Baechu Kimchi Recipes

TRADITIONAL KIMCHI (NAPA CABBAGE KIMCHI)

Steps:

• Cut the thick white part of the cabbage lengthwise in half. Then, slowly pull apart by hand to separate into two pieces. Do the same for each half to make quarters. Running the knife through all the way would unnecessarily cut off the cabbage leaves.
• In a large bowl, dissolve 1/2 cup of salt in 5 cups of water. Thoroughly bathe each cabbage quarter in the salt water one at a time, shake off excess water back into the bowl, and then transfer to another bowl.
• Using the other half cup of salt and starting from the outermost leaf, generously sprinkle salt over the thick white part of each leaf (similar to salting a piece of meat). Try to salt all the cabbage quarters with 1/2 cup salt, but you can use a little more if needed. Repeat with the rest of the cabbage quarters. Pour the remaining salt water from the first bowl over the cabbage. Set aside for about 6 - 8 hours, rotating the bottom ones to the top every 2 - 3 hours.
• The cabbages should be ready to be washed when the white parts of the leaves are easily bendable. Rinse thoroughly 3 times, especially between the white parts. Drain well, cut side down.
• Meanwhile, make the optional dashima broth by boiling a small piece (2 to 3 inch square) in 1.5 cup of water for 5 minutes, and cool. Mix the rice powder with 1/2 cup water (or optional dashima broth) and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to a thin paste, and cool.
• Prepare the garlic, ginger and saeujeot. Combine all the seasoning ingredients, including the rice paste and about 1/2 cup water (or the optional dashima broth), and mix well. Set aside until the red pepper flakes to dissolve slightly and become pasty.
• Cut the radish and optional pear into matchsticks (use a mandoline if desired), transferring to a large bowl. Cut the scallions diagonally into about 1-inch long pieces. Add the prepared seasoning mix to the radish, and mix well by hand. Throw in the scallions, and mix everything lightly. Taste a little bit. It should be a little too salty to eat as is. You can add salt, more salted shrimp or fish sauce, as needed. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld nicely.
• Cut off the tough stem part from each cabbage quarter, leaving enough to hold the leaves together. Place one cabbage quarter in the bowl with the radish mix. Spread the radish mix over each leaf, one to two tablespoons for large leaves. (Eyeball the stuffing into 4 parts and use one part for each cabbage quarter.)
• Fold the leaf part of the cabbage over toward the stem and nicely wrap it with the outermost leaf. Place it, cut side up, in a jar or airtight container. Repeat with the remaining cabbages. If you have lose large leaves, you can use them to cover the top of the kimchi (see note 1). Once all the cabbages are in the jar or airtight container, press down hard to remove air pockets. Rinse the bowl that contained the radish mix with 1/2 cup of water (or any remaining optional dashima broth) and pour into the kimchi container. Close the lid.
• Leave it out at room temperature for a full day or two, depending on the weather and how fast you want your kimchi to ripen. A half day is recommended during hot summer days. Then, store in the fridge. (See note 2.)

BAECHU KIMCHI

Steps:

• For the cabbage: Shave off any brown areas near the root of each cabbage and remove any outer leaves that are wilted or have holes, leaving a few for wrapping the cabbage in a bundle at the end of the coating process. Using a knife, make a 3-inch incision lengthwise from the root end of each cabbage and split open in half with your hands. Make another 3-inch incision from the root end of each half and split in half again into quarters.
• Make the brining solution: Combine 1 cup of the salt and 10 cups water in a large bowl and mix until most of the salt is melted. Dip each cabbage quarter in the brining solution and shake dry directly above the solution.
• After all of the cabbage is dipped and dried, use the remaining salt to distribute among the cabbage, working a quarter wedge at a time. Place the root end of each facing you, working over another large bowl. Gather the leaves with one hand and flip them open as though you're turning the pages of a book; use your other hand to salt the leaves, 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per leaf at a time, depending on the size of the leaf. Salt well on the thick white part, closer to the root, rather than the leafy ends. Make sure to use the entire 1 cup salt for this step. (If you run out of salt while salting, continue with more salt up to 1/2 cup; oversalting can deter the fermentation process, so do not go over 1/2 cup.)
• Once the cabbage is all salted, place back in the brining solution cut-side down. If there is any salt left behind in the large bowl (or any salt sticking to your hands), add it back to the brining solution. Rotate and gently press down on the cabbage every 1 to 2 hours to ensure each quarter is submerged in the brining solution at some point. In the beginning of the brining process, not all of the cabbage quarters will be sitting in the brining solution. Let sit at room temperature until the thickest white part of each becomes pliable and bends over in half without breaking, 6 to 8 hours. If the thick white part cracks loudly and there is a rip where you folded it over, then it needs more time.
• For the dasima anchovy broth: While the cabbage is brining, add the dasima and 4 cups cold water to a medium pot. Let sit until the dasima doubles in size and the water turns a slight green-yellow, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the heads of the dasima anchovies and split them in half along the spines to remove the guts. Set aside.
• Bring the dasima pot to a boil over medium-high heat; boil until the dasima starts to foam around the sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard the dasima, then add the cleaned anchovies and dried shiitake. Lower the heat to low and cook at a gentle boil (where you see 2 to 3 bubbles appearing on the surface at most), for 10 minutes. At this point, some broth will have evaporated and the remaining broth will be slightly darker. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 more minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer. Reserve the pot for later use. Cool the broth completely in the refrigerator.
• When the cabbage is properly brined, drain it and discard the brining solution. Submerge the cabbage in a running bath of cold water and wash, massaging and rubbing the thick white part of each quarter between your fingers, one leaf at a time. Drain and repeat this 2 to 4 more times, until the thick white part closest to the root is no longer slippery. Tear off a piece of cabbage and taste. The cabbage should taste seasoned after a thorough wash. Hold each quarter wedge root-side up and with one hand, gently squeeze out the water from the leafy part. Be careful not to rip the leaves as you squeeze. Shake gently to separate the leaves and place back in a colander root-side up to drain for 1 to 2 hours.
• For the rice glue: Add the glutinous rice flour, sugar and 2 cups cold dasima anchovy broth to the reserved pot and whisk until combined. Place the pot over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts thickening and comes to a boil, 5 to 6 minutes. Switch to a silicone spatula, lower the heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula, about 1 minute. (This mixture will thicken as it sits; you should have a total of 2 cups.) Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof container to cool immediately in the refrigerator.
• For the paste: Put the fish sauce, dried bori shrimp, garlic, salted shrimp, quartered onion, ginger and apple in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer the blended mixture to a large bowl and whisk in the gochugaru and glue until combined. Add the radish, chives and sliced onion and stir again until incorporated. (Keep in mind that this paste is supposed to be salty.)
• Place a quarter wedge of cabbge, root end facing you, in a big bowl. Gather the leaves with one hand and flip them open as though you're turning the pages of a book; use your other hand to brush with roughly 1 tablespoon of the kimchi paste one leaf at a time, working from root to tip. Coat the entire leaf thoroughly with paste; slide most of the vegetables in the paste down by the thick white part closest to the root before moving on to the next leaf. Make sure not to coat too heavily in the beginning, as there are many cabbage quarters to coat. When finished coating, press down on all the leaves and curl up the leafy parts. Wrap the two largest, outermost leaves of each wedge around the entire wedge in a tight bundle. Repeat for the remaining wedges.
• Pack the cabbage in a clean, airtight container as tightly as possible, pressing down gently to squeeze out as much air as you can. Use a weight or a plate to weigh down the cabbage, leaving an inch or more of space on top, as the cabbage will release liquid and build up pressure as it ferments. Allow the cabbage to ferment for 2 to 4 days at room temperature on a kitchen countertop, away from the sunlight or heat, opening the container every 1 to 2 days to release built-up pressure and press down to submerge the cabbage in its juices. The kimchi will release more liquid as it sits, and bubbles will start forming; it will become slightly effervescent. (Keep in mind that the kimchi juice ferments faster than the cabbage, so taste the cabbage, especially closer to the thick root parts, as it ferments.) The kimchi will change in level of salt, flavor and texture throughout the fermentation process; when the kimchi has reached the desired level of pungency and taste, store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
• To serve, slice off the root and cut the kimchi horizontally in 1- to 2-inch pieces, keeping the leaves neatly stacked. Serve alongside rice and/or soup.

CABBAGE PICKLE (BAECHU KIMCHI)

Steps:

• Sprinkle cabbage thoroughly with salt, gently separating leaves and spreading salt inside and out. Place cabbage in a long roasting pan; let sit at room temperature for 8 hours, until liquid has accumulated in pan. Rinse cabbage in cold water, drain well and press out liquid. Cut cabbage into coarse chunks, wider at frilly end, narrower at root end. Taste for seasoning and salt lightly if no salty flavor remains.
• In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Add cabbage pieces and toss well to coat. Transfer cabbage and dressing to a 1-quart jar and cover tightly. Let sit at cool room temperature 24 hours. Let sit, refrigerated, at least 5 days before serving.

TONGBAECHU KIMCHI (WHOLE NAPA CABBAGE KIMCHI)

Steps:

• Dry-brine the cabbage: Rinse the cabbage quarters under cold running water and place on a large rimmed sheet pan. Generously salt the cabbage all over, making sure to season between the leaves as well as the outsides. (Don't worry about being too precise; since the cabbages leak water, the salt will distribute evenly into the brine.) Set aside to brine at room temperature, cut sides up, until the hard leaves become limp and soggy, about 4 hours, flipping once or twice halfway through. During this brining time, the cabbage quarters should release plenty of water into the sheet pan.
• Make the sauce: Quarter one of the apples, leaving it unpeeled. Core it, coarsely chop it, then add it to a food processor. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and process until finely chopped. Add the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the fish sauce, gochugaru and sugar. Peel the remaining apple, quarter it, core it, then thinly slice it crosswise. Fold the chopped scallions and thinly sliced apple into the sauce.
• Rinse the salted cabbage quarters under cold running water, squeezing them of their excess liquid. Place one cabbage quarter into the bowl with the sauce. With clean hands, smear 1/4 of the sauce all over the outsides and between each leaf, tucking in the larger pieces of scallions and apple as well. Fold the cabbage quarter in half crosswise, gathering the leafy tail ends together and bringing them up and over the root end, to create a compact bundle. Place the bundle in the jar and repeat with the remaining three cabbage quarters until you have used up most of the sauce and the jar is filled with sauced cabbage, leaving about an inch of room on top. (A few air gaps are fine; they'll fill with liquid over time.) Top the jar with any remaining sauce left behind in the bowl. Loosely close with a lid (see Tip). You can wash your hands at this stage.
• Let the jar of kimchi begin fermenting on the kitchen counter at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. After this, the cabbage should have released even more of its liquid; it's OK if the liquid doesn't completely cover the cabbage at this point, though it may. (This is a very juicy recipe.) Refrigerate the kimchi to finish fermenting until it's sour, 2 to 3 weeks and up to 6 months, at which point it will be very, very sour and should be eaten or turned into jjigae. Check (and taste!) the kimchi every 2 to 3 days both to familiarize yourself with the fermentation process but also to allow gas to escape, which you can do by opening the lid every so often. As you go through the jar over time, take out one cabbage quarter at a time and chop it into bite-size pieces to serve. You can eat the core or toss it.