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Kimchi cut into bite-size pieces, coated in red seasoning, in a bowl

Easy Mak Kimchi Recipe

An easy mak kimchi recipe — cut-cabbage kimchi that salts fast and skips the leaf-by-leaf work. Honestly a shortcut, and a very good one, in about 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium napa cabbage, about 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb, cut into bite-size pieces before salting
  • 1/4 cup / 60 g coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup / 60 ml gochugaru, Korean chili flakes
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar, or honey
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 3 scallions, cut into 2 cm lengths
  • 1 small carrot, julienned, optional Substitute: a handful of julienned radish, for a sharper bite

Method
 

  1. Cut the cabbage into bite-size pieces first — roughly 3 to 4 cm squares — before it touches any salt. Small pieces salt through in a fraction of the time whole leaves need.
  2. Toss the cut cabbage with the salt in a large bowl, massaging it in lightly, and let it sit 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
  3. Rinse the salted cabbage twice in cold water and drain well in a colander, pressing gently to remove excess water.
  4. While it drains, stir together the gochugaru, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl to make the seasoning paste.
  5. Combine the drained cabbage, scallions, and carrot in a large bowl. Add the paste and toss by hand — gloved, if you'd rather not smell like chili for the rest of the day — until every piece is coated.
  6. Pack the seasoned kimchi into a clean container, pressing down so the liquid it releases rises to cover the solids.
  7. Leave it at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours to start fermenting, then refrigerate. It's ready to eat within a few hours, and better after a day or two.