Cabbage Kimchi fermented in Mason jars for a fresher and brighter taste. Better monitoring of the fermentation process with less guess work.
When someone mentions kimchi, most people will think of the red and spicy Cabbage Kimchi even though there are many varieties of this fermented vegetable. Today, this kimchi has become so popular that you can even find it at regular grocery stores in the United States. They are sold in little jars and are great for people who are new to kimchi and wish to try it for the first time.
Once you are hooked on Cabbage Kimchi, you may want to get larger jars at Asian markets or better still, make your own at home. In my opinion, homemade is the best because you can tailor it exactly to your taste buds! 😉
Mason Jar Fermentation Method For Making Cabbage Kimchi
Over the past years I have made different kinds of kimchi using the “regular” method with different sizes of jars that I have saved. The amount of vegetables are different and so the fermentation times may vary. You can see the list here. Since I started this Mason jar fermentation method with my first batch of Bavarian Style Wine Kraut, I wanted to try it with kimchi.
I am happy to say that I have made both this spicy Cabbage Kimchi and White Cabbage Kimchi with great success.
This method is great because it reduces the guess work involved.
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1. I can better control the salt content and the amount of ingredients used per jar yielding a more consistent result each time.
2. The fermentation process can be monitored more effectively with “signs” to look out for.
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(a) Cabbage swelling
(b) Visible pockets of gas
(c) Visible bubbles in the brine.
3. These smaller jars lead to shorter fermentation time.
4. A fresher and brighter tasting kimchi.
Please note that the fermentation of this spicy Cabbage Kimchi with gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) produces significantly less bubbles than the White Cabbage Kimchi. It also appears to be a little less juicy, i.e. it has a little less brine.
Preparing The Napa Cabbage
For making kimchi, the Napa cabbage is usually pull apart from a slit in the base. This prevents the shredding of the inner leaves.
Salting The Cabbage For Cabbage Kimchi
Do not cut them into little pieces but salt them in quarters. You can read more about why the cabbage is salted here. After leaving the salted cabbage for 6 to 8 hours, you can see water in the bowl and the cabbage appears wilted. Then, you want to give it a good rinse to remove as much of the salt as possible and allow it to drain thoroughly.
Cutting The Salted Cabbage into Smaller Pieces
Cut the salted cabbage into bite size pieces and transfer them to a large bowl. Add julienned carrots, Korean radish, and green onions. Sprinkle minced garlic, ginger, pickling& canning salt (if using), sugar, and gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) over the vegetables.
Massaging The Cabbage To Release Its Brine
Put on a pair of food prep gloves and mix, toss, and massage shredded cabbage and vegetables to incorporate the salt and red pepper powder well. At this stage, the red pepper powder will still look like “flakes”. Continue to mix the cabbage and vegetables with a wooden tamper/pounder until vegetables are wilted and juicy. Now, you will see that the red pepper powder will no longer look like flakes but has become a red sauce.
Packing The Jars
Now, it is time to pack the cabbage and vegetables into sterilized jars. Place a cut-out cabbage circle on the surface of shredded vegetables to prevent little bits from floating up and a weight on the top to keep everything submerged in the brine. Wipe the top of the jar clean with a piece of paper towel and cap it with a silicone fermentation lid and plastic band.
If you do not have silicone fermentation lids, you will have to burp your ferment to prevent an explosion. You may also have to leave your lids slightly loose to let CO₂ (carbon dioxide) escape, which means keeping a closer eye for oxygen contamination and brine loss.
Place jars on a tray in case the brine overflows and transfer to a cool dark place to ferment. Ideally, the temperature in that place should be between between 60⁰F and 70⁰F / 15⁰C and 21⁰C.
Fermentation
Fermentation should start to occur within two days. In this case, you may or may not see bubbles but you will see visible pockets of gas within the tightly packed cabbage and vegetables.
Taste Test
On the third day, do a taste test. The cabbage should have a bright and tangy flavor of lactic acid. If you are satisfied with the taste, you can screw on plastic Mason jar lids and transfer the jars to the refrigerator for 4 to 6 months.
Similar Tools Used in This Cabbage Kimchi
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit
Masontops 8 PC Pickle Pebbles Glass Weight & Pickle Pipes Airlock Kits, Regular Mouth
Ball Regular Mouth Quart 12 Pieces Jars (32oz)
Ball Regular Mouth Mason Jars with Lids and Bands, (Quart, 32 Ounce) (Pack of 4)
Masontops Regular Mouth Mason Jar Screw Bands
Ball Leak-Proof Plastic Lids for Glass Mason Jars, (Regular Mouth, Pack of 6)
Granite Ware 7.5 Qt Strainer Pot with lid.
Cabbage Kimchi
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large Napa cabbage (4 lbs/1.8 kg)
- 2 tbsp coarse salt
- 2 medium carrots (julienned) (4 oz/112g)
- 4 oz Korean radish ( julienned) (112g)
- 4 green onions (cut into 2-inch lengths and thinly sliced lengthwise)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (minced)
- 1¼ tsp pickling & canning salt ** (optional)
- 1¼ tsp sugar
- ⅔ cup Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru) (68g)
Instructions
- Cut through the base of the cabbage and pull apart to split in half. Then, cut through each half at the base and pull apart to split into quarters. Rinse under running water and drain. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle salt evenly over cabbage leaves, lifting leaves to sprinkle salt in between leaves. Cover and leave overnight (6 to 8 hours).
- Drain and rinse cabbage really well under running water. Taste the cabbage. If it is still too salty, soak in water for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible from the cabbage. Continue to drain in colander for 30 minutes.
- Wash jars in warm, soapy water. Place the washed jars in a deep pot or canner. Fill the jars up to the top and the canner up to the same level as the jars with water. Cover the canner and bring water to a simmer (with small bubbles).
- Wash metal bands and silicone fermentation lids with warm soapy water. Drop the metal bands (but not the silicone fermentation lids) into the canner together with the jars. When ready to use, take them out from the canner with a pair of tongs. Dry them with a clean towel. If you are using plastic bands, wash them with warm soapy water but do not drop into canner.
- Cut off the core from each cabbage quarter. Then, cut crosswise into ¾ inch wide slices. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add julienned carrot, Korean radish, and green onions. Sprinkle minced garlic, ginger salt (if using), sugar, and Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru) over the vegetables.
- Put on a pair of food prep gloves and mix, toss, and massage shredded cabbage and vegetables to incorporate the salt and red pepper powder well. This will take some work, about 4 to 5 minutes, and you should see some juices/brine being released. Use a wooden tamper/pounder to pound and mix the cabbage and vegetables for another 4 to 5 minutes until vegetables are wilted and juicy.
- Pack cabbage and vegetables into prepared jars with a couple of handfuls of cabbage at a time. Use wooden tamper/pounder to pack it down firmly. Continue adding and packing down the cabbage until the jar is filled to just below the shoulder. The brine should rise up to the top. Do not overfill jar.
- Place a cut-out cabbage circle on the surface of shredded cabbage to prevent little bits from floating up. Place a weight on the top to keep the shredded cabbage submerged in the brine.
- Wipe the inside of the jar that is not filled and the rim of the jar. Place a silicone fermentation lid on the rim, and secure with a Mason jar band. Place jars on a tray just in case the brine overflows the jar. Transfer to a cool, dark place to ferment with preferably an ambient temperature between 60⁰F and 70⁰F / 15⁰C and 21⁰C.
- Fermentation should begin within 2 days. As it proceeds, you will notice these changes:a. The cabbage and vegetables swell up so that the brine almost touches the lid.b. Pockets of gas appear in the cabbage.c. Bubbles appear on the surface of the brine.d. A sulfurous aroma emitting from the jar.
Taste Test
- After 3 days, open the jar, remove the weight and cut-out cabbage circle, and have a taste. The cabbage should be nearly translucent by now. The salty flavor should have diminished and be replaced with a bright and tangy flavor of the lactic acid.
- If you feel that the taste of the Cabbage Kimchi is to your liking, screw on a plastic Mason jar lid and store in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions for Cabbage Kimchi
You can serve Cabbage Kimchi with any rice meals as a condiment or side dish. We do this often at our home. 😉
Of late, we have also enjoyed it with my homemade version of Bibimbap which I will share with you soon.
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