Quick Green Cabbage Kimchi

Name: Quick Green Cabbage Kimchi
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 head green cabbage; 2 green onions; 3 oz Korean chives; 4 tbsp sea salt; 3 cup water; 2 fresh red chili peppers; 2 oz garlic, peeled; 0.5 tsp fresh ginger, chopped; 0.5 onion; 4 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp dried red chili powder

Fresh Green Cabbage Kimchi

This quick fermentation method skips the traditional weeks-long wait without sacrificing that signature tangy bite. Salt-wilted cabbage mingles with a punchy yangnyum paste that deepens into complex, funky flavors in just two days.

KoreanAsianQuick Meals

Prep30 min

Cook—

Total30 min

Servings8

Difficultymedium

Ingredients

1 headgreen cabbage
2 green onions
3 ozKorean chives(optional)
4 tbspsea salt
3 cupwater

Yangnyum

2 fresh red chili peppers
2 ozgarlic, peeled
½ tspfresh ginger, chopped
½ onion
4 tbspfish sauce
1 tbspsugar
2 tbspdried red chili powder

Instructions

Halve the cabbage and remove the tough core, then chop into 1-1.5 inch pieces. Rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly — excess water will dilute the brine.
Dissolve 3 Tbsp salt in 3 cups water, stirring until completely clear. Place cabbage in a large bowl, pour the salt water over it, then sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbsp salt directly on top.
Let the cabbage brine for 1 hour, tossing every 20 minutes to ensure even salting. The cabbage will release its water and start to wilt.
⏱ 1 hr
Meanwhile, mince the garlic, onion, red pepper, and ginger as finely as possible. Combine with sugar, chili powder, and fish sauce, stirring into a thick paste. This yangnyum will coat every piece of cabbage.
Chop green onions and chives into 2-inch lengths. Keep them separate from the yangnyum for now — they'll add fresh crunch to the finished kimchi.
Test the cabbage by bending a piece — it should feel flexible, not rigid. Rinse thoroughly under cold water and drain completely. Press gently to remove excess moisture.
Wear gloves and combine the drained cabbage with yangnyum, green onions, and chives. Mix thoroughly, massaging the paste into every piece until evenly coated and bright red.
Taste a piece and adjust — add more fish sauce for saltiness or chili powder for heat. The flavor should be bold since fermentation will mellow it slightly.
Pack tightly into a clean container, pressing down to eliminate air pockets. Ferment at room temperature for 2 days, then refrigerate for several days for deeper flavor development.
⏱ 48 hrs