Kimchi

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Chinese cabbage leaves, including the ribs, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/8 cup sea salt
• 1 cup carrot or radish, shredded or cut into 1-inch matchstick pieces
• 1/2 bunch of chives, roughly minced
• 1 small head of garlic, cloves finely minced
• 1 shallot (optional)
• 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1-3 Tbsp gochugara pepper powder, depends on the spiciness level
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 tsp sugar or honey

Directions:

1. SALT THE CABBAGE (6-8 hours): Put aside 1 large leaf of the cabbage and refrigerate for later use. Cut the remaining cabbage and place it in a large bowl with the salt and toss. Add enough cool water to cover the cabbage and stir until salt is dissolved. Keep the cabbage submerged with a plate over the bowl and let stand at room temperature 6-8 hours (giving a stir midway through if possible) or overnight.
2. DRAIN the cabbage, saving the brine. Rinse the cabbage (not excessively, just a little quick rinse), drain, squeeze out any excess water and place it back in the bowl, adding the carrot/radish and chives.
3. MAKE THE PASTE: Place the ginger, garlic, shallot (optional), gochugara powder, fish sauce/coconut aminos and sugar in your food processor. Process until it becomes a thick paste.
4. MASSAGE: Scoop the paste over the cabbage and using gloves, mix and massage the vegetables and the paste together until well coated.
5. PACK the cabbage mixture into wide mouth jars or a crock, leaving 1-2 inches room at the top for juices to release. Add a little of the reserved brine to just cover the vegetables, pressing them down a bit ( so they are submerged) Place part or whole cabbage leaf over top, pressing down- this should help keep the kimchi submerged under the brine. You can also use a fermentation weight placed over top of the whole leaf to keep it submerged. Or a small sealed bag filled with water.  
6. FERMENT (4 days) Cover loosely with a lid (allowing air to escape) and place the jar in a baking dish (or big bowl) to collect any juices that may escape. (The idea though, is to keep as much of the flavorful juice in the jar, so don’t overfill.) Leave this somewhere dark and cool (60-65F is ideal) for 4 days. A basement or lower cooler cabinet in the pantry or kitchen away from appliances works best. _{MOLD – If your cabbage leaf that is holding the kimchi down, happens to mold, just remove it, wipe out the rim of the jar as best you can, and replace it with a fresh one.  Basically, anything that touches the air can mold, so always keep the kimchi down under the brine.} 
7. EVENING OF DAY 4: Check for fermentation action or bubbles. Tap the jar and see if tiny bubbles rise to the top. Check for overflow (which also indicates fermentation).  If you see bubbles, it is ready to store in the refrigerator where it will continue to ferment and develop more flavor slowly. For a softer tangier kimchi, you can continue to ferment for 3 more days or longer.  If no action, give it another day or two. If you don’t see bubbles when tapping the jar, it just may need a couple more days. Be patient. 
8. REFRIGERATE: After you see bubbles (usually 3-5 days) the kimchi is ready, but it won’t achieve its full flavor and complexity, until about 2 weeks (in the fridge) slowly fermenting. The longer you ferment, the more complex and tangy the taste.  If you like a fizzy brine, tighten the lid, burping every week or so. If you don’t want to think about it, give the lid one loose twist, so it’s on there, but gases can escape.