Easy Mak Kimchi

Ingredients

• 1 large napa cabbage (~2 kg / ~4.4 lb)
• ½ cup coarse sea salt
• ½–¾ cup gochugaru
• 1 medium sweet red apple
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1-inch knob fresh ginger
• ½ medium onion
• 1–2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
• 1–2 tsp soy sauce (optional)
• Water, to rinse

Instructions

1. 01

   Prep the cabbage: quarter lengthwise, then chop into rough 2-inch pieces. No precision needed — 'mak' just means roughly cut.

2. 02

   Brine with salt: toss the cabbage with ½ cup coarse sea salt. Massage well, then let sit 1–2 hours (or overnight), tossing occasionally, until wilted and lots of liquid has released.

3. 03

   Rinse & discard the brine: rinse 2–3 times in cold water. Taste — pleasantly salty is perfect. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can, then discard all the brine. If it's too salty, the paste ingredients will balance it out. If it's not salty enough, you'll likely want to add more at the end — especially if you only brined for 1–2 hours rather than overnight.

4. 04

   Blend the paste: blitz the apple, garlic, ginger, and onion into a smooth pulp — the apple brings natural sweetness. Stir in the gochugaru. Add fish sauce and/or soy sauce now if using. If you like it a touch sweeter, you can add a pinch or two of sugar here.

5. 05

   Mix it all together: gloves on (optional). Add drained cabbage to the paste and toss well until every piece is evenly coated in the red mixture.

6. 06

   Pack into jars: taste the mixture one last time and add a pinch of salt if needed. Press kimchi tightly into sterilised jars, pushing out air pockets. Leave 1 inch of headspace — kimchi expands as it ferments. Seal and date the jars.

7. 07

   Ferment & enjoy: leave at room temperature 1–2 days (burp jars daily), then refrigerate. Eat fresh, or let it sour for 1–2 weeks. Keeps refrigerated for months.