Korean
Baechu Kimchi
Napa cabbage kimchi fermented with gochugaru, garlic, ginger, radish, and seafood seasoning.
16 servings · 75 minutes prep · 5 minutes cook
Ingredients
Cabbage
- 1 large head, about 3 lb, quartered lengthwise
- 1/2 cup coarse kosher salt, for salting, coarse, for salting
- 8 cups water, for rinsing and soaking as needed
Seasoning Paste
- 1 tbsp sweet rice flour
- 1/2 cup water, for paste
- 3/4 cup gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup fish sauce, Korean or Thai, Korean or Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp, salted shrimp, optional but traditional
- 6 cloves, grated
- 1 tbsp, grated
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup Korean radish, julienned
- 6, cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions
Salt the Cabbage
- Sprinkle the napa cabbage between the leaves with kosher salt, concentrating near the thick stems.
- Rest in a large bowl for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes, until the stems bend without snapping.
- Rinse the cabbage under cool water 2-3 times, then drain cut-side down for 30 minutes.
Make the Paste
- Whisk the sweet rice flour with the paste water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until lightly thickened, 2-3 minutes, then cool completely.
- Stir in the gochugaru, fish sauce, saeujeot, garlic, ginger, and granulated sugar.
- Fold in the korean radish and scallions.
Season and Ferment
- Wearing gloves, rub the seasoning paste between the cabbage leaves, coating the thick stems well.
- Pack the cabbage tightly into a clean jar, pressing down to remove air pockets and keep the cabbage beneath its juices. Leave at least 1 inch headspace and close the lid loosely.
- Ferment at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days, opening the jar daily to release gas and pressing the cabbage back beneath its juices with a clean utensil.
- Refrigerate at or below {{temperature:40°F}} once tangy and, for a measurable check, at pH 4.6 or below. Kimchi is ready immediately but improves over 3 to 7 days in the refrigerator; discard it if mold develops or it smells putrid rather than cleanly sour.
