Hi everybody!
In this video I’m showing you a method I developed to make kimchi simply and easily. It’s faster and easier because I skip the porridge-making step, I use common cabbage instead of napa cabbage, and I don’t use oysters or fermented squid.
Why? Because this is an emergency! : )
Total time to make this kimchi is 30 minutes. If you have fast hands, it might be 20-25 minutes.
Most people know that traditional, authentic kimchi is made with napa cabbage (in Korean: “baechu”). While I travel, I sometimes see napa cabbage sold at local markets, but it’s not available in many countries. So when I want kimchi when I travel I make it with common cabbage (in Korean: “yangbaechu”). I know others have also been experimenting with this.
It’s a recipe that I developed over numerous trips to countries where napa cabbage wasn’t available. Which is why I call it “emergency kimchi.”
You could use this recipe when you need to make kimchi rapidly, or if there’s no napa cabbage where you live.
I stayed at the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico for 4 days. I made this kimchi on the second day and enjoyed it for the rest of the time I was there. The leftover kimchi was given to my new friend Bev from Arkansas. I’ll tell you about her in my next blog.
Ingredients
Cabbage, kosher salt, Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru), fish sauce, sugar, garlic, green onions, and carrot.
Directions
- Cut 2 pounds of cabbage into thin strips about 2-3 inches in length and ¼ inch wide. Place into a large bowl.
- Add 1 cup cold water and ¼ cup kosher salt. Mix it well with your hands to properly salt the cabbage.
- Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Make kimchi paste by mixing these ingredients in a bowl:
⅓ cup hot pepper flakes,
1 tbs sugar,
¼ cup fish sauce,
¼ cup minced garlic,
3-4 stalks of chopped green onion (⅓ cup worth),
¼ cup’s worth of julienned carrot
- Wash and rinse the salted cabbage in cold water a couple of times. Drain the water.
- Mix the kimchi paste into the cabbage thoroughly.
- Put the kimchi into a container, jar, or plastic bag.
- Press the top of the kimchi down with your hands to protect your kimchi from being exposed to too much air.
- You can eat it right away, just like salad. Or keep it at room temperature and it will ferment in a few days. Fermented kimchi can be used for kimchi stir-fried rice or kimchi stew, and it will be delicious.
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I like Yangbaechu-kimchi so much! I prefer this one more than napa cabbage kimchi.
This one is so crunchy <3
Also this is much cheaper than napa cabbage. Around 1euro/kg vs 4eur/kg…
I just made 3 medium size cabbage kimchi.
I like to use the kimchi paste from Easy-to-make kimchi recipe.
I made it tonight!!! Hoping it would turn out Great. Thank you for the info.(recipe) Maangchi. It was simple and fast. Oh, how we(my family) missed it. :)
yes, it will taste better when it ferments. Good luck with your Korean cooking!
Maangchi,
I’m making this now with red cabbage from my garden which I just harvested today! It smells so good already! We’ll be serving it to our family on Thanksgiving along with your Collard Greens recipe.
감사합니다!
Dave
Great! I’m sure your Kimchi and cooked collard greens will be very delicious and popular at your Thanksgiving meals!
This is great! Especially when baechoo isn’t in season!
Does it taste similar to using porridge paste? As I don’t have a blender, so I will find the emergency kimchi recipe easier to manage.
Thank you
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used red cabbage and ready-to-use minced garlic (in a jar). I could not find red pepper flakes, so I substituted Great Value (Walmart) brand crushed red pepper because it was the closest thing I could find. I made only half a recipe, just in case it turned out badly, but it actually turned out quite well. It is extremely spicy, so I think I will use only half as much pepper next time, but it is still very good. It is addictive! I keep craving it now. It’s so much better than the ready-made stuff they sell in the grocery store! Cheongmal kamsahamnida!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I used margarita salt (it’s sort of flaky) instead of kosher salt. :)
Hi, I have a question, what it I don’t have the fish sauce? What should I do? Also, I live in Michigan and there are no Korean restaurants or super markets :(
You can find fish sauce in any Asian grocery store, but if it’s not available, how about making vegetarian version fish sauce or replace it with soy sauce and salt. Check this out please. https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/vegetarian-fish-sauce-for-kimchi
Hi Maangchi, is there a substitute for red pepper flakes if I can’t find it? Like crushed red pepper or chili powder? Please advise, thank you! :)
Someone left a good tip on the forum. Check this out please! https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/chili-powder-versus-red-pepper-powder-or-flakes
I made this just now. It tastes slightly different than normal kimchi, but that’s because I used a drumhead cabbage. It’s still very nice. I’m going to let mine ferment a few days and then eat some more, when it is extra yummy :) Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I was despairing because I could find all ingredients except the napa cabbage :-S. I have two questions, one is, can fish paste be replaced by soybean paste? Someone told be it was an alternative choice for vegetarians, is it true?
My other question has to do with the fact that when I returned home with my just purchased pound of gochugaru that took me so long to find, I realised the expiry date is really close by? Can I still keep it in the freezer if it still looks good, or do I have to discard it once the date is over (in 5 days!)?
Many, many thanks again!
If you can’t use fish sauce, use soy sauce instead. If you are vegetarian, check out the recipe submitted by one of my readers mina for vegetarian fish sauce which will make your kimchi more delicious. https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/vegetarian-fish-sauce-for-kimchi
Yes, keep your gochugaru (hot pepper flakes) in the freezer. As long as there is no mold or no color change, it will be ok to use.
Thank you so much!
Hello! i found this page when i was looking up recipes for kimchi and i got every thing i needed for it except the hot pepper flakes i couldnt find them :( so i was wondering if you could just use sweet chilli sauce or chilli flakes?
hi!
I tried this recipe using napa cabbage but I think I used too much salt (I used very small cabbage and didn’t reduce the amount of salt from the recipe), what should I do with it? If I let it ferment until it is sour enough, will it be better? Or it’ll be as salty as before? Pls advise! Thank you > <
yeah when it ferments, the taste will be better but be sure not to eat a lot because the amount of salt is not going anywhere. I would make kimchi stir-fried rice with the salty kimchi or kimchi stew. https://www.maangchi.com/photo/kimchi-stir-fried-rice
Hi Maangchi! I just made this and it’s the first time I’m making any type of kimchi. I know this may sound silly but how do I know when the kimchi is fermented?
One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.
Good luck with making delicious kimchi!
Hi Maangchi!! I tried gochujang when I tried this recipe and guess what? It was delicious and my friends love it =) Oh well, just want to share it and thanks for the info.. Thanks
oh yeah? Great!
Hi! aside from pepper flakes, can I also add Gochujang on the kimchi paste??
You can try it out but usually hot pepper paste is not used in kimchi.
Hi Maangchi,
Thank you for this superb recipe. Would it be ok to substitute cabbage with tofu instead?
I finished your recipe last week and now my Kimchi was ferment, and it is very delicious. My older sister loves it. I love it too. Thanks Maangchi so much. Hope you are always healthy and happy. I will try some your recipes near future. hi..hi..hi ^_^
P/s: I would like to upload my picture that Recipe was finished. Can you let me know how i do it?
Upload the photo here please: https://www.maangchi.com/photos/upload
I got it. Thanks Maangchi so much. Hope you are always happy and healthy.
P/s: When you come to Vietnam. Let me know, i will take care of you and introduce our traditional food to you. Also i will invite you to have our traditional food too. hihihiihi ^_^
Just finished making and eating this Kimchi. My boyfriend loved it! Left half of it to ferment. Can’t wait to try it again in a few days :)
This is the first Korean dish I have ever cooked and it turned out to be just like the Kimchi I used to buy. Planning on making Kimchi stew, bulgogi stew and kimbap in the near future!
Thank you very much, Maangchi! xxx
It sounds like you make good kimchi! Congratulations! ; )
Hello!! New to the site and loving it! I made the Emergency Kimchi today. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the hot pepper flakes and used Red Peper flakes. WOW! Super spicy!! I definitely need to use half the amount next time, but I think its good. But someone should have warned me about the Fish Sauce smell! Pew!! lol We will be eating it soon but I will need to add some vinegar to mine to see if I can tame the spiciness!!
Thank you, Maangchi! I can’t wait to try the Ddobkukki next!
I tried this recipe again and love it more the next time. I used soy sauce because I couldn’t handle the smell of the fish sauce, so I used soy sauce and the rest of the ingredients as suggested. It came out so good!!! And pretty too!! I will post a picture later!!
Thankyou maangchi!!!
Great, soy sauce worked well for you!
Hi Maangchi! Thank you so much for your amazing website! The things I’ve tried are excellent. I am a vegan. I would like to try making some of your kimchi recipes. I tried making this one with soy sauce instead of fish sauce. My Korean friend laughed at me. Don’t worry though, I’m making fried rice out of it.
My question is: how do I substitute for fish sauce? Can I just use salt? In what proportions?
Yes, you can try salt and a little bit of soy sauce. But I don’t know how much.
I can’t eat fish sauce so I just omit it when I make any kind of Kimchi. It takes a little longer to ferment.
Hello Maangchi,
I have always wanted to learn how to make Kimchi and I thought I would try this recipe before I make real Kimchi. I just finished making this and it is good. I think it is kind of sweet, salty and mild-spicy. My fiance thinks it is not spicy enough though. How can I make it more spicy? Should I add more korean red chilli pepper flakes?
Thank you for your recipe. =)
Add more hot pepper flakes now. https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/hot-pepper-flakes
Hi Maangchi! I have a project in my foods & nutrition class, and I wanted to use this kimchi recipe. One of the requirements though is for me to put how many servings the recipe makes, and this doesn’t quite say. So all I ask is, could you please approximate the amount of servings for me please? :D Thank you!
Can I use this EXACT recipe but use napa instead?
I think this will be easier than the regular kimchi. I’m lazy but want to eat good food. =)
Thank you.
I have a head of napa at home and ready to make kimchi tonight. Please let me know.
Thank you so much.
yes, you can replace cabbage with napa cabbage in this recipe.
i love this dish
If you don’t ferment the kimchi outside of the fridge (ie:make and put straight into refridgerator), how long is it “ok” for? I sometimes make it, put it in the back and bottom of the fridge, and don’t remember it until 2 or 3 weeks later (occasionally longer… oopsei!). I’ve never been game to try it, even though when I open the container there’s no mold or sour smell. What’s a good “ball park figure” for how long kimchi can stay in the fridge before needing to be thrown out?
I was wondering if it is possible to substitute the chilli flakes with hot pepper paste instead??
no, hot pepper flakes that’s what you need to make kimchi.
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/hot-pepper-flakes
I don’t know if you are familiar with King brand of Kimchi sold in stores here in the US.
It is the only Kimchi I have had, and I do love it. I made your recipe for Emergency Kimchi using Nappa Cabbage. I can’t get Korean Pepper here, so I used New Mexico Pepper powder 1/3 cup, and 2 tsp Paprika, and 1 tsp Cayenne. I also substituted Soy sauce for Fish Sauce. 1/4 cup heaping of garlic, a small onion maybe 1/2 cup and 1 inch piece of ginger. When rinsing, I rinsed the cabbage but not thoroughly. I left it to ferment in my kitchen for two days in tupperware, Temperature was probably 68-70 degrees. The containers continuously weeped liquid into a larger tupperware. But I don’t see any bubbling, and the smell is very strong.It tastes slightly sour, but has another odd smell and taste I am not used to. I don’t know if I did something wrong, or it didn’t ferment properly. After two days I put it in the fridge to see how it does over the next few days. I am a little worried about it since it didn’t bubble. Any ideas as to what I might have done wrong?
Looks delicious. If this preparation is left to ferment for a few days, will the common cabbage retain a bit of its crispness? I think that would be ideal.
Hi, I made a small quantity last night and it was delicious! I adapted the recipe slightly to suit our tastes & what we had available; I made it a bit milder because I wanted my kids to try it, so I used a mixture of cayenne pepper & paprika instead of the chilli flakes, and I didn’t have green onions so used very finely chopped ordinary onions. And I vegetarianised it by replacing the fish sauce with soy sauce and a little asafoetida (the stinky indian spice), which I know sounds weird, but it’s a method I came up with for emulating the pungency of fish sauce (soy sauce alone is just missing that stinky edge that fish sauce has!).
I was a bit unsure how it would taste before it’s been fermented but as I described it to my kids, it’s kind of like a spicy slaw – very tasty as long as you don’t mind the raw garlic (I love it)! My daughter asked for more, but my son thought it was a bit spicy (however I think my daughter sensibly tried some with her dinner while my son just ate a bit by itself!). Me and my husband couldn’t stop eating it, which made me wish I’d made more (I didn’t have enough cabbage). I look forward to trying what’s left in a few days when it’s started fermenting!
I’m going to try to make “proper” kimchi next time I go shopping somewhere that sells napa cabbages, and will definitely make a large quantity :)
Hi, I made the KimChi on the weekend for my Korean Friend. It tasted really good and was so easy to make. This was the first recipie from your website I have tried, so will be cooking some more soon now! I was wondering if I could use crushed frsh chillis (from a jar) instead of the chilli flakes next time? Or is it best to stick with the recipie.
Great news! “I was wondering if I could use crushed frsh chillis..” I think it’s a great idea.
Hello Maangchi!
I don’t know if somebody already asked about this, but I wanted if we still could use the Chinese Cabbage for this receipe? I enjoy it very much, but the quantity in the other Kimchi videos are a bit too much for me. So, is it possible to replace the normal cabbage by the Nappa? ; P
Thank you, and please keep up with your wonderful work!
I love all of your video, 감사합니다 : DD
Nana <3
yes, you can, but you will have to salt it longer at least 30 minutes. It will be delicious!
Thank you very much : DD
Maangchi… I, too, would like to make a smaller amount. My head of nappa cabbage is about 3.5 lbs. Will this be enough kimchi paste for that amount of cabbage?
Thank you! Cheryl :)
I am so excited to give this a try! Is it possible to preserve this by canning? Thank You!
You shouldn’t ever can kimchi. But it will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Anyeong Maangchi! I was looking for Banchan recipes and i came across your website and videos.. So excited to make 3 of your recipes already to go along with the Galbi Chim i’m currently cooking for dinner tonight. i’m so sure it’ll taste just like how you said in your videos “delicious!”
Kamsahamnida!!!!
Ow ow, Happy cooking! Share your delicious food photos here! https://www.maangchi.com/photos/upload
Everything turned out great and my husband and sister loves it. I’ve uploaded the pictures.. thanks so much again.. can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Yeah, I saw you uploaded some photos. All look so tasty! Thank you for your update!
Question, is there anyway for me making kimchi without using any sugar at all?
Actually, the first time I made this I didn’t see sugar on the ingredient list at all so I didn’t add any, and it still turned out great.
I have shifted my kimchi from fridge to outside. Fermented after 2 days. Taste delicious! Though quite spicy cause my measurement cup is different from yours. I add the kimchi in my instant noodle (chicken flavour) it was awesome! Thanks maangchi! Will try your other recipe soon!
Congratulations on your successful kimchi making! Now you can make many different kinds of Korean dishes using your own kimchi!