Fresh Pepper Kimchi
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
quart
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Ingredients
- 1 medium head napa cabbage
- salt
- 8 ounces fresh mild or hot peppers of choice de-stemmed, de-seeded, and roughly chopped (you should have about 2 cups)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
- 7 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
- 2-4 tablespoons rice vinegar see story above for more details
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Start by preparing the napa cabbage: trim the root end and then slice in half length-wise. Turn cabbage cut side down and slice thinly cross-wise. Weigh the prepared cabbage and add 3.5% salt by weight (see story above for more details). My trimmed cabbage weighed 1 pound 6 ounces to which I added 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon canning salt. Massage the cabbage and salt together until the cabbage has wilted and it has released it's moisture. Set aside.
- Add the remaining ingredients to a food processor, starting with 2 tablespoons of vinegar, adding more if necessary, to create a pesto-like paste. Add paste to the cabbage and mix well to combine.
- Pack into a quart-sized canning jar by adding a small amount of the cabbage mixture at a time and packing down with the back of a large spoon before repeating the process. Run a skewer around the jar to release any air bubbles. Weigh down the cabbage to ensure it is completely submerged under the liquid (see story above for more details).
- Set aside to ferment - the time will depend on the temperature of your space along with your taste preferences. Taste it often to decide when it is finished (I let mine ferment for 1 week). Transfer to the refrigerator and eat within a couple of months.
Recipe Notes
The pepper paste is adapted from Gjelina: Cooking From Venice, California.