Trim and clean the cabbage, crush the garlic, peel and mince the ginger and mince the onion, chop the leek, cut the green onions diagonally, julienne the carrot and the radish. Set all the ingredients aside separately.
Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and use a knife to remove the core in each quarter, leaving only the leaves. Chop each quarter into bite-sized bits and place in a large mixing bowl.
Soak the chopped cabbage in cold water and mix with the salt. Let the cabbage rest in the saltwater for one and a half hours, stirring every thirty minutes to ensure all the cabbage is appropriately salted.
Rinse the cabbage in cold running water. Repeat 1-2 times to ensure the cabbage is salt-free. Drain and set aside.
To make the porridge, pour three cups of water and the sweet rice flour into a large pot. Mix to combine and boil over a medium flame (5-8 minutes). Stir occasionally.
Add the sugar into the pot and stir until dissolved and the mixture is translucent. Turn off the stove and allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature.
Make the kimchi paste by placing the cold porridge into a food processor and adding the fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, garlic, ginger and onion. Blitz between additions until all the ingredients are combined into a runny paste.
Transfer the kimchi paste into a bowl and incorporate the green onions, leek, carrot and Korean radish.
Add the drained cabbage into the kimchi paste, mix well and transfer into a sterile jar or air-tight container.
Enjoy the fresh kimchi as is or allow it to ferment in the fridge for a few days for a tangier taste. You should see bubbles from the fermentation after 2 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Tips:
Store the kimchi in the fridge. Make sure to put them in an airtight container.
Kimchi tastes best if the ingredients are mixed using your hands, so make sure to use hand gloves.
Mix the paste and the cabbage in batches if you don't have extra large bowls.