Prepare the Cabbage

• Inspect the cabbage. Remove any leaves that are bruised, damaged, wilted or yellowing.
• Quarter the cabbage lengthwise into 4 wedges.
• Thinly slice off the brown at the base of the stem. Be careful not to cut off or compromise the stem. The cabbage leaves need to stay attached.
• Quickly and lightly rinse water over the cabbage wedges, no need to drain. This shot of water is not for washing purposes, but so the salt will stick to the cabbage for the brining process.

  Place the wet cabbage in a large baking dish that is approximately 11x9in (22-28cm) in size. The dish will catch the salty water that will drain from the cabbage.
• To brine the cabbage, sprinkle in increments the ½ c (150 g) of coarse salt between each of the cabbage leaf layers. Sprinkle a little heavier near the root end of the leaves.

  If you need to use more salt to cover all the leaves, that is ok. The given measurement is more of a suggestion.
• Once the salt is sprinkled throughout the cabbage leaves on all 4 wedges, set a timer for 1 hour. The entire brining process will take 4 to 5 hours.
• At the 1 hour mark, move each cabbage wedge around in the salt water, rotating it to cover all the sides of the wedge.

  If the wedges began facing up, leave them now facing down. Or if the wedges began by laying on one edge, leave them now laying on the opposite edge.
• While the cabbage is brining, proceed to the next step.

Prepare the Vegetables

• Matchstick or julienne the radish, carrot, and cucumber. Then add to a large mixing bowl.
• Slice the green top of the green onions (scallions) in about 1 inch (2.5 cm) segments and add to the mixing bowl. Omit the white root end.
• Slice or chop the red bell pepper and add to the mixing bowl.
• Peel the outer shell from the chestnuts.

  Afterwards, cut off any remaining hard-orange skin remaining. Next, chop and add to the mixing bowl. Substitute with sliced almonds or pine nuts.
• Slice and add the dates or jujubes to the mixing bowl.
• Optionally, sprinkle the fish sauce over the vegetables in the bowl. Omit if you prefer.

  Mix the vegetables around so that they are coated with the sauce.
• Sprinkle the 2tsp (13g) salt over the vegetables. Add this same amount of salt regardless if you omit the fish sauce.
• Mix to incorporate everything together and set aside. The vegetables will marinate until they're ready to be used later.

  While waiting for the cabbage wedges to complete the brining period, this is a good time to do tasks around the house or run some errands. It's not a problem if the cabbage wedges brine for longer than the allotted time specified.

Rinse the Cabbage

• Once the 4-5 hours have completed, return to the cabbage. First dunk each cabbage wedge in a bowl of fresh water. Then rinse each wedge thoroughly under neutral-temperature water. Rinse as much of the salt out of the cabbage as you can.

  The cabbage should be soft & flexible without breaking when bent.
• Gently squeeze out the extra water from the leaves with your hands and place the wedges in a colander. Allow them to drain for 30 minutes to an hour.

  While the wedges are draining, proceed to making the broth in the next step.

Prepare the Broth

• Combine the salt and 4c (950ml) water to make a saltwater brine that will be added to the broth. Add the salt measurement based on whether or not you used fish, then set aside.

  NO Fish Sauce: 1.5 tbsp / 29 g medium coarse salt

  YES Fish Sauce: 1 tbsp / 19 g medium coarse salt
• Peel, quarter & core the apple. Add to a blender or food processor.
• Peel and quarter the onion. Add to the blending vessel.
• Add the 12 cloves of peeled garlic. Add to the blending vessel.
• Peel and cut the ginger into large chunks. Add to the blending vessel.
• Add 3 cups (710 ml) plain water to the blending vessel and blend until silky smooth.

Strain The Broth

• The broth will be strained 2 times. Pour & filter back and forth from the blending vessel to a bowl, then back to the blending vessel.

  1st strain: pour the broth mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Then use spatula to work the liquid through. This will take a couple of mintues so have patience.

  Work the pulp until it is dry enough to hold it's shape when the spatula runs through it. Discard the remaining pulp from the strainer and rinse the strainer before the next round.

  2nd strain: Again, pour the mixture through the strainer. No need to work it with a spatula this time.

  Next, pour the salt water brine through the strainer. Discard any pulp remaining in the strainer.

  The broth should be relatively clear, thin and a beautiful yellow color.

  Set the broth aside for later use.

Prepare for Cabbage Wrapping

• Remove the cabbage from the colander and place the wedges back in the baking dish. The baking dish will catch any loose vegetables that fall out during the wrapping process.

  Bring the cabbage wedges in their dish, he bowl of vegetables and broth into the same work area. You will also need the large storage container to place the finished cabbage into along with the broth.
• With a scoop, add a little broth to the vegetables in the bowl.
• Remember the cabbage scraps set aside from earlier? Add them to the bottom of the food storage container. Next, add a little broth to the cabbage scraps.

Note:  It is important that the food storage container is not only large enough to hold all 4 cabbage buns, but is deep enough so when the broth is added, it’s able to fully submerge the cabbage buns. A baking dish or casserole pan will not work because it’s too shallow.

Wrapping the Cabbage

• Note: If you are new to wrapping kimchi, then this step is best paired with the video for a visual demonstration since it can be challenging without previous experience.

  Pick up a cabbage wedge and separate out the bottom two leaves without detaching them from the stem. These are the 2 leaves that will ‘wrap’ the cabbage. Therefore, do not stuff them.
• Starting with the 3rd leaf, place a small amount of the vegetable mixture onto the leaf, concentrating near its root base.

  There is no need to fill the leaf beyond a couple of inches (5cm) up from the base. *Do not over-stuff the leaf.
• Lower the next leaf and fill the same way. Repeat until the leaves are too small or thin to continue.
• Once stuffed, pick up the cabbage. With one hand, hold it from the underside of the 3rd leaf (allowing the 2 bottom leaves to hang). We’ll call this your supporting hand.

  With your other ‘free’ hand, gently fold over the top end of the cabbage leaves. Once folded over, hold it down with the thumb of your supporting hand.
• Again with your free hand, reach under and select 1 of the 2 bottom leaves that were separated from the rest. Tightly wrap it up, over and around the cabbage. Repeat with the other leaf, wrapping up & over the opposite side.

  The wrapping is a criss-crossing of the leaves. For example, if the left leaf is selected, bring it up and over-top the right side of the cabbage. Then select the other leaf and bring it up and over-top the left side of the cabbage.
• If successfully wrapped, you should now have a cabbage bun! Place the bun into the food container.
• Repeat this process with each of the 4 cabbage wedges.

Add the Broth

• With all 4 cabbage buns placed in the food container, add any remaining vegetables there may be.
• Pour all of the broth over the cabbage buns.  The cabbage should be 100% submerged.
• The cabbage buns will want to float. To hold them down either use the built-in device of a kimchi container or use regular glass fermenting weights placed atop the buns to hold them down. (You’ll just need to pull the weights out later when you’re ready to eat the kimchi).

  If you do not have neither a kimchi container or glass fermenting weights, you will need to dunk the cabbage (using a clean utensil) in the brine a minimum of twice daily. This will prevent fermentation funk from developing as well as protect the cabbage from potential spoilage due to oxygen exposure. Brine coverage is the ‘safety’ for fermenting vegetables.
• Place the lid or cover on the container.

The Fermentation Period

• Leave on the countertop at room temperature for 72 to 120 hours (3 to 5 days). Then transfer to the refrigerator for long term storage.

  In some Korean household traditions, they will eat the kimchi during the first 3 to 5 days. This period is known as the sparkling period when there are lots of fermentation bubbles.

  Other Korean traditions will place it in the refrigerator after the countertop fermentation period and allow it to continue slowly fermenting for 3 more weeks in the refrigerator… then they’ll eat it.

  There are no rules as to when you must eat the kimchi, nor what you eat it with or how. Simply enjoy to your own taste & pleasure!

  Note: I have made salt quantity changes since the publication of the YouTube video. Therefore the salt measurements in this written recipe are different from what's stated in the video.