Wash napa cabbage thoroughly. Remove blackened outer leaves if necessary. Remove the stalk then chop cabbage into bite size pieces.

Place cabbage in a large basin and sprinkle salt onto the cabbage. Massage salt into the leaves, then add enough water just to cover the cabbage. Leave cabbage to soak for at least 1.5 hours, rotating the cabbage from top to bottom every 30 minutes.

Once cabbage is soft, drain away water and rinse cabbage to remove excess salt.

Cut pear and onion into smaller pieces. In a food processor, add pear, onion, garlic, ginger and cincalok/saeujeot/fermented shrimp (optional), and blend until well combined. Scoop mixture into a bowl, then add spring onion, fish sauce and gochugaru (Korean chilli powder) and mix well. Note: I didn't add cincalok (fermented shrimp) to my kimchi but adding it will give the kimchi more depth of flavour.

Using plastic gloves, mix the chilli paste into the cabbage until all the cabbage are well covered with chilli paste.

Store the kimchi in air-tight jars and ferment at room temperature for about 2-4 days. Air bubbles and a sour smell are signs of the kimchi fermenting. Once fermented enough to your liking, transfer the kimchi to the refrigerator. The kimchi can keep for up to three months.