Kimchi / Kimkraut

Kimchi is a Korean side dish made by fermenting vegetables with spices. Rather than sourcing the typical Korean spices and vegetables I used more easily available items, making this a spicy sauerkraut / western kimchi. A kimkraut.

Ingredients

Main ingredients

  • 803g white cabbage
  • 24g salt (15g per 500g cabbage)
  • 5 spring onion (~55g)
  • 1 carrot (~74g)
  • Jars

Sauce ingredients

  • 40g garlic
  • 23g ginger
  • 20g brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon chipotle chilli
  • 2 teaspoon cayenne chilli
  • 2 teaspoon rice wine
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon onion granules

Directions

  1. Remove the first couple outer leaves of the cabbage and keep to the side. Slice the remaining inner core into thin strips.
  2. Rinse cabbage and layer into a bowl with the salt. Thoroughly mix.
  3. Leave the cabbage for atleast 6 hours for the water to sweat out. Mix occassionally.
  4. Pour off the brine that’s been sweated out of the cabbage. Keep it to one side in case you need some later.
  5. Rinse cabbage and soak in water for 10mins then drain. This will help reduce the saltyness.
  6. Chop up remaining vegetables. Use a peeler or mandolin to slice up the carrot and cut the spring onion into 1in lengths.
  7. Mix the sauce ingredients all together.
  8. Mix sauce, cabbage, and other vegetables thoroughly.
  9. After having cleaned and sterilized your jars, carefully spoon the kimkraut into them leaving some headroom.
  10. Once the jars are filled lightly press down and top up the liquid with the brine you placed to one side so that everything is covered and submerged. Use the outer cabbage leaves you set aside to keep everything submerged.
  11. Cover the jars either cheesecloth or a lid balanced on top but do not seal airtight as the jars could explode.
  12. Leave the jars somewhere at room temp. Check every day for the first week to make sure everything is still submerged, press down to help release any trapped bubbles, scoop off any floating scum. If anything looks mouldy or foul discard and start again.
  13. After a couple days you should see bubbles which is a sign of the fermentation. After 2 weeks it’ll be ready to eat but typically 8 weeks will have a better end result. Just depends on how you like it.