Having trouble finding Napa cabbage for kimchi? Kimchi can be made easily at home with regular cabbage. With a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a jar of flavorful kimchi ready to enjoy.
Green Cabbage Kimchi
Sometimes, napa cabbage is hard to find for making kimchi. When that happens, I just use green cabbage instead, and it works great!
Kimchi is one of my favorite Korean side dishes because it pairs so well with everything—rice, bread, ramen, you name it.
I usually make a big batch of kimchi at home, so it lasts for a while. The recipe is simple, with just a few ingredients, but it always turns out delicious.
If you’re looking for an easy homemade kimchi recipe, this step-by-step guide will teach you how to make tasty green cabbage kimchi in no time.
Ingredients
Vegetables: Green cabbage, Onion, Ginger, Garlic and Apple.
Seasoning: Salt and red chili pepper flakes.
This homemade vegetarian kimchi recipe requires just seven ingredients. If you prefer, you can add fish sauce for extra flavor.
Instructions
- Wash the cabbage properly and cut it into halves.
- Then, onion and apple into halves and the ginger and garlic into pieces.
Tips: If you prefer, can chop cabbage into small pieces.
- The next step is to add salt to the cabbage and let it sit for one hour and thirty minutes.
- After an hour and thirty minutes, squeeze the water, rinse it with cold water, and set it aside in a bowl or a strainer.
- Add chopped apple, garlic, ginger, onion, and water to the blender.
- Blend it for 20-30 seconds until you see a fine paste.
- Transfer the paste to a bowl and add chili flakes and salt (as per taste). Mix everything well.
Tips: To blend evenly, shake it for ten seconds after blending for a few seconds. Otherwise, it will be difficult to blend in one go.
- Next, add chopped cabbage one by one. Mix everything well.
- Transfer the kimchi to an airtight container. Let it stay at room temperature for a week before tasting, and then transfer it to the fridge.
Tips: If you prefer a stronger, more sour flavor, you can allow the kimchi to ferment for longer. Remember that the longer it ferments, the sourer it becomes. Also, kimchi can be stored in the refrigerator for several months, even if it is still fermented!
Serving Suggestions
You can pair kimchi with rice or fried rice, and it also goes great with ramen or noodles on top. Don’t forget about grilled meat either!
Basically, you can add kimchi to just about anything, whether it’s a main dish or a side dish. Enjoy it however you prefer!
Other Recipes
Is It Cheaper To Make Your Own Kimchi?
Yes, making kimchi at home is way more cost-effective. I used to buy kimchi from a Korean store, and it added up. I add kimchi to most of my meals, and the jar (450g) would last about a week, which got pretty expensive.
Since I started making my own, I haven’t gone back to store-bought. The only pricey ingredient is red chili pepper flakes, but even those are under $10 for a pound and last a long time. So, it’s really not that costly.
For less than $10, you can make enough kimchi to last for months. If you make a batch once, it can last you an entire month.
Plus, making your own kimchi means you control the ingredients and can customize it to your liking. If you’re a kimchi lover, you should definitely give homemade a try.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1½ lb green cabbage ( 7 ½cup of chopped cabbage)
- 1 apple
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 4 garlic
- 1 onion Medium size
Seasoning
- 3 tbsp red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp salt for brining
Water
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Cut green cabbage into halves, and wash it well. Cut into medium size.1½ lb green cabbage
- Add one tablespoon of salt to the cabbage and let it sit for an hour and thirty minutes.1 tbsp salt for brining
- After one and a half hours, release excess water by squeezing and rinsing it with cold water.
- Add chopped apple, ginger, garlic, onion, and water to the mixer. Blend it until you see a fine paste.1 apple, 1 tbsp ginger, 4 garlic, 1 onion, 4 tbsp water
- Transfer the paste to the bowl.
- Add red chili pepper flakes and salt (as per taste) to the bowl. Combine everything well.3 tbsp red chili pepper flakes
- Then, add cabbage to the bowl one by one and mix everything well.
- Finally, transfer to the air-tight container and let it sit for a week in room temperature then refrigerate it.
Notes
Nutrition
If you tried this recipe, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. If you liked it, remember to rate the recipe. Your feedback helps other readers decide if they want to make this recipe. Thank you!