Kimchi Recipe (AKA Korean Sauerkraut)

This is the recipe I use to make my Kimchi.  As with everything I do, there were slight variations and alterations -left out the radish and used less salt for example.  Mine did fine in a tightly sealed mason jar -no airlock- though when I opened it on day 3, there was definitely good pressure.  (Oxygen in ferments can reduce the amount of probiotic benefit so try not to open them.)

Recipe is from my constant go-to book (and what I keep falling back to whenever I start looking at other nutritional diets and such):

Korean Sauerkraut/Kimchi

Makes 2 quarts

1    head cabbage (Napa), cored and shredded

1    bunch green onions, chopped

1    cup carrots, grated

1/2 cup daikon radish, grated (optional)

1    tablespoon ginger -freshly grated

3    cloves garlic -peeled and minced

1/2  teaspoon dried chili flakes

1    tablespoon sea salt

4    tablespoons whey (if not available, use extra 1 TBSP sea salt)

Place vegetables, ginger, garlic, red chili flakes, sea salt and whey in a large bowl and pound with a wooden pounder or meat hammer to release juices.  Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage.  The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar.  Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

My notes:

I shredded my carrots and it worked fine but I think finer pieces would have tasted better.  

I do use whey in mine so can not say how it would taste with the extra salt instead.  

Make sure your bowl has as flat of a bottom as possible and if it is plastic, be careful as you pound the mix.  I cracked two of my plastic bowls so far from the meat hammer hitting the sides -oi!  

After pressing it into the jars as much as I can with the hammer, I then use my hand to press it again and level out the top.  Make sure your hands are very clean first!

The plastic mason jar lids work for this but I think I recommend using the two piece tops -with a ring- so that should too much pressure form, it will press up the top rather than blowing the glass jar.  (A 

Fido Jarwould be awesome for this and will be what I use next time.)  
You can use smaller amounts and do more jars if you need to -4 pints for example.  Follow all the same instructions.