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, although there are many kinds of kimchi in Korean cuisine, some of them also made with napa cabbage!
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. And nothing beats homemade kimchi, it’s way better than anything store-bought.
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 then keep eating it as it ferments and eventually goes sour in the fridge. 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!
Ingredients
Makes about 8 pounds (3.6 kg) of Kimchi
For salting cabbage:
- 6 pounds (about 2.7 kg) napa cabbage
- ½ cup Kosher salt (2.5 ounces: 72 grams)
For making porridge:
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (aka glutinous rice flour)
- 2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar (or brown or white sugar)
Vegetables:
- 2 cups Korean radish matchsticks (or daikon radish)
- 1 cup carrot matchsticks
- 7 to 8 green onions (scallions), chopped
- 1 cup chopped Asian chives (buchu), optional (substitute with 3 green onions, chopped)
- 1 cup water dropwort (minari), optional
Seasonings and spices:
- ½ cup garlic cloves (24 garlic cloves), minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 medium onion, minced
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup fermented salted shrimp (saeujeot) with the salty brine, chopped
- 2 cups red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
Directions
Prepare and salt the cabbage
- If the cabbage cores stick out too much, trim them off with your knife over your cutting board.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
While the cabbage is salting for 2 hours, and in between the times you’re turning it over, you can make the porridge:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Make kimchi
- 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.
- Eat right away, or let it sit for a few days to ferment.
On fermentation
- 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.
- 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.
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Hello Maangchi
I used to make your easy kimchi recipe every time. Today I finally got my hands on saeujeot so I definitely wanted to give this traditional recipe a try!
Oh god, I never going back to the easy kimchi recipe. THIS recipe is perfect! Bring back some memories from my year in Korea.Thank you!!
If you can find saeujot, please used it!
(Maangchi, next time you’re making kimchi, could you weight the ingredients and update the recipe? thanks~)
My kimchi Napa. I cut it. It was yummy. Thank you
Thank you so much for posting this! I spend way too much buying kimchi at my local Asian market and have been too scared to make my own. I make it exactly as the recipe calls for except radish because I forgot to buy it. I have not been able to ONLY taste it every day to see how sour it is, but have been eating a small bowl everyday because I cannot control myself. It tastes amazing and is getting better every minute. I am actually emotional about this taste and wish I could to something amazing for you to show how grateful I am to you right now. Absolutely, homemade is far better than store bought. Thank you so much.
Hi.I came across your blog site and watched video how to make kimchi above.I have a question.If you do not have fermented salted shrimp, can I skip it?If skipping,would the taste so different?
I have been watching Korean drama “Kimchi family” and they show all kinds of kimchi there and wanted to try make some:-)
Great recipe, I have made a few batches of this now and it always turns out great. I add half a pear and a kiwi fruit. I find it adds sweetness and balances out the sour, when it ferments for longer. I also add some dried anchovies for a bit of extra taste.
Hi Maangchi,
I’ve been followed your blog for years and i finally decided to make my own mak kimchi.
Yesterday, i made some of the kimchi but added fresh pear instead of sugar. Will it not fermenting? I’m also worrying the taste since no there’s no sugar added. I checked this morning (fermented 17 hours), and it’s bubbling a bit. Do i need to open it and press down the kimchi?
DO NOT worry. It will still ferment just fine, The pear adds sugar and pectin – good mouth feel. You don’t need to press your ferment down as long as the top of the vegetables are under the brine. I use a glass weight to keep everything submerged. Some folks use a boiled rock (boiled to sanitize it). If you keep the vegetables submerged, it keeps the surface molds and yeast from growing. If you get them, just carefully spoon it off. DO NOT throw out your jar of ferment unless it stinks terribly.
Hi Maangchi,
I made this kimchi for the first time a few days ago at my boyfriend’s place (as I’m a student and my kitchen is tiny!). He got robbed into it (heheh!). It was delicious, I didn’t have a food processor so had to peel and chop all those garlics by hand – I made a mount of garlic skin on his kitchen top! For some reason the day I decided to make kimchi there was no daikon radish in any of our greengrocers or supermarkets, so I ended up just using more carrots. I also used more fish sauce instead of shrimp paste. The process was long but totally worth it though, it was the first time I ever had freshly made kimchi.My boyfriend was sulking that I made so much kimchi that the entire place just smells like kimchi (I love the stuff!), but we both agree it’s way better than any store-bought kimchi and taste just as good as the ones we had in a popular Korean place in London. I made kimchi fried rice yesterday so I think he’s happy now though hehe!
I forgot to cook the porridge mixture. Is that a problem? Can I still eat it? It’s in the fermenting process right now.
Hello. I am making this kimchi as per Maangchi recipe since several years now. I don’t think there is any problem if you didn’t cook a porridge. All other ingredients in this kimchi are uncooked anyway. It’ll just ferment nice way, I’m sure.
Good mornin Maangchi, I am from Barcelona Spain.
Please could you answer this question:
I am especially interested that the fermentation is adequate, because I want to keep it in the fridge for several months for my treatment. Could you please tell me if the traditional kimchi “Napa cabbage kimchi” also ferments with the cabbage that I can buy here in Barcelona, or just correctly fermented with the traditional Korean cabbage.
Thank you
I think it will probably be fermenting well because usually we Koreans ferment with many different kinds of vegetables. I also have a small-batch kimchi recipe made with “regular” cabbage – check it out. Are you talking about that kind of cabbage? It ferments very nicely! Good luck with making good kimchi!
When I was in Barcelona Dong Fang market had Napa. But the best choice would be Alimentación Coreana HANKUK. They should have everything that you need.
Hi Maangchi! I love your kimchi and kkakdugi! But I have good news and bad news. Good: I had a kidney transplant a few months ago. Improved health, yay! Bad: I am no longer allowed to eat ANY unpasteurized food, including fermented food like kimchi. Have you ever pasteurized your kimchi by processing it in a hot water bath (canning)? Also asking your devoted followers! Thank you! =)
Hi Maangchi! I plan to make this recipe, and I have all ingredients except for saeujeot. I went to an H-Mart, and they only had finely-ground chinese salted shrimp. It is like a shrimp paste, but the ingredients are just salt and shrimp. I would like to know if it is OK to use, or should I just skip it.
Hello Maangchi!
I know that it’s been some time since this video on YouTube was posted. Since the first time I’ve watched your video, I was looking forward on doing this. Anyway, I just followed this recipe and I made some kimchi earlier this morning. I’ve checked it this evening and I noticed that the fish sauce was separating from the kimchi. Is that normal?
Hello Maangchi!
I’m super excited to try out your kimchi recipe! However I live in a small canadian town where asian ingredients are very hard to find.
I was able to find this vietnamese shrimp paste, it looks very different from saeujeot, but do you think it could be a fine substitution ?
Thank you !!
Vietnamese fermented shrimp paste is a very different product from Korean salted fermented shrimp (Saeujeot). Try looking in the refrigerated section of the asian grocery store. If you can’t find it still, then you can skip it. Seaujeot adds a very nice element to kimchi, but you can very well skip it. Just add a little bit more fish sauce.
That’s what I ended up doing!! Thanks for the reply!
Here’s a picture of the delicious kimchi! It was my first time making it and it was delicious!
Thanks maangchi :D
Your kimchi looks perfect and well-fermented! And your dog is so cute!
Just skip the rice porridge. Except for bachelor kimchi I never use it.
If you scroll down any of Maangchi’s recipe pages, you’ll find a conversion table.
1 (American) cup equals about 240 ml.
Hi sanne,
Thank you for the reply. I will figure out why your reply didn’t go to the question. But I’m sure Mayonayys will read your comment.
Maybe I made a mistake and hit the wrong reply-button –
after all, we had a wonderful but strenuous weekend: Samulnori workshop from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, from 9 am to 6 pm; the teacher (a friend of ours, a professional Samulnori-player from Busan) stayed with us and we provided the (Korean!) food both at our home and the workshop and instruments. Car-trips to and from the studio every day too of course.
He’s back home now; I’ll ask him for the food photos he made.
Mak kimchi, kkakdugi (both vegan), bbqed mackerel, whitefish (for Good Friday), chicken-mu, andong jjim-dak (Saturday), gochujang-marinated pork with kimchi (Easter Sunday), salads, raw vegetables and greens to go with it, zucchini, shiitake and eggplants in soy-sauce, rice,…
And hoe for dinner on Good Friday at our place for our guest and us.
Hi Maangachi, what if I don’t have glutinous rice flour? Can I replace it with corn flour?
Hi Maangchi!
After years of making your recipes, we’re finally going to be able to make good and proper Kimchi!
But I have questions.
We don’t have the privilege of living near an Asian grocery store. In fact, the closest is about 5 hours away!
I cannot find sweet rice flour anywhere. I would order online, but we are planning to make very soon and can’t wait for shipping.
Also, about how much does this make in cups? I’m trying to figure out how large of a container we will need.
Thanks in advance!
You can use plain all purpose wheat flour instead of glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) to make kimchi paste. I don’t remember what size of the container I used when I made this video though.
Thank you Maangchi! We made it that time using brown rice flour, it turned out very well :) Better than the store bought ones I have tried, we ate it all up very quickly, so had to make more!
I ordered Mochiko rice flour online and we made a second batch, this time larger than the first batch we made. But something must have gone wrong and it is very sweet. It didn’t seem that sweet when we tasted it when making, but after fermenting, I used it in Kimchi Fried Rice a few times, tasted good then too. Finally I ate some plain the other day and it was so sweet I really couldn’t make myself eat it.
I’m new to fermentation, so I’m not sure if that could have had something to do with the increased sweetness or if maybe I just messed something up in the recipe.
Hi Maangchi, thank you so much for this recipe. I just wanted to ask if there is any radish that can be substituted for korean radish as I am not able to find it here in Perth. Would daikon be a good substitute or should I just skip it?
I can’t wait to make my own kimchi :)
Yes, daikon will work well, too. Check out some Korean grocery stores in your area here. https://www.maangchi.com/shopping/australia
Hi Maangchi,
I’m from NYC, I made the Kimchi follow by your recipe, but I bought the wrong pepper powder, I bought “FINE red pepper powder” , it’s not spice at all so I hurry up and buy the regular red pepper powder and add a cup into my kimchi. My question is all the red pepper powder in most of the Korean supermarket are origin from China. and I’ve seen you used Yeongyang brand in Korea, I’ve seen this Yeongyang in amazon, I want to know should I buy the mild spice or very spice for the kimchi? and also what can I do with non-spice “FINE” red pepper powder?
omg! Your kimchi looks very delicious!
I also buy Yeongyang hot pepper flakes online. My favorite flakes are medium spicy gochu-garu. But it depends on your choice. https://amzn.to/2UNeW93
“what can I do with non-spice “FINE” red pepper powder” When you make gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), you will need it. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gochujang
Thanks for your respond, the yeong yang red pepper flakes taste much better than the one that I bought from the Korean supermarket coz all of the red pepper flakes in Korean supermarkets are origin from China, i had a stomachache after I ate it, after I ate the yeong yang one and I don’t have stomachache. First,I bought medium spicy to made kimchi ,the first day it wasn’t spicy enough so I bought the extra spicy red pepper flakes right away. But after the 4th day the kimchi turns out very spicy. You’re right, medium spicy is good enough, I still didn’t open the extra spicy one yet, maybe I’ll put one cup instead of two next time. I’m your new fan and I just subscribed your channel, I already tried 7 of your recipes, it was very successful, thank you so much for your hard work. I will buy your new book once it available.
I just wanna thank you for being such an excellent teacher! Hello all the way from the Philippines! Here is a photo of my kimchi taught by you!
Hi Maangchi! I’ve been trying your recipes lately, and have enjoyed them immensly. Thank you!
I have a question about my kimchi. I just finished it tonight, and noticed it doesn’t quite look like everyone elses. My kimchi isn’t submerged in red liquid. It seems to only cover the bottom of the jar. Is that bad? Does more liquid come after it ferments, or did I do something wrong? Please let me know if it looks incorrect!
It’s my first time making kimchi, but I followed your recipe exactly! (Except for the chili amount, and yet it was still too spicy for me sadly…)
Heii Maangchi.
Is there anything you can use insted off fermented salted shrimp (saeujeot)?
I can’t find it, in any store I visit, here in DK?
Plz. help.
Regards
DK.sj
You can skip it or add a little bit of soy sauce. It will still turn out delicious!
OMG! Thank you so much for this kimchi recipe! I’ve alwaus wanted to make kimchi. I made it yesterday for the first time and we couldn’t stop eating it since. It’s a long and tedious process but it’s all worth it! Fresh kimchi is so yummy! Friends and family have been asking on how to make it so I’ve shared it with them.
I can’t wait to make more of the dishes from your video.
Hi… I try to make this but it taste weird and abit bitter. Can advise? Thanks .
Were you able to buy all the ingredients here in the phil?
Forst time to make kimchi for my family. And I am very happy that it is not only my family who liked it but also my husbands co-workers. Now it I am no longer making it just for us. Now it is also my small business. Thank you For this recipe.
Thank you Maangchi for the tasty recipes! Right now i’ve prepared my next one kimchi! it’s very delicious!
Last night i intended to make a kimchiguk for dinner but i came home much more later than expected from an after work party… really hungry so I bought a pizza on my way home and began to eat it just after i closed the door.
This all cheese pizza was great but my craving for kimchi was undeniable, I couldn’t help thinking of the kimchi in the fridge, perfectly fermented after 2 months (for me sour kimchi is the best!) so i quickly chopped 2 leaves and ate it with the cheese pizza and a bit of green tabasco …
It was incredible !!!!!
The acidity of the kimchi has a wonderful effect on hot parmigiano and gorgonzola!
I can’t describe it but i can tell you that my eyes widened :)
I definatly have to try this combination with other strong cheeses !
We ate fusion pizza in Korea a few years ago. The one with baechu kimchi in place of tomato sauce was the best!
OMG !OMG ! Now I’m sure !
I made a « raclette », a dish consisting essentially on a specific cheese melted under a grill, served with potatoes and varieties of cold cuts.
I put kimchi on the table to eat with the raclette and it turned out amazing !
Then i associated it to a maroilles (a typicall cheese from the region i come from) and this time again, amazing !
Sour Kimchi and strong, aged cheeses are positively good friends.
We have here more than a thousand types of cheeses and some of them really go well with either butter, fresh lettuce or even fruits like grapes or quinces, I have now a new association to propose.
Next time i have invited guests, kimchi will be available on the cheese platter !
Hi maangchi ,i have try making kimchi .i make small batch .this is my first try making kimchi .i love how detail your video ,recipe and tips note how to changes the ingredient if hard to find .it really help me .love to try other recipe .
Hey Maangchi!, I can’t find sweet rice flour where I live. Is there anything I can substitute it with ? :)
You can use all purpose flour! She mentioned it in the video ^^
I made this recipe for the first time a couple months ago and since then it’s become such a staple in my kitchen. I use it as an ingredient in so many different foods and I love it on its own as well. It’s so delicious and I don’t know what I would eat if I didn’t have it anymore! I just finished making enough to last me a couple months!
Hi,
This is my first time making kimchi. I started with only one napa cabbage (instead of 4), and instead of weighing the cabbage I just adjusted everything by dividing by 4. The cabbage I used is a bit bigger and I think the paste may not be enough. The kimchi has been fermenting for about 17 hours now. Can I add more paste now? Would it make a difference (better or worse)??
See attached picture (it’s been fermenting for 17 hours)
Thanks,
Amir
Hello, I wanted to ask u that can I use table salt instead of kosher salt and soya sauce instead of fish sauce and kashmiri red chilli powder instead of gochugaru? Plz let me know!!!
Dear Isha, you can leave out fish sauce but soy sauce can’t be a replacement for it, also because soysauce contains a lot more salt than fish sauce and as such I know of recipes where they have used soysauce. But be careful about the salt content. You can replace red chilli powder with one available.
Hey. Norie from NYC here. I watch all of your videos on Youtube and use your recipes all the time. I made this Kimchi yesterday. Checked it today and it smells and looks great. I am huge fan!
Hi Norienu! What brand and size is that container? Your Kimchi looks really good.
Hi Maangchi, I feel so stupid, I didn’t read the last part and I put the kimchi right after making it in the fridge. I made the kimchi on sundayevening and now it is tuesday morning. I put the kimchi out of the fridge now, will my kimchi fail? Or do you recommend to keep it in the fridge?
Hi Ali,
During the summer I made Mak Kimchi from Maangchi- it is just with cut cabbage and a quicker process. I am making it again now. It was great. I want you to know that we put it ALL except for 1 jar in the fridge. It just slows the fermentation process. You can take it out to ferment to your liking and then put it in the fridge. But if you want it to last a while like we did just take some out to ferment and refrigerate the rest. Put the fermented portion back in the fridge as soon as you like the flavor, then eat it soon. Remember to use something to keep the kimchi below the liquid so it stays crunchy and doesn’t get moldy.
How long can keep it in the refrigerator?
We made some this summer and put it all in the fridge right away. We take a jar out for a few days to ferment to our liking and then we put it back in and use that one to eat. Then we do the same with the next jar. It lasted since summer and stayed crunchy and yummy. 6 months.
Hi, I am having trouble finding Turbinado sugar and I was wondering what I could use instead? Thank you
You can use just white or brown sugar.
Hi Maangchi ! Love from Indonesia :)
I really like your blog. I used to buy ready to eat kimchi, but now i think i wanna make it myself. I hv a question, what cup do you use for measuring ? Or can you convert 1 cup = ?? ml ..?
And why use kosher salt ? Can i make it with table salt instead ?
Thank you :)
My cup is 240 ml. And check out my salt story about my salt! https://www.maangchi.com/blog/using-salt
Thank you so much Maangchi ❤️
Hi Maangchi,
Is it possible if you could please make the kimchi with RAW fish or cooked beef that you mentioned in your video? I looked for a recipe but didn’t get anywhere. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your cooking and your recipes!!!!!
Thank you ♀️
Hi,
It is not common to use cooked beef in kimchi but people do make it that way. The beef is usually braised and sliced, then placed in the cabbage leaf along with the rest of the filling. The stock from the beef would be used for the porriage. Also, raw fish or oysters are used in kimchi. Most of the time they are in whole, meaning not chopped up just cleaned and gutted. There are many korean side dishes that are fermented seafood so it is not uncommon.
Thanks,
Yong
Thank you Yong for replying!
It was really helpful.
I have a follow up question regarding of using raw fish. Is there any specific fish that’s common to use or any fish can be used? I appreciate if you could give me some direction please.
Also to clarify, even though the beef is cooked to use in the kimchi making, does it need to wait till spring? I am not sure how long the fermentation takes if I use the meat.
Thank you so much!!!
RoRo from Michigan
P.S. ever since I made kimchi using Maangchi’s recipe, the kimchies at store taste soooooo not good!!
Thank you again
Hi,
The raw fish used is depended on the region but most commonly pollock, flounder, and Largehead hairtail are put in kimchi. They are chopped up in a bite-size and mixed with the filling of kimchi. I personally have not made with raw fish and I don’t feel comfortable using it but I am willing to try differently fermented fish.
For the beef kimchi, I’m guessing you can start eating right away just like normal kimchi.
Thank you for being so interested in a part of Korean culture,
Yong