Corner Store Kimchi from Kenji Morimoto's Ferment

Directions

1. Shred the cabbage into roughly ½ pieces using a sharp knife. Place the shredded cabbage in a bowl with the carrot and radishes and calculate 3% of the total weight. This is the amount of salt you will need.

2. Add the salt to the vegetables and massage it in for 5-10 minutes to start the natural brining process. Leave the vegetables to salt for 1 hour, giving them a squeeze and a flip halfway to ensure all the cabbage has wilted and there’s brine at the bottom of the bowl.

3. While the vegetables are salting, prepare the paste by blitzing the white part and cleaned roots of the green onions (reserving the greens) in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients until it becomes a thick paste.

4. After 1 hour, squeeze the vegetables and reserve the brine. Thinly slice the green onion greens. Combine the squeezed cabbage, carrot, and radishes with the green onion greens and the paste in a large bowl. Add 150ml (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons) of the reserved brine and mix thoroughly. Put it into a clean glass jar and to minimize air pockets.

5. Ferment at room temperature for a minimum of 2 days and up to 10 days; the flavors will mellow with time, so taste it daily. Once you’re pleased with the sourness, move it to the fridge where it will keep indefinitely.