on picture, but we both didn’t know Korean,

    Kindly tell is it right one ?

    Thanks !


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  17. Nico joined 11/15 & has 1 comment

    Dear Maangchi,

    I’ve been trying your recipes in the last months, and it always turned great.
    My Kimchi got really popular among my friends and I had today much fun making Kimchi for the third time with a friend of mine. And as always it tastes great, I couldn’t help and had to eat a whole blend rice bowle with fresh Kimchi. Now I wish I made some more ^^.

    I wait for your next recipes.

    All the best from Berlin

  18. beckaivans joined 10/15 & has 21 comments

    Maangchi,

    I just made this today! So excited to see how it turns when it starts fermenting in a few days. I made some of your kkakdugi with the leftover radish too. Thank you so much for your recipes!! I love all the pictures and videos. You’re a great chief and teacher!


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  19. Vin joined 10/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi, I just finished my first big jar of Napa Kimchi from your recipe. It was seriously delicious… and highly addictive… thank you for sharing you recipe. I enjoyed making kimchi so much now. I have 1 questions though, how come my kimchi doesn’t produce as much liquid as yours? thank you.

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

      It sounds like you made delicious kimchi!
      “how come my kimchi doesn’t produce as much liquid as yours?” It happens when cabbage has thin leaves, is well salted, and then well drained. When I make winter kimchi (gimjang), I add more salt when I salt cabbage so that the kimchi won’t create lots of brine later.

      But if you like to make your kimchi more juicy and watery, add more radish matchsticks.1 day after the kimchi is made, lots of water from the radish and the cabbage will be drawn out so that the kimchi will have more brine.

  20. I’ve been wanting to make kimchi for some time now and today I decided to make it. But while making it I ran out of the kimchi paste, so 1½ napa cabbages out of 3 were left without paste and I didn’t preserve them. I guess I used too much paste on each quarter of the napa cabbages which I used.

    Are you supposed to add the paste only on one side of each cabbage leaf because I added it on both sides of each leaf? I guess that’s why I ran out of the paste.

  21. Yan Ling Singapore joined 6/14 & has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi, thank you so much for the recipe. I just made my kimchi, it smells so good! Cant wait to eat it after the fermentation ((:


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  22. Hi Maangchi^^
    If I use morton kosher salt instead of diamond crystal salt, isit alright? Will it taste more salty?

  23. Panda Chan Malaysia joined 3/15 & has 3 comments

    Hi Maangchi, i made kimchi using your recipe yesterday. But i can’t find radish, so i just make kimchi without it. Do you think it will effect the taste? My kimchi is fermenting well in my kitchen counter. I will post the picture later.

  24. Jana H. joined 7/15 & has 12 comments

    I finally did it I found nappa cabbage in my country and all the other stuff but unfortunately I didnt find radish so I didn’t put radish I’m waiting for it to ferment


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  25. Sav_sss Canada (near Montreal) joined 3/15 & has 29 comments

    Hi Maangchi :) ,

    I was wondering for how long can we keep fermented shrimp in the fridge? I have it for about 5 months now and i will do another bach of kimchi in like 3 weeks and i wanna know if i need to buy fermented shrimp again or if you can keep this in the refrigerator for a long time ?! Oh and ehm last time i’ve been to the korean grocery store it was my first time going so i got kind of excited while i was there and i didn’t look if there was a degree of spicyness in gochujang and mine is crazily hot like serioudly hot lol and the paste is like red-blackish haha so i was wondering if you could tell me if there is a version less spicy than the one i bought ? Here a photo

    Thank you in advance :)


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  26. Just wanna say thank you for the recipe :). I can’t wait to eat it…


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  27. Hi Maangchi,I’m use your recipe to make this Kimchi.But at malaysia some place is hard to get the fish sauce so I buy this brand to make Kimchi.
    But after 1 day I saw my Kimchi colour is too red and more water.
    And also some water is dark I think that is fish sauce because only the fish sauce is not korea brand.
    I’m try the taste is salty,how can I do right now?is it still can eat?


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  28. uyanga308 Ulaanbaatar joined 1/15 & has 3 comments

    Hello Maangchi!! I made kimchi for the third time this time i used your recipe for it. Previously, my kimchi didnt turn out as red as this time so i really liked my kimchi this time. Except that my kimchi became a little bit dry i say so what should i do? I love my kimchi sour but its turning sour so what can i do to make it a little bit sour and juicy? Maybe i have too much paste?


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  29. Hi Maangchi,
    How do I adjust it so it’s more spicy? I remember going to Korea and eating really spicy kimchi.

  30. Hello Maangchi,

    so I tried my first ever batch of kimchi based on this recipe and even though I followed all the instructions, my kimchi sauce became partially gelatinized after the initial fermentation (my family used the harsher sounding word “slime” to describe it). It did not have any impact on the taste, but the look was not very appealing. Any ideas what went wrong or how to fix this if it happens?

    Thank you,

    Jon

  31. monicagp joined 7/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi, maangchi.
    I am going to make this traditional kimchi.
    But i cant find the fermented salted shrimp.
    Can i just not use it or is there any substitute ingredient which can be used?
    thankyouuuu :)

  32. mibrito joined 7/15 & has 1 comment

    Hi from Texas!

    I wanted to show you how my kimchi turned out! I can’t wait to start eating it in a few days! Thank you for the video and recipe!

    -MB


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  33. stage89 singapore joined 2/15 & has 10 comments

    Maangchi, I peishan from Singapore, can know why my kimchi sauce become water and chill was splitting like not like yours when press down goy bubbles come out?? Can I know what step I do wrong? And can do the paste then shock the cabbage?

  34. Jana H. joined 7/15 & has 12 comments

    Hiii maangchi I really enjoy your videos they are interesting! I am a big fan of korea, it’s food, it’s traditions, and also the dramas . I would love to make kimchi but I can’t make this amount so please can I know how much quantities does it need to make kimchi with one cabbage. Thank you!
    Plus I love your bread rolls (paang) I make them everyday with my mom, we tried putting inside the bread cheese and it turned out delicious thank you for this amazing food

  35. Hi! I just want to show how my first kimchi looked like! xD
    I used only one cabbage ^^
    Thank you again for this recipe!


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