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:
- Remove the guts and backbone and rinse it.
- Add 3 tbs kosher salt and mix it with a spoon.
- Put it in a container or glass jar and keep it in the refrigerator for a week.
- Rinse the squid thoroughly until not slippery and drain it (you can skin it if you want).
- Dry the squid with paper towel or cotton and chop it up.
- 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
- Trim the discolored outer leaves of the napa cabbage.
- Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Chop it up into bite size pieces.
- Soak the pieces of cabbage in cold water and put the soaked cabbage into a large basin. Sprinkle salt.
- Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage over to salt evenly (total salting time will be 1½ hours).
- 1½ hours later, rinse the cabbage in cold water 3 times to clean it thoroughly.
- Drain the cabbage and set aside.
Make porridge
- 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).
- Add ¼ cup sugar. Stir and cook for a few more minutes until it’s translucent.
- Cool it down.
Make kimchi paste
- Place the cold porridge into a large bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
- Add fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, crushed garlic, minced ginger, and minced onion.
*tip: it’s much easier to use a food processor!
- 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!
- Add green onions, chopped leek, Korean radish, and carrot.
- Mix all ingredients well and your kimchi paste is done.
Action! Mix the cabbage with the kimchi paste!
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
Hi Maangchi,
I’ve been fairly interested in korean cooking (especially making my own kimchi) so my friend sent me to this wonderful site. I just have one quick question. I’m a diabetic, and am really afraid of using sugar. Would it be possible for me to make this without the sugar or with the use of a artificial sweetener?
Again, I love this site and look forward to creating such wonderful dishes.
yes, artificial sweetener sounds great! Thank you very much!
hi Maangchi,
i’ve been following your site for the past 6 months already. i tried making jap chae and beef stew and it turned out really good.
my family is a fan of kimchi, so i decided to check out your site and saw this recipe. i have a question, i live in the Philippines and the weather is really hot. how long should i leave the kimchi mixture outside of the refrigerator?
thank you and more power!
I would keep kimchi in the fridge right after making it if I were you.
thank you very much for the quick reply. your site is the best!
Hi Maangchi! I’ve just posted my picture of Mak Kimchi on Flickr :) It is a 2-week old kimchi, and there isn’t much left because it was popular with my parents and my boyfriend (who said it tasted exactly like the kimchi he had in Korea when he holiday-ed there! YAY!).
So, 2 weeks ago when I made Mak Kimchi, I met with a few problems..
1. Was I supposed to soak the cabbage in salt water, or to scatter salt on the cabbage pieces? I did the former, and it was really nice to eat on its own! :D The stems remained quite hard even after 1 week of fermentation (well, I’d like to think they are crunchy actually :P ) My parents didn’t like it. But when the stems softened by week 2, they were loving it!
2. Because I downsized the recipe a lot, the porridge I made became quite hard quickly. Used more water to thin it out, and worked even faster to make the kimchi paste. Was worried the porridge has been made wrongly, but it seemed thick enough to hold the paste togeter..
3. The kimchi tastes fairly sour now, and as much as I love it, I can’t eat much of it. How can I correct this? Should I drain the ever-growing kimchi juice from the container?
P.S. Wish I was in NY now, because I would love to take part in the Kimchi Contest you are organising!
Hi Maangchi,
I tried making Kimchi following your recipe, doin the porridge. In the end, the kimchi came out to pasty / thick. Should i add more water when making the kimchi paste or use more cabbage? Also, after I make the kimchi, should i leave it to ferment for a couple of days or automatically move it to the fridge. I read your recipes but you use both methods.
Thank you and looking forward to your response.
Use more water when you make porridge if you like to make thinner kimchi paste. Did you add radish strips to the paste? Adding radish strips will help your kimchi paste thinner, too.
“I read your recipes but you use both methods”
It depends on you. If you like to ferment your kimchi faster, keep it outside of the refrigerator for a couple of days. When it starts fermenting, transfer it to the refrigerator. If you like fresh kimchi, put your kimchi right after making.
Thank you for the reply :)
Maangchi, I just got done making the kimchi (I literally just put the kimchi in my fridge) and all I have to say is THANK YOU!!! This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! I threw out the other kimchi I made last week because it isn’t even worthy enough to be in the same fridge. Thank you again for this website…I am so excited to learn how to cook the foods I grew up eating and also to pass it on to my two little girls. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
yay, congratulations! “..pass it on to my two little girls” awesome! : )
hi! ^^ I already made the this kimchi recipe. I love the taste of the kimchi! Two thumbs up. ^^ My family and co-workers love it too! thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe ^^
I joined your “two thumbs up”! lol
Hi Maangchi,
I just came across your website today and I’m thrilled. I’m half Korean and am really wanting to learn how to make korean food like my mom does. She lives in another state and doesn’t measure out her ingredients, so I can never get my food to taste good. I am so eager to try out your recipes. I just had a question about the kimchi…will it still taste okay if I don’t use the squid? I have tried making kimchi many times and haven’t gotten it quite right, so I am really excited to try your recipe. Also, have you heard of the book called Vignette of Korean Cooking? I’ve been using the kimchi recipe in that book, but it still doesn’t taste quite right…I’m thinking your paste is going to make the difference. Thank you for sharing your passion with the world. :-)
Yes, without using squid or oysters, it will still be delicious.
“my mother doesn’t measure out her ingredients..” haha, neither did I! I had never measured before I started posting my recipes on YouTube.
I still don’t measure when I make my own food. I often receive emails from my readers that they are so accustomed to making their favorite Korean dishes from my recipes that they don’t see the recipes anymore. Interesting!
Thank you so much for your fast reply. I’m going to H-mart today to get the ingredients to make kimchi. I just had one more question…could I use turbinado sugar in place of sugar? Thanks for your help!
yes, I use turbinado sugar for all my cooking these days.
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/turbinado-sugar
Good luck with making delicious kimchi today!
Awesome! Thank you so much!!!!!!
Sorry, one more question…how about using whole wheat all purpose flour instead of sweet rice flour? Should I just stick with the sweet rice flour?
Hi Maangchi!
Can i not use rice flour for kimchi? Would the recipe still work and taste as good? Any healthier alternative besides rice flour?
Yes, if you don’t like to use rice porridge, I suggest using pureed pear so that your kimchi will be mixed well with hot pepper flakes and other ingredients.
Hi There! Can I salt cabbage and radish over night? Cheers! M
Yes, you can. Cheers! : )
thank you so much for this recipe! at the last minute i realized i didn’t have squid, muu, or leeks so i had to omit them and i just put extra carrots. omg this is the best kimchi i’ve ever tasted! i’m going to store most of it in the fridge and keep one jar out to ferment like you do ;) i will not need to make kimchi for a long long time! lol good thing it never goes bad! oh, and what i like about it so much is that it has so much flavor and it’s not just super spicy/salty like most baechu kimchi i’ve tried. thanks again, maangchi! i am IN LOVE with your website :)
Awesome! “this is the best kimchi i’ve ever tasted!” : )
oh and here’s my picture!
hi~ i really want to try your kimchi. it looks really good. our food processor is broken, so can i just mince the garlic, ginger and onions? ^^
of course you can! : ) Mince garlic and giner chop chop chop!
Hi Maangchi! It’s Joyce! I wanted to show you clear pictures of my version of this kimchi. I hope you like it :-)
I like this version because the cabbage is pre-cut and easy to serve.
http://www.doyd.net/
awesome as always! I made my own fresh kimchi yesterday, too! : ) I will twit about your kimchi blog.
Hi Maangchi!
I was wondering if it would be okay to store the kimchi in a vacuum seal container. I have some Foodsaver containers that I would like to use for kimchi.
I don’t know the answer but I found interesting an article on the internet for you. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2008/02/133_18769.html
I am an American woman married to a Korean man, and I have tried in the past to make kimchi… but with no success. Last week was our daughter’s 첫 돌, and I wanted to make some kimchi for my in-laws when they came to visit.
My kimchi using your recipe turned out so good, both my father-in-law and mother-in-law were impressed. They ate most of it while they were here, and they even took a jar home with them!
Thank you, Maangchi!
wow good news! You impressed your parents-in-law with your homemade kimchi! Congratulations!
Hi, Maangchi,
I would like to try using your recipes. I love Korean Food.
Btw 1 cup is = to how much?
Hi, I found this on the internet for you.
Hope it helps you.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/convert/measurements.html
Hi Maangchi!
First of all thank you for the wonderful recipe. I made a small version (2 lb of cabbage) a few weeks ago and it only lasted a few days! It was wonderful other than I substituted 1:1 cayenne pepper for Korean chilli flakes and it was Too Spicy!!
I made a larger batch today but I don’t think I made quite enough paste. Also I think I didn’t squeeze all of the water out so it’s a little bit watery and not as red as your pictures. Will it still be ok to ferment? It tastes fine now :-)
“I made a small version (2 lb of cabbage) a few weeks ago and it only lasted a few days!” yes, you will know why people make huge amount of kimchi now. As long as you keep it in the fridge, it lasts long. You can make so many different kinds of dishes with kimchi! Kimchi pancake, kimchi stew, kimchi dumplings,.. : )
I think cayenne pepper powder is not a good choice for kimchi making because it’s too spicy.
“..I didn’t squeeze all of the water out so it’s a little bit watery..”
yes, next time, squeeze out excess water from the wilted cabbage before putting kimchi paste. That’s the way of making good kimchi.
Anyway even though your kimchi has lots of juice, you will still enjoy it.
I made a half batch of this recipe for my boyfriend and I, leaving out the squid- it’s still a LOT of kimchi but it’s good! I’ve been eating a bit every day since I made it. It goes great with all the different banchan I’ve been trying :} Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’s a lot easier than stuffing the individual leaves, too!
Hey I was just wondering… I couldn’t find sweet rice flour but grounded sweet rice into a flour consistency as a substitute. Would that be all right? Or should I find the flour instead?
yes, as long as you make a little sticky porridge, no problem. You could use plain flour, too.
Hi Maangchi
I came across your website earlier this year and everything I have made from your blog has turned out to be a great success! I am having a Korean night with my friends this Sunday and we are all using recipes from your blog! :) Thank you for all your videos, hints and recipes, it’s made me love Korean food even more!
I am making the kimchi for the fourth time (the previous three have turned out great!). Last night I soaked the cabbage and squeezed the excess water. I previously made the paste and froze it and defrosted it and used that for my kimchi. Today it looks very watery (quite diluted) – a lot more than normal. Will this still be okay or should I add more paste or flour & water to thicken? Thanks!
wow, I’m so happy to hear about your successful cooking experience! “I previously made the paste and froze it and defrosted it and used that for my kimchi. Today it looks very watery” yes, it’s ok to use it, but fresh kimchi paste always tastes better.
hi maangchi,
today, i made kimchi..wow…..it was a success!very delicious… i follow your step by step procedure.thanks so much….
omg, cool! : )
Maangchi,
I need your help after I make kimchi three days later my kimchi becomes bitter. I put radish,leeks,carrots,onions and all the ingredients that you put in. How can I fix this Maangchi? Is it the pepper flake?
hmm, I have no idea why your kimchi becomes bitter. Yeah, maybe your hot pepper flakes are old or poor quality? As long as all ingredient’s are edible, wait until your kimchi ferments. The taste may get better when it ferments.
Ok, Thanks Maangchi. Does your kimchi go bitter? I am going to try using the pepper flakes you bought..
Hey Maangchi! I’ve been a silent reader so far but i just had to comment today! Coz i just made my first batch of kimchi, and am very proud to tell you that it was a raging success!! I made a mess out of my kitchen and my fingers are burning now from mixing the kimchi paste(coz i didn’t wear any gloves), but it was sooooo worth it. Thanks so much for the step-by-step recipe! <3
Congratulations on your successful kimchi making! “my fingers are burning now from mixing the kimchi paste” I’m sorry to hear that! ouch! Don’t forget to wear gloves next time you make it again. I like to give you hand massage now. : )
Hi maangchi,
I’m making this right now. The kimchi paste is so good I could eat it with a spoon!
good luck with making delicious kimchi! wanna see your kimchi! Take a photo of the kimchi and email it to me if you can. maangchi@gmail.com
Dear Maangchi,
thank you so much for your recipe. We – a friend, my boyfriend and I – made it this Saturday and even made some pictures of our kimchi journey and of the huge basin we got our hands in. I was so happy with it as kimchi here in Rio is very expensive and hard to find and I just love it so much. The flavor is just as I remembered and it made me and my friends very happy.
But I have a question. I put my kimchi in a glass jar. Now the bottom is a little bit dark. Do you know why is it? Did we make something wrong?
Thank you so much! ^^
hi, I’m happy for you, too!
“Now the bottom is a little bit dark. Do you know why is it? Did we make something wrong?” It sometimes happens when kimchi is exposed to air. Mix it with a spoon again and press the top of the kimchi so that it will prevent your kimchi from being exposed to air. Keep it in the fridge.
Hi Maangchi!
I’m making this recipe right now — the cabbage is salting as I type, and the paste is already mixed.
Last week, I was home sick with a cold, so I made radish kimchi — my first kimchi! It came out so good I’m making this one now. Except I love ginger so I’m using far, far more than the recipe says! :) I put some in the paste, and some cut into shreds like the carrot and radish.
I can’t wait till it’s fermented and yummy.
I’m so glad I found your videos on youtube. Since I moved away from Baltimore, I can’t go to Korean restaurants any more. (The ones here are expensive and bland, because the Swiss don’t like spicy! >:-O)
So far I’ve made doenjang jjigae a few times, and I made sujebi, too. Next: soondubu and ddukbokgi!
Lots of love from Switzerland!
Antonio
P.S. I was born in Guatemala, I loved the pictures you took!
Antonio,
Thank you for the update! hope your soondubu jjigae and ddukbokki turns out good! sujebe is delicious and easy to make, right?
Happy cooking!
Hi, Maangchi. Hope you are well. I’ve now made two batches of this kimchi and I am very imoressed! It’s wonderful, and much easier to make. Thank you for sharing. One question that I have about this and other recipes concerns ginger. I’ve found that a local grocer carries regular and Thai ginger (galanga). I haven’t tried the Thai ginger, but perhaps you have and can tell me what you think about using it in place of the standard variery. Thanks again!
Use regular ginger. That’s what I use. I am glad to hear that you like my kimchi recipe!
I just made the kimchi. Althought I seemed to have a lot of sauce. Is this bad?
Is it okay to replace hot pepper flakes with chili powder?
Hey Maangchi! My friends and I used your kimchi recipe to do another extra credit project for korean class :)
Everyone who tried it liked it.
here’s the video of us making it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOM_dW8rZZU
I checked your kimchi video! You guys look like you are having a cooking class with 3 bowls for 3 people! Awesome! The kimchi looks great! I will post your video on my website soon. If you want to get interviewed, please email me at maangchi@gmail.com
LOL we didn’t have bowls big enough for all the cabbage so we had to use a bunch of small bowls xD
Hi Maangchi,
I made this kimchi recipe today and I cant wait to eat it! Ive made the other recipe for kimchi before with the whole cabbage and it was fantastic! I also made the Kaktugi also, my mom is coming for a visit from Maui so I made it today so that it can ferment a bit before she gets here next month.
I love all of your recipes and have been cooking from your website for over a year now, I finally decided to leave a comment today. Thank you so much for sharing all of your recipes with the world! My husband is half korean but knows nothing of the the cooking and culture because he was born in Hawaii and so my 3 year old daughter is 1/4 korean and I want to teach her about her culture. I dedided to learn Korean cooking since Ive always loved to the food and that way I can teach my daughter one day, by the way Im japanese born in Hawaii also.
Hahaha I just found kimchi paste up my arm as I’m typing! I just finished mixing everything…I guess I should wash my arms better :)
oh, you are such a wonderful person. While reading your message, I feel you are a very warmhearted person.
Your efforts to introduce your daughter to Korean culture is admirable!
“I have been cooking from your website for over a year now” Thank you very much!
Wow…this recipe seems very easy to follow.
My Boyfriend is Half Korean and Adores His Kimchi and I never fathomed being able to make it…But This Recipe Makes me want to try it!!
Ive been making ur kimchi recipe for so long! Finally an easy recipe. I just remember how tired i felt after making ur first version of kimchi lol. it was worth it though. I bet this is as delicious. Im salting my nappa right now. the sauce already made. Waiting 30 min still before washing them. Thank you so much Maangchi! This weekend again im gonna make bulgogi, potato and bean sprout side dish, kimchi, green onion salad. ect !! Of course all the recipe i got for those was from here =D This time im gonna take some picture for sure! I cant thank you enough Maangchi!
Thaory,
I hope your kimchi turned out delicious! Wow! this weekend you will be busy cooking Korean dishes! I’m looking forward to some photos of food that you make! Good luck!
I just love your show! I emailed all my family and friends about your website. You remind me of my mom! “I’m so happy now” is my mom’s favorite quote. Thank you so much for sharing!
“You remind me of my mom!” That’s a huge compliment! Thank you!
hi maangchi i was wondering if u could help me out i have been wanting to make this kimchi for awhile now but my problem is that only me and my mom eat kimchi the rest of my family doesnt like it so for me to make 10 pounds of kimchi i could never eat all of that even tho i love kimchi and could eat it every day i was wondering if u had the measurements for a smaller amount of this kimchi
I made this kimchi with 10 pounds of cabbage, so you can figure out the amount of all ingredients. If you make it with 5 pounds, cut the ingredients in half.
<3 !! I'm going to try this recipe this weekend (assuming classes don't go crazy :x)
Is the method the same for 부추김치? I wanted to make some but I wasn't sure what type of 부추 to get… (I think the Chinese kind is really different from the Korean kind but I'm not sure? My mom said something like that but wouldn't explain more).
Thanks!! <3
Good luck with making delicious kimchi. My buchu kimchi (Asian chives kimchi) recipe is a little different from napa cabbage kimchi. The recipe will be coming in the future.
Buchu Kimchi! YUM!
Eek! I just made some and it is delicious as gutjuri!! <3
congratulation!