Baek-kimchi (White Kimchi)

Ingredients

Directions

1. 1
   

   Remove the tough outer leaves of the napa cabbage, trim the root end, cut it in half, and make a shallow cut only at the root. (The trimmed cabbage weighs about 3.4 kg.)

2. 2
   

   Dissolve 400 ml of coarse sea salt in 4 L of water, then soak the prepared cabbage for about 5 minutes for the first salting.

3. 3
   

   Sprinkle another 400 ml of sea salt between the leaves of the first-salted cabbage, place it in a large bowl, pour the remaining brine evenly over the top, and salt for 5 hours. Turn the cabbage over once midway through.

4. 4
   

   While the cabbage salts, prepare the white kimchi brine. First, pour 600 ml of anchovy-kelp broth into a pot, stir in 3 tbsp of glutinous rice flour, and simmer over medium heat for 7–8 minutes while stirring; then let the rice paste cool.

5. 5
   

   Pour the cooled rice paste into a large bowl, add 8 tbsp of salt and 4 L of filtered water, and mix to make the white kimchi brine.

6. 6
   

   Prepare the aromatics for the brine. Roughly chop 1/2 a pear, 1/2 an onion, a 1 cm-thick piece of radish, 10 garlic cloves, and 2 pieces of ginger (about the size of the garlic), then blend with 300 ml of water.

7. 7
   

   Strain the blended mixture through a sieve into the white kimchi brine. Put the pulp left in the sieve into a cotton cloth, add 3 tbsp of chili seeds, and tie it tightly. This cloth pouch goes into the kimchi container later to ferment with the kimchi.

8. 8
   

   Rinse the well-salted cabbage three times under running water, then drain in a colander for 1 hour.

9. 9
   

   While the cabbage drains, make the filling. Finely julienne 1/3 of a radish, cut 10 scallions into 3 cm lengths, and halve 3 red chilies, remove the seeds, and julienne finely. Put everything in a bowl and toss with 3 tbsp anchovy fish sauce, 3 tbsp maesil syrup, and 1 tbsp salt to finish the filling.

10. 10
    

    Layer the filling between the leaves of the drained, salted cabbage. Place the chili-seed cloth pouch at the bottom of the kimchi container, then arrange the stuffed white kimchi on top.

11. 11
    

    Pour in the prepared white kimchi brine to finish. Ferment at room temperature for one to two days, and once it smells ripe, remove the cloth pouch and store it in the kimchi refrigerator. Taste it — add salt if it's bland, or add water if it's too salty, to suit your preference.