Bossam-kimchi (Gaeseong Wrapped Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large basin or kimchi tub for salting
• •Colander or draining basket
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Glass or ceramic storage container with lid
• •Disposable food-safe gloves, optional but useful

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the cabbage

   Separate 8 large outer cabbage leaves and keep them whole for wrapping. Cut the remaining cabbage heart into 2-inch pieces. Dissolve 1/4 cup coarse sea salt in 8 cups cold water, then dip the whole leaves and cut cabbage in the brine. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup salt mostly over the thick white ribs. Salt 5 to 6 hours, turning once halfway. The leaves are ready when the rib bends without snapping.

   Do not salt by the clock alone. A winter cabbage may need the full 6 hours; a tender one may be ready sooner. The bend tells you more than the timer.
2. 2

   Rinse and drain

   Rinse the salted cabbage in cold water 3 times, lifting between the leaves so no salt pockets remain. Drain the whole leaves and cut cabbage in a colander for 1 hour, cut side down where you can. Too much surface water makes the seasoning slide off and weakens the parcel.

3. 3

   Salt the radish

   Toss the radish matchsticks with 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and let them stand 20 minutes. Squeeze gently, not dry as laundry, just enough to remove excess water. This keeps the filling crisp instead of flooding the kimchi by morning.

4. 4

   Make the seasoning

   In a large bowl, mix the gochugaru, minced saeujeot, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, cooled rice paste, and 1/4 cup cold water or mild beef broth. Let it stand 10 minutes so the chili blooms and turns supple. Taste it now. It should be salty and rounded, but not harsh, because the cabbage and radish will soften it.

5. 5

   Season the filling

   Add the drained radish, cut cabbage, pear, chestnut, jujube, pine nuts, minari, gat, and scallions to the seasoning. Toss with your hands lightly, lifting rather than crushing. Add the oysters last, if using, and fold only 3 or 4 times so they stay whole. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.

6. 6

   Wrap the parcels

   Lay one whole cabbage leaf in a small bowl, rib end toward you and edges hanging over. Spoon about 3/4 cup filling into the center. Fold the sides over, then fold the rib end up and roll into a tight bundle. Set it seam side down in a glass or ceramic container. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling. Pack snugly, not crushed.

7. 7

   Settle and chill

   Press a piece of food-safe wrap or a clean inner lid directly against the parcels to limit air, then cover. Leave at cool room temperature for 6 to 12 hours if your kitchen is below 20 C, then refrigerate. If you used oysters, refrigerate after 2 hours and eat within 3 days. Without oysters, it keeps 7 to 10 days, becoming sharper each day.

8. 8

   Serve opened

   Serve one parcel per small plate or cut each bundle crosswise into quarters. Open it at the table so the filling shows: white cabbage, red seasoning, pale pear, brown jujube, yellow chestnut, green minari. Bossam-kimchi is made for a holiday table, but it should still taste clean enough to sit beside rice and soup.

Chef Tips

• •Cook the month you're standing in. Bossam-kimchi is best from late autumn into winter, when napa cabbage and Korean radish are dense and sweet, and oysters are at their cleanest. In a hot month, omit the oysters and make a smaller batch to eat fresh.
• •The safe corner to cut is the vessel: a glass storage box works if you do not have onggi. The corner not to cut is the knife work. Radish, pear, chestnut, and jujube should be fine and even, or the parcel eats like a heap instead of a composed kimchi.
• •Use oysters only from a trusted source, keep them cold, and serve this kimchi to people who can safely eat raw shellfish. For pregnant guests, elders with fragile health, or anyone immunocompromised, leave the oysters out and add 1 extra tablespoon saeujeot instead.
• •Glutinous rice paste can be made by simmering 1 teaspoon sweet rice flour with 3 tablespoons water until glossy, then cooling it. You need only a spoonful here; too much makes bossam-kimchi heavy.

Advance Preparation

• •The cabbage can be salted, rinsed, and drained up to 12 hours ahead, then kept covered in the refrigerator before filling.
• •Chestnuts, jujubes, greens, and seasoning paste can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated separately. Cut the pear close to assembly so it stays clear and crisp.
• •For gifting, make the kimchi without oysters, chill it fully, and pack it cold. Tell the recipient the date it was made. Write it down. Memory is a borrowed bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)