Recipe: How to make your own kimchi

Kimchi is the Korean national dish. The fermented vegetables are a must at every meal.

Every family in Korea has its own recipe for kimchi. When Chinese cabbage is fermented, it is a communal culinary event. Asian food blogger Stefan Leistner prepares it as follows:

Ingredients:

・800 g Chinese cabbage
・50 g salt
・1 small daikon radish or alternatively
・300-400 g white radish
・2 spring onions
・2 garlic cloves
・2 pieces of thumb-sized ginger
・2 tbsp gochujaru (red chilli flakes)
・2 tbsp gochujang (hot chilli paste)
・4 tbsp fish sauce
・1 tbsp coconut blossom sugar
・1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
・1 tsp toasted sesame oil

And this is how it's done:

1. Rinse the Chinese cabbage, cut off the bottom stalk a little, then cut the cabbage into quarters lengthways. Salt the leaves and leave to rest for 30-60 minutes in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Turn several times.

2. Chop the daikon, spring onions, garlic and ginger into small pieces and mix with the chilli flakes, gochujang, fish sauce and sugar by hand to make a smooth paste.

3. Rub the paste between the cabbage leaves, place back in the container and leave to rest at room temperature.

4. After 1-2 days, fermentation begins and the kimchi develops a strong odour. It is best to refrigerate. The container should be tightly closed, but should also be opened briefly from time to time. This prevents air from entering from the outside, but allows any gases to escape.

5. Kimchi tastes great with a little roasted sesame and a few drops of roasted sesame oil. Well-fermented kimchi can also be used to make kimchijeon (kimchi pancakes).