Albaechu-mul-kimchi (Baby Cabbage Water Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine sieve
• •2-liter glass jar or small onggi
• •Fermentation weight or small clean plate

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the cabbage

   Put the cut baby napa cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt, lifting the leaves with your hands so the salt reaches the thicker white ribs. Let it stand 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. The leaves should bend without snapping, but they should not collapse. This short salting seasons the cabbage and pulls out enough water to keep the finished brine clean instead of grassy.

2. 2

   Cook the paste

   Whisk 1 tablespoon sweet rice flour with 1 cup water in a small pot until smooth. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring, and cook 2 to 3 minutes until it looks lightly cloudy and thin, not thick like porridge. Cool it completely. This little paste gives the fermentation something to eat and rounds the brine without making it heavy.

3. 3

   Rinse and drain

   Rinse the salted cabbage once under cool running water, then drain it well for 10 minutes. Taste a thick rib. It should be gently seasoned, not salty like a pickle. If it tastes harsh, rinse once more. Water kimchi has nowhere to hide excess salt.

4. 4

   Make the brine

   In a large bowl, stir together the cooled rice paste, 6 cups cool filtered water, 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar until dissolved. Add the grated pear, then strain the brine through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the pear pulp. You want its sweetness and fragrance, not cloudy pulp floating in the jar.

5. 5

   Pack the jar

   Layer the drained cabbage, radish matchsticks, garlic, ginger, scallions, and sliced chilies in a clean 2-liter glass jar or small onggi. Pour the brine over everything. The vegetables must be submerged by at least 1 inch; press them down with clean tongs or a fermentation weight. Add the minari now if you will eat the kimchi within a week, or add it after the first day if you want it greener and fresher.

6. 6

   Start fermentation

   Cover the jar loosely or close it and open it once a day while it ferments. Leave it at cool room temperature, about 18 to 22 C, for 12 to 24 hours. Taste the brine. When it is lightly tart, gently sweet, and a little lively on the tongue, move it to the refrigerator. In a hot kitchen, 8 to 12 hours may be enough.

7. 7

   Chill and serve

   Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving so the cabbage and brine settle into each other. Serve cold in small bowls, with plenty of brine. Use clean utensils every time and keep the vegetables submerged; this is a fresh water kimchi, not a shelf-stable preserve, and it is best within 10 to 14 days.

Chef Tips

• •Choose baby napa cabbage with tight pale leaves and firm white ribs. If the leaves are limp or the cut end is browned, cook something else today. Water kimchi exposes poor vegetables quickly.
• •Do not skip straining the pear. A cloudy brine still tastes fine, but a clean water kimchi should look clear enough that the cabbage and radish show through it.
• •The safe shortcut is the vessel: a clean glass jar is fine if you don't have onggi. The corner not to cut is submerging the vegetables. Anything floating above the brine spoils before it ferments properly.
• •Taste the brine before it goes into the jar. It should be a little saltier than you want to drink, because the cabbage and radish will dilute it as they settle.

Advance Preparation

• •This kimchi is ready after 24 to 36 hours including chilling, but it tastes rounder on the second day in the refrigerator.
• •Keep refrigerated and eat within 10 to 14 days. Open the jar over the sink if it has been fermenting actively, since the brine can fizz up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 285g)