Baechu kimchi

Traditional whole napa cabbage kimchi: Korea's most celebrated fermented food

Origin: Korea

From the journey of Cabbage.

Kimchi is the soul of Korean cuisine, a vast family of fermented vegetables with over 200 regional varieties, of which baechu kimchi (배추김치, made with napa cabbage, baechu) is the most iconic and most consumed. The practice of salting and fermenting vegetables in Korea dates to at least the Three Kingdoms period (1st century BCE–7th century CE), and early kimchi was a simple salted vegetable without chilli, chilli peppers not having reached Korea until the early 17th century via Japanese trade routes following the Imjin War. The introduction of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) transformed kimchi from a mild preserve into the fiery, complex, deeply red preparation we recognise today. Kimjang (the communal autumn ritual of making hundreds of heads of kimchi to last a family through winter) was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2013. In Korea, kimchi is served at every meal, morning and evening, as both condiment and side dish. It is eaten fresh (geotjeori), lightly fermented (fresh kimchi), and deeply fermented (aged kimchi), each stage yielding dramatically different flavour. This recipe produces a traditional whole-cabbage baechu kimchi, packed with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, and fermented seafood paste that define the Jeolla and Seoul styles.

Ingredients

Cabbage

  • 1 large napa cabbage (baechu), about 2kg

Salt

  • 100 g coarse sea salt (non-iodised), for salting

Paste

  • 80 g gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes, not substitutable with generic chilli flakes)
  • 8 garlic cloves, grated or minced to a paste
  • 2 cm fresh ginger, grated to a paste
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce OR soy sauce (for vegan version)
  • 1 tbsp saeujeot (salted shrimp paste) OR 1 additional tbsp soy sauce (for vegan version)
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar or honey
  • 1 tbsp rice flour mixed with 3 tbsp water (makes a thin porridge, helps paste cling)

Vegetables

  • 5 spring onions (scallions), cut into 3cm lengths
  • 1 medium daikon (white radish), julienned into matchsticks

Method

  1. Quarter the napa cabbage lengthways through the root, keeping each quarter intact at the core. Cut each quarter in half again crossways so you have 8 large sections. Rinse under cold water.
  2. In a very large bowl or clean sink, toss the cabbage sections with the coarse salt, massaging it between every layer. Leave to wilt for 1–2 hours, turning occasionally, until the cabbage has released significant liquid and become limp and pliable. Rinse thoroughly under cold water 2–3 times to remove excess salt. Squeeze dry and set aside.
  3. Mix the rice flour with 3 tbsp water in a small pan over low heat, stirring for 2 minutes until it thickens to a paste. Let cool.
  4. Combine the gochugaru, garlic paste, ginger paste, fish sauce, saeujeot, sugar, and cooled rice porridge in a bowl. Mix to a rough, dark red paste. Taste it: it should be intensely savoury, hot, and slightly sweet.
  5. Wearing gloves (the gochugaru will stain permanently), add the spring onions and julienned daikon to the paste. Mix well. Then add the drained, squeezed cabbage and work the paste between every leaf with your hands, coating the cabbage thoroughly from inside out.
  6. Pack tightly into a clean glass jar or airtight container, pressing down firmly to expel air pockets. Leave 3–4cm headspace as the kimchi will expand during fermentation. Leave at room temperature for 1–5 days (taste daily), then refrigerate. It is ready to eat immediately as fresh kimchi, fully fermented in 3–5 days, and continues to deepen in flavour for months.

Notes

Baechu kimchi is a living food: its flavour changes continuously. Fresh (geotjeori), 1-day-old kimchi is bright, crunchy, and lightly spiced. 3–5-day-old kimchi is the classic tangy style. 3-month-old kimchi develops a sour, complex, almost effervescent quality and is the best for kimchi jjigae (stew) and kimchi pancakes (kimchijeon). A fully fermented 1-year kimchi is prized as mukeunji and has an intensely sour, umami-rich character. Saeujeot and fish sauce are the traditional flavour agents; this recipe can be made fully vegan with soy sauce in place of both.

The Gastrographer

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Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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