Recipes

Korean Fermented Napa Cabbage Side-Dish – Kimchi

Beachu Kimchi – 배추김치

Ingredients:

3 (1kg) napa cabbages
1 1/2 cups sea salt
Cold water, plus more as needed

For the paste:

2 cups daikon radish, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
8 medium green onions, ends trimmed, cut into pieces using the white and green parts
2 onions
1 leek
10-12 garlic cloves
3 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger (about a 50gr piece)
1 – 1 1/2 cups Korean red pepper powder
1/2-3/4 cup fish sauce

• Begin by removing any dirty or blemished outer leaves from the cabbages.
• Cut into quarters and the into 2.5cm wide strips, lengths will vary.
• Place in a large basin with the salt and enough cold water to cover. Move around until all the salt has dissolved. Let sit for 1.5 hours.
• Meanwhile, place the green onions, onions, garlic, ginger, leek, fish sauce and Korean pepper flakes (Gochugaru) in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
• Using a knife or mandolin, cut the radish and carrots into matchsticks.
• Rinse the cabbage very well making sure to remove the salt, a good rule is to wash it three times.
• Place the cabbage back into the same basin and mix in the radish and carrots until evenly dispersed. Mix in the fish sauce/pepper paste and coat evenly over the vegetable mixture. Wearing gloves, use your hands to mix everything completely and evenly.
• Store in a large container or jar.
• Leave it out on the kitchen counter for three days or until fermented (soured) to your liking. Once fermented place it covered in the fridge for up to one year. Make sure that your Kimchi is well pressed down in the container and free of air; it should be completely submersed under its own liquid at all times.

Tip:

• Kimchi can be enjoyed fresh like in the picture above or fermented, that’s up to you.
• Replace the Napa cabbage with any similar leafy vegetable, such as Bok Choy/Pak Soy as seen below.