Traditional Kimjang Cabbage Kimchi
Quick answer
- Active time
- 120 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Built for kimjang, the big winter kimchi-making session, this recipe works through 10 kg of salted napa cabbage at once.
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The radish strips are tossed with the chili flakes first and turn red before the fish sauce, salted shrimp and garlic join them, which keeps the seasoning a clean, even color. Mustard greens and water dropwort cut into the seasoning give it a clean, slightly bitter aroma. Fresh oysters are optional and make the kimchi taste cooler and brighter, but because they also sour it faster, they go only into the containers that will be opened first. After one to two days at room temperature, the kimchi moves to the fridge and keeps its flavor for two to three weeks.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
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.
- 4
If using 500 g fresh oysters, rinse lightly in salted water, drain, then fold gently into the seasoning without breaking the oysters apart.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
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Turn these ingredients into two more meals
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