Kimchi

Baechu-kimchi (Napa Cabbage Kimchi)

The classic whole-leaf napa cabbage kimchi that anchors the Korean table. Plan ahead: the cabbage needs several hours of salting and the kimchi then ferments at room temperature before moving to the fridge.

Prep

60 min

Total

60 min

Serves

Makes about 2 litres / 8 cups

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •2 kg (4½ lb) napa cabbage, whole, sound heads
• •200 g (7 oz) coarse sea salt, non-iodised; for brining
• •120 g (¾ cup) gochugaru
• •60 g (about 8 cloves) garlic, finely chopped
• •20 g (about 1 piece) fresh ginger, finely chopped
• •100 g (4 oz) spring onions, scallions, cut into 4 cm / 1½ in lengths
• •150 g (¾ cup) Korean fish sauce, myeolchi-aekjeot; or use a few tablespoons of saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp) for a more traditional flavour
• •30 g (2 Tbsp) sweet rice flour, chapssal-garu, cooked into a porridge to help the paste cling; flour paste is an acceptable substitute
• •300 ml (1¼ cups) water, for the flour porridge
• •15 g (1 Tbsp) sugar

Steps

1. 1 Cut each cabbage in half lengthwise, then quarter each half so you have 4 wedges per head. Leave the cores attached at the base so the leaves stay connected.
2. 2 Dissolve the 200 g of coarse sea salt in about 4 litres / 16 cups of cold water to make a brine. Submerge the cabbage wedges in a large bowl or bucket, weighting them so they stay under the brine. Brine for 6 to 8 hours, turning the wedges once halfway through; the thick white ribs should bend easily without snapping. Note: at this salinity and duration the cabbage is salted, not fermented yet.
3. 3 Make the rice porridge: whisk 30 g sweet rice flour into 300 ml water in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens to a thin paste. Cool to room temperature.
4. 4 In a large bowl, combine the cooled porridge with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, spring onions, fish sauce and sugar. Stir into a smooth, thick red paste. Taste: it should be salty, spicy and savoury — remember it will be spread across many leaves.
5. 5 Rinse the brined cabbage wedges thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess surface salt, then drain well, shaking out water from between the leaves. Let them drain, rib side down, for 20 to 30 minutes.
6. 6 Working one wedge at a time, gently separate the leaves and smear a thin, even layer of paste over every leaf from the tip down to the thick white rib. Fold the wedge back together so the paste is enclosed.
7. 7 Pack the coated wedges tightly into clean glass or food-grade plastic containers (lidded), pressing down so the kimchi is just covered by its own liquid. Leave 2 to 3 cm / 1 in of headspace.
8. 8 Leave the containers at cool room temperature (around 18 to 22 °C / 65 to 72 °F) for 1 to 2 days until you see small bubbles and the liquid turns slightly tangy. Loosen the lids once a day to release gas.
9. 9 Transfer to the refrigerator at 4 °C / 40 °F or below. Kimchi is safe to eat as soon as it is sour to your taste, usually from day 3 onward. It will keep, flavour deepening, for several months.
10. 10 Storage safety: if any container smells rotten (not sour), shows pink or fuzzy mould, or the cabbage turns mushy, discard the whole batch. Always use clean utensils to remove kimchi from the jar.