Ingredients

  • 1 Chinese cabbage
  • Salt
  • 10 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp rice powder
  • 2 to 4 tbsp dried and ground chili
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ apple, peeled and cored
  • 5 cm ginger, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 2 pieces roasted paprika, from a jar
  • Fish sauce to taste
  • ½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
  • 4 spring onion stems, in rings
  • 2 preserving jars, sterilized

If there is one must-have addition to your Asian meal, it's kimchi. Especially if, like me, you're up for a flavour challenge. Kimchi is far from boring, because, man, a lot happens in your mouth when you take a bite. Salty, spicy, and tart. Delicious!

This fermented vegetable dish originates from Korea and is now not to be missed in my kitchen. There's always a jar of kimchi ready. Much to my husband’s displeasure. He grumbles when I open a jar. I love the scent, him not so much.

I eat it with noodles, soups, steamed buns, at the barbecue, in a sandwich ...

In winter, try replacing the Chinese cabbage with Brussels sprouts. A classic Dutch vegetable in the Korean way.

Total votes: 391

Preparation

  • Put the Chinese cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Massage the salt into the cabbage so that the Chinese cabbage bruises. It's okay to get a little heavy-handed.
  • Move the cabbage to a colander and leave it to drain outside the fridge for at least 2 hours. The cabbage now releases moisture because of the salt.
  • Put the water together with the rice powder in a saucepan. Heat and boil gently until the powder has dissolved.
  • In the food processor, make a paste of the chili, onion, garlic, apple, ginger, paprika and fish sauce.
  • Add the paste to the water and rice flour mixture. Stir until smooth.
  • Mix this with the cabbage and add the spring onion and coriander. Toss well and taste to see what you think of the flavour. It should be salty. Add some extra fish sauce if needed.
  • Put the kimchi in the preserving jars and place away from direct sunlight.
  • After a week, taste the kimchi, stir through and it's ready to eat.

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