Kimchi for beginners, in an American kitchen

No clay pot, no backyard, no grandmother standing over my shoulder. Just a Costco napa cabbage, the biggest bowl I own and the recipe my mother sent me over KakaoTalk, one photo at a time.

For our first year here, I bought kimchi in jars. It was fine, but it never tasted like home. So one rainy Sunday I decided to try. This is everything I wish someone had told me before I started.

Salt the cabbage, then wait

Quarter the cabbage lengthwise and sprinkle coarse salt between every leaf, heavier near the stem. Then leave it. Two hours, flipping once. The leaves should bend without snapping.

“The salting is the whole recipe. Rush it and nothing after will save you.” — my mother, on KakaoTalk

Make the paste while you wait

Blend garlic, ginger and a little cooked rice paste, then stir in gochugaru, fish sauce and sliced green onion. Taste it. It should be saltier and spicier than you think, because the cabbage will soften it.

Where I found everything

Gochugaru and fish sauce came from H Mart. The cabbage, garlic and green onions came from Costco. Total cost for a big jar was about what two store-bought jars cost.