In the traditional practice known as gimjang (김장), families and neighbors gather to prepare Napa cabbage (baechu kimchi/배추김치) for the winter months ahead.
Heads of Napa cabbage are salted, massaged with a thick seasoning paste, and stored in large jars. While many ferments from other parts of the world are enjoyed only after a period of aging, Koreans embrace kimchi as a living, ever-evolving food. When baechu kimchi is freshly made, the seasoning has yet to fully penetrate the cabbage leaves, acting more like a salad dressing.
As the kimchi ages, it progressively sours and develops an assertively funky flavor, making it ideal for cooking in dishes like kimchi pancakes or stews. While chopped cabbage offers convenience, making whole-cabbage kimchi is a time-honored practice for good reason — the larger pieces allow fermentation to occur at a more gradual pace, so the kimchi can be stored longer without becoming overly sour.
Baechu Kimchi
Ingredients
For the salted cabbage
- 1 large whole Napa cabbage (about 2 pounds / 900 g)
- ½ cup (140 g) fine sea salt
- ½ cup (125 g) coarse sea salt
For the seasoning paste
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) boiling water
- 1 tbsp plus 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup (75 g) Korean chili flakes (gochugaru / 고춧가루)
- ⅓ cup (80 g) unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 5 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 large daikon radish (about 1 pound / 450 g), cut into thin matchsticks
- 3.5 oz (100 g) chives, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) lengths
Instructions
Prepare the cabbage
- Make a deep cut through the root end of the Napa cabbage, then gently pull the halves apart from the incision. This method helps preserve the cabbage’s natural ruffled leaf edges.
- In a large bowl, dissolve the fine sea salt in 3 quarts (3 L) of water to create a brine. Dip each cabbage half into the brine, ensuring all leaves are moistened so the coarse salt will stick. Working leaf by leaf, sprinkle coarse sea salt throughout, paying special attention to the thick stems.
- Place the salted cabbage in a snug pot or container and pour the remaining brine over it, ensuring the cabbage is fully submerged. Weigh it down with a heavy plate and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, the cabbage should be soft and pliable. Drain and rinse it several times in clean water, pulling back the leaves to wash away any residual salt. Taste a small piece—it should be pleasantly salty, allowing the cabbage’s natural sweetness to come through. If it tastes too salty, continue rinsing with additional changes of water.
- When you are happy with the saltiness of the cabbage, squeeze the halves over a sink with your hands toexpel excess liquid, then place themwith their cores facing up in a colander to drain for 30 minutes.
For the seasoning paste
- Add the shiitake mushrooms and boiling water to a saucepan. Let cool completely, then squeeze the mushrooms to expel all of the excess liquid. Only the liquid will be used in this recipe; the mushrooms can be saved for other dishes.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the mushroom liquid and bring to a boil on low heat, stirring constantly. The mixture should thicken to a slurry.
- Stir in the chili flakes, applesauce, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Scrape this into a large tray or wide bowl and mix in the daikon and chives. Add more soy sauce or applesauce to taste.
- Working one layer of cabbage leaves at a time, pull back the leaves and smear them with the seasoning paste by hand. If you prefer, you can wear gloves to prevent lingering odors and potential irritation from the chiles.
- Pack the cabbage into snug jar(s) or container(s), along with any excess daikon mixture. I like to store each cabbage half in a 1.3-quart (approximately 1.2 L) glass container because this allows me to keep one in the refrigerator and one on my counter (see the next step). The kimchi will produce carbon dioxide as it ferments, so make sure that the container(s) or jar(s) are not packed to the brim. The kimchi will not be submerged in sauce.
- You can eat the kimchi right away, age it in the refrigerator, or leave it on your kitchen counter for one to two days for a riper flavor. It will keep for weeks and will continue developing in flavor and acidity. Cut it into bite-size pieces with a knife or scissors before serving.
Recipe from PlantAsia: Asia’s Vegetable Wisdom in Recipes, Stories and Techniques by Pamelia Chia ©2023, 2025. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com
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