Crisp Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Geotjeori)
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Create a delicious and refreshing geotjeori using fresh, crisp Napa cabbage. By roughly chopping the cabbage and tossing it with chives and shredded radish, you can enjoy both the fresh taste of just-made kimchi and the deep flavor of fermented kimchi. This recipe shows you how to make two distinct types of kimchi with one preparation: half as geotjeori and the other half to be aged into fermented kimchi.
Geotjeori Ingredients- 6 heads of Napa cabbage (Al-baechu)
- 7 Tbsp coarse sea salt
- 500g radish
- 500g chives
- Kimchi seasoning (2/3 portion)
Kimchi Seasoning Ingredients- 3 cups glutinous rice paste (cooled)
- 3 cups gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 5 Tbsp Cheongyang gochugaru (optional, for extra spice)
- 8 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 large green onions (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 onion (blended)
- 1 apple (blended)
- 3 Tbsp salted fermented shrimp (finely minced)
- 5 Tbsp anchovy sauce
- 3 Tbsp cutlassfish sauce
- 4 Tbsp plum extract
- 500ml anchovy broth
- 3 cups glutinous rice paste (cooled)
- 3 cups gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 5 Tbsp Cheongyang gochugaru (optional, for extra spice)
- 8 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 large green onions (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 onion (blended)
- 1 apple (blended)
- 3 Tbsp salted fermented shrimp (finely minced)
- 5 Tbsp anchovy sauce
- 3 Tbsp cutlassfish sauce
- 4 Tbsp plum extract
- 500ml anchovy broth
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Wash the 6 heads of Napa cabbage thoroughly, drain the water, and then cut them into large pieces, about 4-6 segments per head. If the leaves are too large, cut them into more manageable sizes for eating.
Step 2
Sprinkle 7 Tbsp of coarse sea salt evenly over the cut cabbage and mix well. Cover with a lid and let it salt for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the cabbage wilts. Toss occasionally to ensure even salting.
Step 3
While the cabbage is salting, prepare the radish. Julienne 500g of radish. Cutting it thinly will help it cook faster, so avoid thick cuts.
Step 4
Trim and wash 500g of chives, then drain them well. Cut the chives into approximately 4cm lengths. If using spring onions, wash and prepare them similarly.
Step 5
Check the saltiness of the salted cabbage. If it’s too salty, rinse it several times to adjust the saltiness. If it’s appropriately seasoned, rinse it once or twice lightly and then squeeze out excess water thoroughly. Leaving too much water can make the kimchi bland.
Step 6
Add the prepared shredded radish and chives to the drained cabbage and mix gently. Then, add 2/3 of the pre-made kimchi seasoning and toss everything together to complete the geotjeori. To make the kimchi seasoning: first, cook the glutinous rice paste and let it cool. While it cools, blend the onion and apple. Once the rice paste has cooled, combine it with gochugaru, Cheongyang gochugaru, minced garlic, minced ginger, chopped green onions, blended onion and apple, minced salted shrimp, anchovy sauce, cutlassfish sauce, plum extract, and anchovy broth. Mix well and refrigerate for about a day to develop deeper umami flavors.
Step 7
Transfer a portion of the finished geotjeori to a separate kimchi container and store it in the kimchi refrigerator to enjoy as fresh geotjeori. The remaining kimchi can be layered with ingredients like kimchi made from green onions (pakkimchi) and aged to become fermented kimchi.
Step 8
Your crisp Napa cabbage geotjeori is ready! Chill it in the kimchi refrigerator for an even more refreshing taste. With this one preparation, you can enjoy both freshly made geotjeori and flavorful aged kimchi.
