AMAZING Korean Kimchi!

Making a lot of Kimchi for a year (Kimjang)

Making a lot of Kimchi, Kimjang

Hello everyone! Hope you are doing very well! Today, I’ll show you how to make the kimchi that our family will eat for the next year. In Korea, families gather in late autumn or early winter for Kimjang, a tradition of making a big batch of kimchi together. Hope you enjoy!

For Brining Ingredients:

40 heads large napa cabbages (6-7 pounds each)
28 pounds (13 kg) coarse sea salt
26 gallons (100 liters) water

For Broth:

3 quarts (3 liters) water
½ medium radish
1 apple
8 dried mushrooms
1 onion
3 stalks green onions
1 cup dried anchovies
3 large pieces dried kelp

For Sweet Rice Porridge:

5 cups soaked and rinsed sweet rice
Water to cook into thick porridge

For Seasoning:

2 medium radishes
3 large Korean pears
4 onions
8 pounds (3.6 kg) Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
14 cups fish sauce
3 cups salted shrimp (saeujeot)
4 cups minced garlic
¾ cup minced ginger
½ cup (120 ml) honey
3 tablespoons salt (to taste)

For Vegetables:

2 pounds (900 g) green onions
1 pound (450 g) large green onions
2 pounds red mustard leaves (honggat)

Step 1. Prepare the Cabbage:

Cut each cabbage in half and make a small slit in the middle.

Prepare a brine by mixing 10 cups of water with 1 cup of coarse sea salt for each cabbage. You'll need about 100 liters (26 gallons) of water and 13 kg (28 pounds) of salt for 40 cabbages.

Soak the cabbage in the brine and sprinkle salt between the layers. Brine for 10 hours, flipping once.

Step 2. Rinse and Drain:

Rinse the brined cabbage thoroughly in clean water three times.

Drain in a colander for a few hours.

Step 3. Make the Broth:

Boil 3 liters of water with half a radish, 1 apple, 8 dried mushrooms, 1 onion, 3 green onions, 1 cup of dried anchovies, and 3 large pieces of kelp. Simmer for 20 minutes, strain, and let cool.

Step 4. Make Sweet Rice Porridge:

Cook 5 cups of soaked sweet rice with water until it becomes porridge. Cool it.

Step 5. Prepare Vegetables and Seasoning:

Finely chop green onions, mustard leaves, and blend radish, pear, and onion with the prepared broth.

Mix blended ingredients with 8 pounds of red pepper flakes, 4 bottles of fish sauce, 3 cups of salted shrimp, 4 cups of minced garlic, ¾ cup of minced ginger, ½ cup of honey, and the sweet rice porridge. Adjust seasoning to taste (3 tablespoons of salt). Add the chopped green onions, large green onions, and red mustard leaves.