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Napa Kimchi

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Under Contructions
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Napa Kimchi

Napa Kimchi, also known as Baechu Kimchi, is a traditional variety of Korean kimchi made primarily from Napa cabbage, a type of Chinese cabbage. It is one of the most common and well-known types of kimchi and serves as the base for many other kimchi variations.

Ingredients

for the kimchi

  • 6 pounds Napa cabbage
  • ½ cup Kosher salt

for the porridge

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour)
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or brown or white sugar)

seasonings and spices

  • garlic (enough for 1/2 cup when minced, about 24 cloves)
  • ginger (enough for 2 tsp minced)
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion
  • ½ cup fish sauce
  • ¼ cup fermented salted shrimp (saeujeot with the salty brine) (see note about food allergies)
  • 2 cups Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)

vegetables

  • Korean radish (enough for 2 cups when cut into matchsticks, about 1/2 lb)
  • carrots (enough for 1 cups when cut into matchsticks, about 1/2 lb)
  • green onions (about 7 to 8)
  • Asian chives (buchu) (enough for 1 cup when chopped, about 170g) optional (substitute with 3 green onions, chopped)
  • 1 cup water dropwort (minari) (optional)

Instructions

brine the cabbage

  • Coarsely split each head of cabbage in half by cutting a short vertical slit through the base and then gently pulling the halves apart from the base up through the leaves.
  • Next, cut a 2-inch slit through the core of each half head, allowing the leaves to be loose and flat-ish, but still attached at the base.
  • Dip the cabbage pieces in a large basin of water to saturate them, and then shake them to remove excess moisture.
  • Spread salt between the leaves by lifting each leaf and sprinkling salt inside, using more salt closer to the base and stems where the leaves are thicker.
  • Place the cabbage in a large, shallow pan and let it rest for 2 hours, turning the cabbage over every 30 minutes to encourage the salt to make its way throughout the cabbage.
  • After 2 hours, rinse the cabbage in cold water to remove the salt.
  • Split the half cabbage heads into quarters by pulling the halves apart from the cores up through the leaves.
  • Cut off the solid cores and discard them.
  • Place the whole leaves in a strainer over a basin so that they can drain well.

prepare the porridge

  • While the cabbage is salt-brining, measure and set aside 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar.
  • Place 2 cups of water in a small pot.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of sweet rice flour to the pot and stir to combine.
  • Heat the porridge over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to bubble (about 10 minutes).
  • Add the sugar and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Remove the porridge from the heat and let it cool completely.

chop the vegetables

  • While the porridge is cooling, chop the radish into 2 cups of matchsticks and place in a large mixing bowl.
  • Chop the carrot into 1 cup of matchsticks and add to the mixing bowl.
  • Chop 7 to 8 green onions and add to the mixing bowl.
  • Chop 1 cup Asian chives and add to the mixing bowl.
  • Optionally, chop 1 cup of water dropwort and add to the mixing bowl.

prepare the kimchi paste

  • Peel 24 garlic cloves and add to a food processor.
  • Mince 2 teaspoons ginger and add to the food processor.
  • Peel and coarsely chop 1 medium onion and add to the food processor.
  • Pour the cooled porridge into the food processor.
  • Pulse to mince and combine all ingredients.
  • Add 1/2 cup of fish sauce to the food processor.
  • Optionally, add 1/4 cup fermented salted shrimp with its the salty brine to the food processor.
  • Add the hot pepper flakes to the food processor.
  • Pulse to combine all ingredients.
  • Pour the contents of the food processor into the mixing bowl with the vegetables.
  • Mix well.

make the kimchi

  • Being careful to hold the quarter heads together, spread kimchi paste on and between each cabbage leaf.
  • When every leaf in a quarter head is covered with kimchi paste, roll it up and set it aside.
  • Continue to work the kimchi paste into the cabbage until all of the quarter heads are filled and rolled.
  • Place a handful of kimchi into a wide-mouth canning jar.
  • Press down on the kimchi inside the jar to force out any air pockets.
  • Continue to fill the jar until the kimchi is about 2” from the top, then start to fill the next jar.
  • Once all of the quarter heads of kimchi are in jars, divide the remaining vegetables, loose leaves, and kimchi paste and use it to top off the kimchi in the canning jar canning jars, leaving a 1” space below the rim.
  • Press down on the kimchi in the jar to force out any air pockets.
  • Clean the rim of each jar and seal it.
  • At this point the kimchi can be eaten or let to sit to ferment.

fermentation

  • Place the jars of kimchi on a tray and keep them at room temperature.
  • Once the kimchi starts to ferment in a day or two, it will begin to produce a gas that smells like kimchi and increases the pressure inside the jar.
  • Check the kimchi every 12 hours or so, one jar at a time. Place a jar in the sink in case the pressure causes the kimchi to erupt when you open it. Unscrew the lid slowly to allow the gas to escape gradually. Press down on the kimchi to keep the cabbage and vegetables submerged under the liquid, and to force out any air pockets. Clean the rim of each jar and reseal it.
  • Place the jars of kimchi back on the tray and keep them at room temperature.
  • After the kimchi has noticeably started to ferment, place it in the refrigerator to slow the fermentation process, and keep it refrigerated. The kimchi can be eaten immediately, but will also have a more developed flavor in 3 to 4 days, and then again in two weeks.