Mak-kimchi (Everyday Cut Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large basin or 5-quart mixing bowl
• •Small saucepan
• •Large colander
• •Clean 2-quart glass jar or small onggi
• •Food-safe gloves

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the cabbage

   Pull off any bruised outer leaves. Quarter the cabbage lengthwise, trim away the hard core, then cut the leaves crosswise into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces. Do not chop it small. Mak-kimchi is casual, not careless; the pieces need enough body to stay crisp through salting and fermentation.

2. 2

   Salt evenly

   Put the cabbage in a large basin and sprinkle the coarse salt through it, working more salt onto the thick white ribs than the leafy ends. Toss with your hands, then let it stand 1 1/2 to 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. It is ready when a thick rib bends without snapping and tastes well salted, but not painful on the tongue.

   For a different cabbage size, use 45g coarse salt for each 1 kg trimmed cabbage. Fine salt bites harder, so use 30g per kg if that is all you have.
3. 3

   Cook rice paste

   While the cabbage salts, whisk the sweet rice flour and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until glossy and lightly thickened. Cool completely. The paste helps the gochugaru cling to the cabbage and gives fermentation a little food; hot paste would wilt the radish and dull the garlic.

4. 4

   Rinse and drain

   Rinse the salted cabbage twice in cool water, three times if a rib still tastes too salty. Drain in a colander for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not wring it dry. You want crisp cabbage with surface water gone, because wet cabbage thins the seasoning and gives you watery kimchi.

5. 5

   Mix the paste

   In the cleaned basin, mix the cooled rice paste, gochugaru, fish sauce, salted shrimp, sugar, garlic, grated onion, and ginger. Let it sit 10 minutes so the gochugaru hydrates and the color settles into a deep red-orange. Taste the paste. It should be salty, garlicky, and a little sweet, stronger than you would eat alone because the cabbage will take it in.

6. 6

   Add vegetables

   Fold the radish matchsticks and scallion lengths into the paste first. The radish releases juice and takes color from the chili, so it belongs in the seasoning before the cabbage. Keep the scallions in short lengths, not minced, so they stay visible and taste like themselves.

7. 7

   Coat the cabbage

   Add the drained cabbage in 3 additions, rubbing the paste over the white ribs and between the leaves with a gloved hand. Be thorough, but do not crush it. If the paste feels stiff, add 1 tablespoon water, no more at first. Taste one cabbage rib: if it tastes flat, add 1 teaspoon fish sauce; if the garlic and chili feel harsh, add 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Write that adjustment down. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.

8. 8

   Pack the jar

   Pack the kimchi into a clean 2-quart glass jar or small onggi, pressing down after each layer to push out air pockets. Leave 1 inch headspace because the kimchi will rise as it ferments. Scrape any remaining paste from the basin over the top, wipe the rim clean, and set the jar on a plate.

9. 9

   Ferment and chill

   Leave the jar at cool room temperature, 18 to 22 C, for 12 to 24 hours, out of direct sun. Open once to release gas if using a tight lid, then press the kimchi back under its brine with a clean spoon. When you see small bubbles and smell a light tang, move it to the refrigerator. It is good fresh the first day, better after 2 to 3 days, and useful for stews and fried rice once it turns sour.

Chef Tips

• •Late autumn and winter napa is dense and sweet, the easiest cabbage for kimchi. In summer, cabbage is looser and wetter; keep the salt measured by weight, but start checking at 75 minutes because the leaves soften faster. Cook the month you're standing in.
• •The safe corners to cut are the vessel and the chopping of aromatics. A glass jar can stand in for onggi, and a small processor can mince garlic, onion, and ginger. Do not shorten the salting, rinsing, or draining. Those are the bones of the dish.
• •If you cannot use salted shrimp, replace it with 1 extra tablespoon fish sauce. If you need a vegetarian jar, use 3 tablespoons soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) and 1 tablespoon kelp broth in place of the fish sauce and shrimp. It will be cleaner and less savory, so record it as its own version.
• •This is refrigerator fermentation, not shelf-stable canning. Keep it cold after the first room-temperature ferment, use clean utensils, and press the cabbage back under its brine after serving.
• •When the kimchi turns sharp after 2 weeks, do not throw it away. Sour mak-kimchi is right for kimchi-jjigae, kimchi-bokkeumbap, and kimchi-jeon. Fresh kimchi and sour kimchi have different jobs.

Advance Preparation

• •The sweet rice paste can be cooked up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Cool it fully before mixing with gochugaru and aromatics.
• •Do not salt the cabbage overnight for mak-kimchi. Cut cabbage salts quickly, and too much time makes the ribs limp before fermentation even begins.
• •For the best eating schedule, make the kimchi one evening, refrigerate it the next day, and start serving it on day 2 or 3. It will keep 4 to 6 weeks refrigerated, growing more sour with time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)