Easy Homemade Kimchi

Wash Nappa cabbage. Quarter the head of cabbage. Mix together 2 quarts of bottled water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Place the cabbage into a large bin and pour the saltwater brine over the cabbage. Allow to soak for 3 hours to overnight at room temperature. This will pull some of the water out of the cabbage.

When cabbage is done soaking in the brine, rinse it off, dry it, cabbage will be slightly wilted, this is normal. Start on the kimchi paste. In a blender combine 1 roughly chopped white onion, 8-10 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of gochugaru, 1/2 to 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt and 1/4 cup of peeled and roughly chopped ginger. Blend on high until a paste forms.

Chop the green onions, dark portions only and rough chop the Nappa cabbage.

In a large bowl add some of the kimchi paste. Next add the chopped Nappa cabbage and green onions. Layer more of the kimchi paste onto the vegetables and mix with gloved hands. Gently squeeze the cabbage as you mix it.

Place the kimchi into glass jars with a sealable lid, packing them down firmly. The fermentation process produces a small amount of gas, so leave a few inches of headroom or headspace between the kimchi and the top of the jar. This way it won't bubble over, or pop open the jar. Seal it tightly! Allow the kimchi to sit at room temperature for 2 days, free of sunlight. After 2 days transfer the kimchi to the refrigerator. Kimchi will be ready to eat in 1 to 2 weeks and can be kept in the refrigerator for months. You can eat and enjoy this kimchi as soon as it is mixed up but it's better if you wait!

Enjoy!