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In my kitchen right now, there’s a jar of kimchi bubbling quietly on the counter. It’s one of my favorite things to make this time of year. Spicy, funky, crunchy, and endlessly satisfying. I love folding it into rice bowls or simmering it into soups.
When I started making fermentation jars back in 2009, my earliest batches of kimchi were closer to spicy sauerkraut. Simple krauts with chilis, made the same way I made everything else. This was before fermentation recipes were everywhere online, and I was still figuring it out.
The version I make now draws more directly from Korean tradition: salting the cabbage first, then combining the aromatics into a rice flour paste. That method gives the kimchi a bright, saucy texture that I love. Traditional recipes often include fermented seafood for depth, but I prefer to use seaweed and a bit of extra salt for that same umami richness.
The hippy-style spicy sauerkraut I used to make was what first inspired me to create fermentation jars, but my techniques have come a long way since then. What follows isn’t a fussy recipe. There’s plenty of room to improvise based on what you like and what you have on hand. I’ve gone heavy on the ginger before, which made for a kimchi that was too spicy to snack on but incredible stirred into a rice bowl. I love carrots and daikon so I often add extra. Bok choi brings a slightly bitter edge that I find grounding. I encourage you to play with it, trust your instincts, and make it your own.
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