Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (2024)

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (1)Pin

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Want to make home made kimchi? Here’s an easy recipe to follow.

While my mom was in town this month, she taught me how to make her kimchi recipe. I’ve been feeling an urgency to learn the basics, because I never know when I’ll have the chance again. I can always go off of recipes online, but it can never match the same nostalgic taste of a Korean home cooked meal growing up.

P.S. I started a new recipe blog with my mom calledMom’s Korean Recipes.

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (2)Pin

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Last Updated: August 31, 2023

Content Menu

  • Kimchi Recipe Ingredients
  • Directions on How to Make Kimchi
  • Chef’s Notes
  • More Korean Recipes

Mom’s Authentic Kimchi Recipe

A friend of ours recently documented her grandmother’s life story on video, and it made me wish I had done that for my grandma before her Alzheimer’s set in. It’s been really hard to shake the fact that life is so temporary.

All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off.”

I used to be impatient about life and be anxious about what’s coming next, but now I feel like everything is passing by so fast. I regret not sitting down with my grandmother to hear her stories. Not just stories of her being a grandmother, but ones as a mother, as a wife, and as a child. I often forget that she once was like me, too.

It also seems that with each passing generation that is raised in the States, we lose more of the stories, we lose more of our culture, and we lose our family recipes.

I’m what they call a 1.5 generation, but probably closer to second generation since I moved to the U.S. when I was two and a half. I hardly speak Korean anymore and don’t cook much Korean food. Making my mom’s kimchi was abucket listitem that I’ve been putting off for a long time, but this month we decided to make it happen!

Kimchi Ingredients

  • One napa cabbage
  • 2 tablespoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon ofsweet rice flour
  • 1/2 cup ofKorean hot chili pepper flakes
  • 4 tablespoon fish sauce (my mom lovesthis onebest)
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 green onions
  • 1/4 medium-sized onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp of ginger, minced

Pro Tip: Use gloves to keep your hands from getting stained.

See More: Korean Banchan Dried Squid Recipe

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (3)Pin

Directions for Making Kimchi

  1. Dissolve salt in 1 and 1/2 cups of water.
  2. Chop up napa cabbage and soak in salt water for 3-4 hours or until soft. (Can take up to 6 hrs.)
  3. To make the paste, add the sweet rice flour and one cup of water to a pot.
  4. Put over medium heat and continue to stir until thickened (about 5 mins).
  5. Transfer paste to a large bowl and add the korean chili pepper flakes, fish sauce, and sugar.
  6. Mix well and let the paste cool.
  7. Add green onions, onions, garlic, and ginger to the paste and mix.
  8. Once the cabbage is soft, remove from salt water and rinse thoroughly (we rinsed 3x).
  9. Massage paste into the cabbage and store in a jar.
  10. Serve immediately if you like fresh kimchi. If you like it more fermented, wait until it fits your tastes.

If you need to see a more detailed process through photos here they are:

Step 2:This is the chopped napa cabbage.

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (4)

Soak the napa cabbage until it’s soft and limp like the photo below.

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (5)

Step 4:This is what the rice flour paste looks after you stir it over heat.

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (6)

Step 7:All the ingredients mixed into the paste.

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (7)

Step 9:This is what it looks like to massage the paste into the kimchi.

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (8)Pin

Chef’s Notes

  • If you don’t like your kimchi really spicy, put less hot chili pepper flakes. I put double the amount my mom puts in (1 cup). She likes her food milder while nothing tastes too spicy for me.
  • Depending on the size of the napa cabbage, you might not need to use all the paste. If you have extra paste, you can make cucumber kimchi or try mixing it into other veggies.
  • Whenever you take out any kimchi, press down the remaining kimchi and submerge it in the liquid, or the kimchi will become very bitter and alter the flavor.

Do you like how I put them in mason jars? It’s my Korean heritage combined with twelve years of living in the South. ;)

Let me know if there was anything confusing about the recipe, and I can try to clarify. If you end up making it, let me know how you like it! Do you have any family favorite recipes that you’ve learned lately or want to learn?

Kimchi is definitely an acquired taste. One that Jacob has not acquired yet. haha

See More: Korean Chicken Soup Recipe

More Korean Recipes

  • How to Make Korean Cucumber Side
  • Korean Perilla Leaf Kimchi Recipe
  • How to Make Beef Bulgogi
  • Korean Spicy Rice Cake Recipe
  • How to Make Doenjang Stew

Have you tried kimchi before? What did you think? Have you tried making kimchi before? Would love to hear what you think if you try this kimchi recipe.

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Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.

Follow on Instagram (E + J), YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest.

Tags: Asian Recipes, Banchan Recipes, Korean Food Recipes, Tried and True Recipes

Mom's Kimchi Recipe | Korean Food 김치 (2024)

FAQs

How long to salt cabbage for kimchi? ›

The vegetables need to soak in saltwater for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight. The kimchi can sit at room temperature for up to 2 days and is ready to eat after 2 to 3 days. For longer fermentation, refrigerate. It is best eaten within a month.

What is kimchi good to eat with? ›

As the national dish of South Korea, kimchi is a staple in kitchens around the world. This fermented cabbage dish can be served as a side dish, over a bed of rice, folded into scrambled eggs, whirred into tomato sauce, or even just eaten as is.

How long does homemade kimchi need to ferment? ›

How long does it take to make Kimchi? Allow 1 hour to prepare the kimchi and get it in the fermentation jar. Plus 4 hours waiting while the vegetables salt. It takes 5-10 days to ferment depending on room temperature.

How long does kimchi last in the fridge? ›

If you have store-bought kimchi that's been opened, it will be good for 3-4 days at room temperature and up to 6 months when refrigerated. Signs of your kimchi going bad include mold growth, an alcoholic smell, and an extremely sour taste.

What happens when you start eating kimchi everyday? ›

Specific kimchi types also showed a positive effect. Three or more daily servings of cabbage kimchi among men was associated with a 10% lower prevalence of overall obesity as well as a 10% lower prevalence of abdominal obesity compared to those who ate less than one serving daily.

Is it OK to eat kimchi before bed? ›

Eating prebiotics such as yogurt, sauerkraut or kimchi before bedtime could help overcome your insomnia, a new study has discovered. Compounds in prebiotics help restore deep sleep known as non-REM (rapid eye movement) and REM sleep, which reduces stress.

What time of day should I eat kimchi? ›

The best time to eat kimchi for gut health is during a meal, preferably with foods that are rich in fiber. Including kimchi as a side dish with your lunch or dinner can be beneficial. Kimchi is a fermented food that contains probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that support gut health.

Do you rinse cabbage after salting for kimchi? ›

Rinse cabbage pieces 3 to 4 times with cold water to rinse away the salt, then place in a colander to drain out excess water from the cabbage for at least 30 minutes. 3. Prepare seasonings: a. Add sweet rice flour to ½ cup water in small saucepan.

Which salt is best for kimchi? ›

Almost all Koreans use sea salt for making kimchi, fish sauce, hot pepper paste (gochujang), and fermented bean paste (doenjang), and a less granular Korean brand for everything else. When I lived in Korea, I did too. I would buy a big straw sack of sea salt that would last a year.

Can I add sugar to my kimchi? ›

Add the garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce, shrimp paste, or water and stir into a smooth paste. Stir in the gochugaru, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons); set aside until the cabbage is ready. Combine the vegetables and spice paste.

Does kimchi help with belly fat? ›

Men who ate more than three serves a day of cabbage kimchi (baechu) were less likely to have obesity and abdominal obesity (excess fat deposits around their middle). And women who ate two to three serves a day of baechu were less likely to have obesity and abdominal obesity.

Should I eat kimchi on an empty stomach? ›

In short: it depends. Generally speaking, if your gut is in good shape and your body typically responds well to fermented foods, eating them on an empty stomach should be completely fine. “Fermented foods are typically fine to eat on an empty stomach since they help to support digestion,” Greenfield says.

Is kimchi better hot or cold? ›

You can eat kimchi straight out of the fridge, or you can throw it in a small skillet and heat it up with 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of vegetable oil. It tastes great both ways! Some people prefer the cold, spicy taste, while others find the tangy texture best when heated up.

What is kimchi and how is it made? ›

Kimchi can be made from a variety of vegetables, and even fruits, but the most recognized version — baechu kimchi — is made with cabbage. Alongside cabbage, it often contains radishes, scallions, carrots, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and other flavorings. Kimchi has a sour, salty, savory, and often fiery taste.

What is kimchi made of recipe? ›

What Is Kimchi Made Of? This recipe starts with two heads of napa cabbage. Rubbing the cabbage with coarse sea salt draws out the excess moisture, extends the shelf life, and adds flavor. You'll also need fish sauce, green onions, white onion, garlic, white sugar, ground ginger, and gochugaru.

What are the raw materials for kimchi? ›

Raw materials used to make these kimchi are listed in Table 2. Vegetables most frequently used to make kimchi are cabbage, radish, young radish, cucumber, etc. Important spices used to prepare kimchi are green onion, garlic, red pepper powder, ginger, leek, mustard, black pepper, onion, and cinnamon.

What are the main components of kimchi? ›

Kimchi is a Korean traditional fermented vegetable made from Chinese cabbage (beachu), radish, green onion, red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, and fermented seafood (jeotgal), which is traditionally made at home and served as a side dish at meals.

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