Chef Jeong-sun
Albaechu-mul-kimchi (Baby Cabbage Water Kimchi)
Tender baby napa cabbage in a clear pear-garlic brine, lightly fermented until the broth turns clean and bright, the summer kimchi a beginner can make without a kimjang floor.
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Nabak-kimchi (Sliced Radish Water Kimchi)
Created by
A pale spring water kimchi of thin radish and cabbage squares, quick to ferment, clean on the tongue, and made for the first spoonful beside juk, rice, or a fuller table.
Sauces & Condiments
Korean
Weeknight
Make Ahead
35 min
Active Time
0 min cook•24 hr 35 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts, 8 servings
Nabak-kimchi lives or dies by the cut. The radish and cabbage must be thin, even squares, not chunks, not shreds, because this kimchi is eaten with its broth. One spoon should carry a little brine, one radish square, one cabbage leaf, and enough brightness to wake the rice beside it.
My teacher would set the knife down if the radish came out too thick. She was right. Thick radish ferments slowly at the center and tastes raw while the cabbage has already softened. Cut it thin, salt it briefly, and give it a clear brine tinted with gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) through cloth, not clouded with loose powder. The broth should be pale pink, light, and clean.
This is not winter's deep kimchi and not dongchimi (radish water kimchi) with its long cold wait. Nabak-kimchi is quicker and gentler, the kind of kimchi that belongs beside juk (rice porridge), tteok (rice cakes), or a table where heavier dishes need something clear between bites. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.
Nabak-kimchi is a Korean mul-kimchi (water kimchi) named for nabak-sseolgi, the thin square cutting of radish and cabbage that defines the dish. Unlike long-fermented winter dongchimi, it is made to ferment quickly and is often served at home meals, with rice porridge, or on holiday tables where its clear broth refreshes the palate. Its pale pink color traditionally comes from gochugaru strained into the brine, giving tint and gentle warmth without turning the broth heavy.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Korean radish (mu)
Quantity
450g
peeled and cut into 1-inch thin squares
napa cabbage
Quantity
300g
pale inner leaves cut into 1-inch squares
coarse sea salt
Quantity
2 tablespoons
divided
water
Quantity
6 cups
cooled if boiled first
sugar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for tinting the brine
garlic
Quantity
4 cloves
thinly sliced
fresh ginger
Quantity
1 teaspoon
thinly sliced
scallions
Quantity
3
cut into 1-inch lengths
Korean pear or Asian pear
Quantity
1/2
peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
carrot (optional)
Quantity
1/2 small
cut into thin matchsticks
fresh red chili (optional)
Quantity
1
seeded and thinly sliced
minari (Korean water parsley) (optional)
Quantity
1 small handful
cut into 2-inch lengths
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Korean radish (mu)peeled and cut into 1-inch thin squares | 450g |
| napa cabbagepale inner leaves cut into 1-inch squares | 300g |
| coarse sea saltdivided | 2 tablespoons |
| watercooled if boiled first | 6 cups |
| sugar | 1 tablespoon |
| gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)for tinting the brine | 1 tablespoon |
| garlicthinly sliced | 4 cloves |
| fresh gingerthinly sliced | 1 teaspoon |
| scallionscut into 1-inch lengths | 3 |
| Korean pear or Asian pearpeeled and cut into thin matchsticks | 1/2 |
| carrot (optional)cut into thin matchsticks | 1/2 small |
| fresh red chili (optional)seeded and thinly sliced | 1 |
| minari (Korean water parsley) (optional)cut into 2-inch lengths | 1 small handful |
Equipment Needed
- •2-quart glass jar or small onggi crock
- •Sharp knife
- •Cheesecloth or fine tea strainer
- •Wide mixing bowl
Instructions
- 1
Cut the vegetables
Cut the radish and napa cabbage into thin squares, about 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. Nabak means this flat slicing, and the knife work is not decoration. Thin pieces season quickly, ferment evenly, and sit neatly on a spoon with the brine.
- 2
Salt briefly
Put the radish and cabbage in a wide bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Rest 20 minutes, turning once. The vegetables should bend a little but still keep their snap. Do not salt them until limp, because this kimchi is meant to stay clean and crisp.
- 3
Make the brine
Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the sugar into 6 cups water until fully dissolved. The brine should taste lightly salty, not like seawater. This amount gives enough salt for fermentation without making the finished broth harsh.
- 4
Tint the broth
Put the gochugaru in a small square of cheesecloth or a fine tea strainer and swish it through the brine until the liquid turns pale pink. Do not dump the flakes straight in. Nabak-kimchi should have color and a little warmth, not a gritty red broth that tastes only of chili.
If your gochugaru is very hot, use 2 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon. Let the radish taste like radish. - 5
Pack the jar
Drain the salted vegetables but do not rinse them. Pack them into a clean 2-quart jar or crock with the garlic, ginger, scallions, pear, carrot, red chili, and minari if using. Pour the pink brine over everything and press gently so the solids sit under the liquid.
- 6
Ferment and chill
Cover loosely and leave at cool room temperature for 18 to 24 hours, until the brine smells lightly sour and tastes bright. If your kitchen is warm, check at 12 hours. Refrigerate once it is gently tangy. Serve cold, with both vegetables and brine in each bowl.
Chef Tips
- •Use Korean radish if you can. It is denser, sweeter, and cleaner than small red radishes. If your market only has daikon, choose one that feels heavy for its size and use the top half, which is sweeter.
- •Boil the water first and cool it if your tap water tastes strongly of chlorine. Chlorine can slow fermentation, and this kimchi is mild enough that bad water has nowhere to hide.
- •The safe corner to cut is the vessel: a glass jar is fine instead of an onggi crock. Do not cut the salting time or the knife work. Those are the dish.
Advance Preparation
- •Make nabak-kimchi one day before serving. It is drinkable and crisp after 18 to 24 hours at cool room temperature, then improves for another 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- •Keep the solids submerged and use clean utensils every time you serve. Refrigerated, it is best within 10 to 14 days, while the broth is still bright and the vegetables still snap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 310g)
Calories
40 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
1600 mg
Total Carbohydrates
9 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
1 g
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