Kimchi is a staple of Korean life and many Koreans include it in their meals three times a day. You can eat it by itself, or use it in so many different Korean recipes. When Koreans make kimchi, they make an effort to make the best kimchi possible and include many regional ingredients.
Today I will show you how to make a traditional-style kimchi with oysters, and we’ll also make radish kimchi (“kkakdugi”) with the same kimchi paste, which saves us from having to make these two kinds of kimchi separately. This is how I make kimchi and kkaktugi, because I need both in my house, but you might be interested in my “easy kimchi” (mak kimchi) recipe if you don’t have a lot of time, or in my kakdugi recipe if you want to make only kakdugi, or make my traditional napa cabbage kimchi recipe by itself if that’s all you need. Also, if you don’t like oysters, you can leave them out.
Many people think you have to wait for kimchi to be fermented before eating, but personally I prefer to eat fresh kimchi, as soon as I make it. And I like to make stew (kimchi-jjigae) out of older kimchi.
Ingredients
- 2 large size napa cabbages (about 8 pounds: 3.6 kg) and 2 Korean radishes (about 4-5 pounds: 2 kg)
- 1½ cup of kosher salt
- ½ cup sweet rice flour, ¼ cup sugar, water
- 4 cups of Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 cup fish sauce,
- 1 medium sized onion, minced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup of fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tbs minced ginger
- 7 stalks of green onions, chopped diagonally
- 2 cups worth Buchu (Asian chives), chopped,
- 2 cups of matchstick-cut radish
- fresh oysters (optional)
Directions
- Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core, but not through the rest of the leaves.
- Soak each piece in cold water and sprinkle salt over the each leaf , and then set it aside for 2 hours.
*tip: the stems should get more salt than the leaves - Peel 2 kg of Korean radishes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Do this by cutting them into several disks, and then cutting horizontally, and then vertically. Put them in a big bowl and sprinkle them with ¼ cup of kosher salt. Then set these aside, too.
- 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage over so they get salted evenly. Turn the radishes as well.
- Another 2 hours later, you will see the cabbage look softer than before, and it should have shrunk.
*the total salting process will take 4 hours - Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.
Making Kimchi paste:
Make porridge
- Put ½ cup of sweet rice flour and 3 cups of water into a skillet and mix them up. Then cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
- When you see some bubbles, pour ¼ cup of sugar into the porridge and stir one more minute. Then cool it down.
- Place the cold porridge into a big bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
- Add fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, crushed garlic, ginger, and onion
*tip: it’s much easier to use a food processor. - Add green onions, Asian chives, and radish.
- Add 2 cups of frozen oysters, but this is optional. (I found out lots of people can’t eat them.)
- Mix all ingredients well.
Are you ready to spread our paste on the leaves and make your kaktugi?
* I recommend you wear rubber gloves so that you don’t irritate your skin.
- Spread the kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage, and make a good shape out of the leaves by slightly pressing with both hands.
- Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.
- Mix your leftover paste with your radish cubes to make kkakdugi.
You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator.
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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hi maangchi,
thanks for all your great recipes. I am very glad you made this blog. I recently made kimchi but i wasnt able to access my internet at the time(pc problems) and so i found an old kimchi recipe that i wrote down yrs ago hences i used that one
here is the recipes
1/2 cabbage (i used 1 chinese cabage)
100g sm green onion
1/2 sea salt (i used for soaking the cabage)
1/2 cup powdered red pepper ( i used 15 raw red pepper instead)
5 table sp minced garlic (i used 3 tbs)
3 table sp minced ginger
1/2 cup fish sauce ( i used 1/4 cup fs)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
ok so it’s been two days and my kimchi is super salty and thats because i didnt drain and rinse well but i was able to fix that problem i added sugar but now its not sour at all so what do you think i should do?
Fermentation of Kimchi depends on your room temperature, and the saltiness of your kimchi. Mostly, it will take a few days to ferment your kimchi at room temperature. If your kimchi is made very salty, it will take longer.
oh really ok i’ll wait a few more days to see how it goes and tell you about it. thanks for the quick reply; you’re the best!!
have a wonderful weekend.
=)
hi,
so i made kimchi yesterday using your recipe accept that i didnt have red chili pepper so once again i used raw red pepper anyways i have two questions
1) i have alot of sauce what should i do about it?
2) its not salty enough should i just add more; i’m afraid that when the fermenting process is done it will be too salty what do you think?
thanks for always responding.
Have a good day!
You can freeze the leftover paste and use it when you make your next kimchi. And you can add some salt to your kimchi any time. Don’t worry.
hi I wonder when i finish making the kimchi do i put in on a table for 1 or 2 day then i put it into the refrigerator?
Hey there…thanks for sharing making kimchi i had been trying n my hubby n friends said very delicious..:> if i couldn’t find hot pepper flakes can i use dry red pepper n blend it? Have a nice day :>
Soak your dried red pepper in water for a few hours and blend it finely. It will look like thick porridge. Then make your kimchi following the recipe. It will be delicious!
Thank you, Maangchi
i’m mongolian
Hi 망치 언니!
Well, I made kimchi yesterday for the first time!!! Although your method with the sweet rice flour and fish sauce is new to me (never saw my mom or grandmothers make it this way) it was delicious! My fiance and friends enjoyed it fresh with 보리밥 and 육개장. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the art of Korean cooking.
oh, I’m so glad to hear that your fiance and friends enjoyed the food you made! : Kimchi, barley rice, yukgaejang! It sounds like a perfect meal!
hi! can i make kimchi using Gochujang (hot pepper paste)? and may i know is there any substitute for fish sauce?
(can fish sauce omitted from this recipe?)
Yes, you can skip fish sauce and use a little more salt then.
You have to use hot pepper flakes. No hot pepper paste.
hi maangchi!
Is it okay if I use glitinous rice powder instead of sweet rice flour in making my kimchi paste? How much amount of water will I put in 3 cups of glutinous rice. thanks and more power
Seet rice flour and glutinous rice powder are the same.
hmm then can i use chilli powder to make kimchi?
hot pepper flakes that’s what you need to make your kimchi! ; )
I’m currently in Turkey and I can’t find the napa or Chinese cabbage. Can you make kimchi using a normal head of cabbage?
Lots of Chinese-Korean restaurants make kimchi w/regular cabbage. I’m sure it would be great!
hi,
erm is there a difference between red pepper powder and chilli powder?
Hey :) I love your recipes :D I wanted to ask if I can leave out the radish because I can find it :(:( ?? or can I use something else ?!?!? thx
Hi
er how can i make vegeterian kimichi, as i am alergic to chicken, meat, fish please, you used fish here
thanks for posting this video
oh, kimchi for vegetarian? Then, skip fish sauce and oysters in the recipe. Instead of fish sauce, use salt.
Thank you soo much, i will cook it to night, i live in london and
i am trying to buy the sea weed paper and can’t find it, but thanks for the reply, you koreans have lovely clothes by the way
well then have a nice day
Hi Maangchi,
My mom never uses “bap pul” (the mochiko paste) in her kim chee and her kim chee is one of the best i’ve ever tasted. What role does the bap pul play in the kim chee sauce? (My mom says it helps it to ferment faster so you should use it if you’re in a rush to ferment your kim chee.) Also, can I substitute shrimp paste (“sae oo jut”) for the oysters? And if so, is it safe to use shrimp paste if it is over two years old? I bought it from the Korean supermarket but it’s sitting in my fridge and I’ve never opened it once – the seal is still on the lid. (My mom says it never goes bad, but I can’t in good conscience use it without getting a second opinion.) Thank you!
btw, bap pul means “grains of cooked rice”. Yes, you can use saewoojeot (salty fermented shrimp) in your kimchi. It never goes bad because it’s fermented! Your mom is right! : )
Thank you, Maangchi! By the way, I am completely IN LOVE with your site!!! I am a little familiar with Korean cooking but your videos really help me to see a bigger picture of the many ways to make the same Korean dish!
Annyeong haseyo Maangchi!
I just finished making Kimchi for the first time around 10pm.. If I want to eat “fresh” kimchi the next day, do I take the portion I want into the fridge right after completion, then the rest outside to ferment? Or does the fermentation process continue in the fridge, but slower?
Maybe next time I will start making from morning, so by the time I’m done making, I can eat immediately :)
p/s: It smells really good, esp the oysters and garlic!! If I’m only making 1.5 cabbage, I should half your measurements, right?
Natalie
Finishes kimchi making at 10:00 pm! : )
You remind me of one of my other readers. He emailed me right after making his kimchi with his friends. He said it was 2:00 am!
“Maybe next time I will start making from morning, so by the time I’m done making, I can eat immediately”
–Yes, that’s a good idea!
Yes, if you want to enjoy fresh kimchi for a couple of days, you will have to keep some of the fresh kimchi separate from the rest right after making it. Even though the fresh kimchi is in the fridge, fermenting process will still keep going on.
Hey Maangchi :)
Turns out that the kimchi was perfect, with compliments from my Korean colleagues and family!! I’m sooo grateful that you posted your recipe.. At least now I know I’m good at something (making kimchi) – haha!
Thanks Maangchi!
Natalie
Thank you for your update! I’m happy to hear that you got compliments from your friends! I know how you feel. : )
My mouth’s watering!
Do you allow the oysters to ferment, too?
Thank you.
yes, the oysters in the kimchi will ferment with kimchi.
I love oysters, raw and cooked, but they’re very concerned about spoilage in the US.
The idea of eating fermenting shellfish sounds very exotic to me.
Hi Maangchi! I was wondering is it okay to put fresh kimchi in fermated kimchi? I was planning to make some more kimchi but i still have some left. Will the old kimchi affect the fresh kimchi’s taste ?
yes, it will. The old kimchi will help the new kimchi ferment faster than usual.
Hi Maangchi!
Thanks a lot for putting up this recipe!
I followed your recipe really closely (leaving out 1 cup of gochugaru) and the kimchi turned out beautifully!
I’m done eating the kimchi now but i’m left with alot of kimchi paste and juice, and i think it’s a bit of a waste to dump it out. Do you think it’s okay to re-use the kimchi juice/paste for when i make my next batch of kimchis?
Thanks alot!
oh, you are so smart! You modified the recipe according to your taste! cool!
The kimchi paste can be stored in the freezer and used for your next batch of kimchi. No problemo! : )
Hi Maangchi!
In a couple of days i will make kimchi again (thanks to your recipe:))
which leads me to some questions:
1. The first time i made it i followed your instructions and stopped the salting-process after about 4 hours. After that i mixed it with the sauce and left it for a day. But when i opened the box the next day the sauce turned out to be more of a soup than a sauce. I thought it was because of the remaining water inside the cabbage. So the other times i kept the salting-process at about 24 hours to get rid of all the water. Other recipes also tell to salt the cabbage for just about a few hours. So how come that your kimchi (and those of the others) turn out to be fine and mine not (when salting it for 4 h…salting for 24 h works fine, too)?
2. There’s a kimchi called “얼가리 김치” (translation calls it “winter-grown cabbage”). I accidentally tried this instead of regular baechu-kimchi and…I was amazed. The taste was so much better than the one of the the baechu-kimchi. Is there a difference in the making or is it due to the different kind of cabbage?
Thanx a lot and keep up the good work. Your recipes rule;)
How was the taste of your kimchi? If it was good, I think your kimchi was well made! It’s only natural. 1 day after making your kimchi, you will see some liquid comes out from the cabbage leaves.
Press it down with a spoon to help the kimchi get submerged.
Yes, you could use the same recipe for the kimchi you mention(얼갈이 김치)
Yes, it turned out to be (almost) as good as the kimchi’s from the korean restaurants. But i still need to work on it a little bit. The taste of the sauce was great but mixed with the cabbage it tasted a bit strange. I added some more fish-sauce and…that was the reason why it tasted strange. I thought too much fish-sauce would make the kimchi taste fishy but actually it makes it just better…
Another question: in an article i saw on the net i read that you can adjust the taste of kimchi according to your preferences; in that article it particularly was mentioned to add the juice of a (korean) pear. Would this affect the taste in a negative way? Or would you tell me to try that, too (cause i really like the taste of asian pears;))?
Hi Maangchi I have a question about the kimichi.must I use rice flour to thicken the sauce? Can I leave it out?
I do not have sweet rice flour but I have an indian rice flour. I assume I can use it but am not sure.
Thank you for your answers!
Yes, you can leave it out if you don’t want. You can use plain flour, too.
I have a few que ask regarding this kimchi leaving to fermented. I live in singapore and I have leave the kimchi for about 18hours and than put it inside the fridge. Is it okie or do I have to put it about 2days?
How to know if the kimchi is spoil?
I can choose not to put the leek right?
How long can put the kimchi in the fridge? 2months or 2weeks?
Regards,
Adam
As kimchi ferments, it gets sour. There is no time restriction on keeping your kimchi container in the fridge. It depends on your taste.
Well made and kept kimchi never goes bad because it’s fermented.
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.
Hi Maangchi!
I am going to try and make kimchi on Thursday. I think I would like to cut up the Chinese Cabbage into to pieces, too. You said it’s called maakkimchi. Do I just follow the recipe the same when cutting it this way? Thank you!
Amber
yes, you are right! The entire process is the same but reduce the salting time. I usually salt 1-2 hours when I make this easy kimchi (maakkimchi).
how can i didn’t put in the flour+sugar
so now my kimchi just taste salty.. that’s not kimchi anymore
T T
i’ll do it again tomorrow.. the failed one just so….
Hey Maangchi, your recipe seems delicious and I’m going to try it out next Sunday, but can you please tell me if it’s okay to cut the Chinese cabbage into bite size pieces and soak them in salt water instead? Would that ruin the process? Also, how long can I keep the kimchi in the fridge for after leaving it out for 2 days to ferment?
Yes, you can! I sometimes make kimchi that way. It’s called “makkimchi” in Korean. You can keep your kimchi in the fridge as long as you want, but remember that the kimchi’s fermenting process will keep going on in the fridge, which means the taste of kimchi will get more sour as time goes on.
Maangchi, I found a thread for garlic stem kimchi, which led me to you and this site…and then lost it. My girlfriend’s mom makes this (garlic string kimchi) but won’t tell me the recipe. She seems to think this exceptionally funny… I’d love to show up at her house with some and wow her. Can you help me out
I don’t know how this site works… I hope to find your reply.
James h
[email protected]
James,
Thank you for your request. Garlic stem kimchi!
I will post it someday in the future.
Thanks so much, Maangchi! I look forward to the post!
jh
Hi Maangchi!
First of all I want to thank you for the beautiful recipes. You are so much fun to watch!
One thing I wanted to ask about was your use of flour in kimchee. I’m Korean and I remember making kimchee with my mom as well as with other ajumas and we never used flour… No store-bought kimchee that I’ve seen lists flour in the ingredients, either.
Is this a modern take on kimchee?
Coleen
Kimchi recipes vary by regions in Korea. Using sweet rice flour to make kimchi paste is very traditional in Southern part of Korea where I came from.
I usually make porridge using either sweet rice flour or plain flour for my kimchi paste.
Hi Maangchi!
This is my second time making your recipe and it turned out great! The first time was too salty- but I used less salt and really rinsed the cabbage this time.
My Kimchi paste was a little thinner than the last time- maybe I added too much water to my porridge?? hmmm, i should try to pay closer attention :D
Thanks for all your tasty recipes! I really liked the salty beef side dish and I make the soybean sidedish all the time! (soo good!)
Keep up the good work!
you’re a star!
It sounds like your practice made perfect! Good job!
do you have a simple recipe for making kimchi? cuz in indonesia i can’t find…..”Korean radishes”.
you don’t have to use radish.
Thank you for the great video. I am making the kimchi alongside you. I have a few questions:
1) I made extra paste. How long can I keep it in the fridge to use another time?
2) Is the recipe the same for cucumber kimchi?
Maybe you know this, but we have a large population of Koreans in Mexico City (where I live) and I was able to find everything I needed to make kimchi, including the Korean-style daikon!
Yeah, getting right ingredients are very important when you try out a recipe that you have never made before.
My answer:
1: You can keep your extra kimchi paste in the freezer up to 1 month.
2. I posted stuffed cucumber kimchi here:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oisobagi-kimchi
Hi, Maangchi! Your Kimchi recipe is the BEST! :D I’ve been making it for almost a year now and I still know your recipe by heart. :D
I’m very glad to hear that! Now you are an expert in making kimchi!!
Hi Maangchi,
I’m interested in Korea cooking and have borrowed a book to learn some traditional dishes. In the meanwhile I am also looking for some additional info in the internet to perfect the kimchi which I’d tried making (so many times). I’m using preserved shrimp instead of oysters and the rest of the ingredients are as what you’d recommended. Is there a difference in taste between the two? Also the kimchi that I made is not bright red like yours in the video. Mine is kind of orangey, even though I add lots of red pepper powder. What is the trick to it?
Yes, you can skip oysters and its taste will still be good. Orange color hot pepper flakes? It must be not good quality.
Check the ingredient section, please.
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/hot-pepper-flakes
hi maangchi!! i found your website by accident and i love it !!! as well as your approach to cooking, you make everything look so easy. i was just wondering if it was possible to use canned oysters instead of fresh? thanks!
안녕하세요~
Thank you so much for your website. Its so awesome. My Korean friends are very impressed that I made kimchi the other day. It looks and tastes yummy but my friend asked me if there were salted shrimps in it. He is from seoul. So I was wondering if you could tell me some regional differences with kimchi!
Also, what is the difficulty in making kimchi? Watching you it didn’t seem difficult and when I made my own it wasn’t difficult. But all my Korean friends say making kimchi is so hard! Whats up with that?
감사합니다!
Hi Maangchi,
Thank you so much for all your brilliant recipes. I just made kimchi, for the first time and it turned out so good (better than I expected) cause when I first tried before (using a different recipe), it turned out bad. I am so thankful to have found your website cause your instructions are very specific, descriptive and really easy to follow.
My family loves the kimchi I made just that the radish kimchi was a little too salty but the cabbage kimchi was just fine. I think I might have added too much salt in the radish during the salting process. We are all eating kimchi everyday and it’s all thanks to your helpful recipes.
I’ve also made kimchi soup and it tasted like the soup from the Korean restaurants. It made my day :) I’m going to try gamjatang next. I’ve got almost all the ingresients for it.
Yeah, if you can make good kimchi, you can use it for so many different recipes. I love kimchi soup, too. Thank you for your update!
hello, I just found your website….The video really helps a lot. I just wanted to ask you, whenever I see like a family dinner, there are so many side dishes on the table…and I’m just wondering…wow!!! do they cook that every single night!! that sure looks like a lot…lol :) when you make the side dishes, how long can you keep it in the refrigerator before it goes bad? thanks…pls post more side dishes :)
Hi,
It depends on what kind of food it is, for example, vegetable side dishes will go bad in a few days even though you refrigerated them, but salty beef side dish https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/jangjorim will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
hii maangchi
just like everyone here…i tried your kimchi recipe! however when i made the kimchi paste i used flour because i didn’t have any sweet rice flour. After that i mixed everything together with the hot pepper powder. I tasted it and now it has a certain floury and sweet taste to it. Will the taste go away after it ferments?
You can use either sweet rice powder or regular flour to make porridge for kimchi paste. Nothing wrong! Maybe you use too much porridge? When I make my kimchi, I eat it right after making it. I don’t wait until it ferments.
Hello Maangchi…after the success of my Dakkangjung, i thought of giving kimchi a try, but this time, it really didn’t work out right. I have carefully done all the steps here, and i’m not sure what and where it went wrong…I have prepared it last night, the texture of paste looks ok, minimal water came out which i think, is good. So i am quite surprised that it didn’t have a good taste after all. It has a bitter aftertaste, neither salty nor sour…Is there any way I can improve its’ taste? Will it be okay to add sugar, salt and vinegar? pls. give me an advice on this. Thanks…
sorry to hear that your kimchi turned out bitter. Just wait until it ferments. Check out your each ingredient. Maybe your hot pepper flakes are not good quality? If your kimchi is bland, add some more salt. I wish I could taste and see your kimchi.