Kimchi

Cut one head of Napa (chinese) cabbage  crossways so that you have 1-2 inch pieces. Soak in 1 gallon of water in which you have dissolved one cup of salt (kosher). Let soak up to 8 hours, then drain and lightly rinse and drain again. Shake off any excess moisture and pile into a bowl. In a smaller bowl mix 1 tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp kosher salt 1-2 tbsp cayenne or other hot pepper powder, 1- 4 tsp of red pepper flakes or comparable amount of chopped fresh peppers, 4-8 cloves of garlic sliced or minced, one large onion cut in half and thinly sliced. Mix all together then pack cabbage mixture into screw top jars that you have sterilized (don’t need canning jars; the Koreans don’t have them!), leaving about 1/2 of head room. I let them sit for 6-8 hours and then refrigerate. Start tasting after 4-5 days . Usually by the 2nd or 3rd head, you have perfected the mix that works best for you. Keeps a long time in the fridge; bubbles indicate fermentation, which you want.