Classic Spicy Cabbage Kimchi

First, prepare your cabbage. Cut the Korean cabbage lengthwise into quarters, then chop each quarter into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a very large bowl and sprinkle with the coarse salt, tossing to coat evenly. Let it sit for 2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes, until the leaves are wilted and flexible.

While the cabbage is salting, prepare your paste ingredients. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes until soft, then drain and chop finely. Soak the dried anchovies in water for 10 minutes, drain, and chop them up. Peel the garlic cloves, crushing 8 of them into a paste and leaving the rest whole. Peel and roughly chop the ginger. Roughly chop 6 of the spring onions.

Drain the salted cabbage thoroughly, rinsing it under cold water 2-3 times to remove excess salt. Squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands or a clean kitchen towel. This step is crucial for a crunchy kimchi.

Make the kimchi paste. In a blender or food processor, combine the soaked and chopped shiitake mushrooms, chopped anchovies, crushed garlic, ginger, chopped spring onions, Korean chilli flakes, fish sauce, salted shrimps, and sugar. Blend until you have a smooth, vibrant red paste.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained cabbage with the julienned carrots, julienned Korean white radish, the remaining whole garlic cloves, and the remaining 12 spring onions cut into 5cm pieces. Add the kimchi paste and use your hands (wearing gloves!) to massage everything together until the paste coats every piece of vegetable evenly.

Pack the kimchi mixture tightly into your clean fermentation jar or container, pressing down firmly to remove any air pockets. Leave about 5cm of headspace at the top. Cover the surface with a few outer cabbage leaves or a clean weight to keep everything submerged in its own brine.

Cover the container loosely with a lid or cloth and let it ferment at room temperature for 1-2 days. You should see bubbles forming and smell a pleasant tangy aroma. For a milder flavor, ferment for just 1 day. For a stronger, more sour flavor, go for 2 days.

Once it's fermented to your liking, press down the kimchi to release any gas, then seal the container tightly and transfer it to the refrigerator. The kimchi will continue to develop flavor slowly over the next few weeks and can be stored for several months.