Traditional Kimjang Cabbage Kimchi
Quick answer
- Total time
- 120 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Traditional Kimjang Cabbage Kimchi is a staple winter preparation made by seasoning salted cabbage with various vegetables and spices.
Read more
The recipe calls for coating julienned radish with chili flakes first to secure a deep red color before mixing in anchovy fish sauce, fermented shrimp, and minced garlic. Fresh mustard greens and water parsley are cut and folded in, adding crisp and slightly bitter herbal notes to the mixture. Rinsed fresh oysters can be optionally folded in at the end to add a refreshing oceanic flavor. Each cabbage leaf is packed with this seasoning mixture and wrapped securely with its outer leaves. The seasoned cabbage is pressed tightly into airtight containers to minimize air contact, fermented at room temperature for one to two days, and then stored in the refrigerator to develop its flavor.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Spread 10 kg pre-salted cabbage in a large basin, check that the stems bend easily without snapping, then rinse 3 times under running water and drain thoroughly.
- 2Prep
Coarsely julienne 2 radishes and cut 300 g Korean mustard greens and 200 g water parsley into 4 cm lengths, then place in a large bowl.
- 3Season
Add 800 g gochugaru, 2 cups anchovy fish sauce, 1 cup salted shrimp, and 3 cups minced garlic, then stir thoroughly with a large paddle until the seasoning is uniformly deep red.
- 4Season
If using 500 g fresh oysters, rinse lightly in salted water, drain, then fold gently into the seasoning without breaking the oysters apart.
- 5Season
Open each head of cabbage leaf by leaf and pack seasoning evenly between every layer, then wrap the outer leaves snugly around the whole head to hold its shape.
- 6Season
Press the seasoned cabbage tightly into a jar or airtight container, ferment at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, then refrigerate and enjoy deeply flavored kimchi for 2 to 3 weeks.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Traditional Kimjang-baechu features radish strips coated in chili powder for deep winter color.
- Finish cue
- Open each head of cabbage leaf by leaf and pack seasoning evenly between every layer, then wrap the outer leaves snugly around the whole head to hold its shape.
- Storage and reheating
- The seasoned cabbage is pressed tightly into airtight containers to minimize air contact, fermented at room temperature for one to two days, and then stored in the refrigerator to develop its flavor.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
120min, 9 ingredients
Category median
32min, 7 ingredients
Based on 163 recipes
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