Delicious Kimchi Made the Traditional Way
A Complete Recipe for Making Flavorful Kimchi with 40kg of Salted Napa Cabbage
This year’s kimchi-making season has finally concluded! I feel so relieved after finishing the kimjang. With the ancestral rites and kimchi preparation done, it feels like all the major tasks for the year are complete. I always feel a sense of pressure before kimjang, but the relief afterwards is immense. Our family consistently uses the same kimchi paste recipe, and our kimchi is distinctively not too salty. Some people might find it a bit bland, but we at home enjoy our freshly made kimchi by tearing it apart like a salad for a while after kimjang. This less salty kimchi is absolutely delicious to us! Because we put so much care into every spoonful of the kimchi paste, we only make napa cabbage kimchi once a year, during kimjang. So, imagine how incredibly tasty the kimchi tastes after waiting a whole year!
Kimchi Ingredients- Salted Napa Cabbage 40 kg
- Salted Fermented Shrimp (Saeujeot) 600 g
- Peeled Garlic 1.4 kg
- Fresh Ginger 400 g
- Fresh Raw Shrimp 3.3 kg
- Dried Pollack Heads 4 pcs
- Dried Anchovies for broth 2 handfuls
- Dried Kelp (15x15cm) 6 sheets
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms 5 pcs
- Water 5 L
- Sweet Rice Flour 2 cups
- Large Persimmons (Daebong Hongsi) 7 pcs (approx. 1.4 kg)
- Plum Extract (Maesilcheong) 2 cups
- Red Pepper Flakes (Gochugaru) 2 kg
- Radishes 7 pcs
- Fermented Anchovy Sauce (Myeolchi Aekjeot) 2 L
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Start by placing the fermented anchovy sauce (Myeolchi Aekjeot) of 2 liters and salted fermented shrimp (Saeujeot) of 600g into a very large bowl for the kimchi paste. Tip: The anchovy sauce used here is homemade, made by pickling fresh anchovies bought from Daebyeon Port in Gijang, Busan, in the spring. My mother makes it for us every year! This means our kimchi preparation truly begins in the springtime.
Step 2
Prepare 1.4kg of garlic and 400g of ginger. These have been trimmed, washed, drained, and weighed before being presented here.
Step 3
Wash 3.3kg of fresh raw shrimp under running water and drain them thoroughly in a colander. Although it’s a bit tedious, the garlic, ginger, and shrimp for the kimchi paste are processed by grinding them at a local mill every year. This is very convenient as it grinds large quantities quickly. Once ground, add the garlic, ginger, and shrimp to the bowl with the anchovy sauce.
Step 4
To make the broth, place 4 dried pollack heads and 2 handfuls of dried anchovies for broth into a pressure cooker.
Step 5
Add 6 sheets of dried kelp, each approximately 15x15cm, and 5 dried shiitake mushrooms. Lightly rinse them under running water before adding to the pressure cooker.
Step 6
Pour 5 liters of water into the pressure cooker with all the ingredients.
Step 7
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and place it on high heat. Once the whistle starts blowing, reduce the heat and let it cook until the whistle blows again, then turn off the heat. Allow it to cool down sufficiently and release pressure naturally. Tip: I prepared this broth the night before to save time on the actual kimchi-making day.
Step 8
The next morning, opening the pressure cooker reveals a deeply flavorful and concentrated broth.
Step 9
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, ensuring all the solids (pollack heads, anchovies, kelp, shiitake mushrooms, etc.) are removed to get a clear broth.
Step 10
Add 2 cups of washed sweet rice flour to the clear broth in the pressure cooker. Close the lid again, place on high heat, and cook until the whistle blows. Then, turn off the heat and let it steam until cooled.
Step 11
The sweet rice porridge made with the broth is now ready. Using a pressure cooker for this porridge is very convenient as you don’t need to stir it constantly. Pour the sweet rice porridge, along with its liquid, into the kimchi paste bowl.
Step 12
Wash the 7 large persimmons (Daebong Hongsi) under running water. Remove the stems from each persimmon and carefully peel them as thinly as possible. Remove the seeds and prepare them to be added to the kimchi paste bowl. (Approximately 1.4kg of persimmons used).
Step 13
Add 2 cups of plum extract (Maesilcheong) to the kimchi paste bowl. The sweetness and fragrance of the plum extract will further enrich the kimchi’s flavor.
Step 14
Add 2kg of red pepper flakes (Gochugaru) to the kimchi paste bowl. Tip: We purchase 10 jin (about 6kg) of dried chili peppers in the summer to last us the year. We remove the stems, clean them, and have them ground at the mill. Using freshly ground gochugaru provides excellent color and flavor.
Step 15
After adding the red pepper flakes, mix everything thoroughly until well combined and let it sit to allow the flakes to hydrate. Your delicious kimchi paste is now complete!
Step 16
Prepare 7 radishes, freshly harvested from the garden. Select the larger ones. Wash the radishes, peel them, and julienne them into strips suitable for kimchi. Tip: I julienned the radishes the day before and stored them in a kimchi bag in the refrigerator.
Step 17
Squeeze out as much water as possible from the 40kg of salted napa cabbage. Gradually add portions of the julienned radish and kimchi paste to the cabbage, mixing gently until evenly coated. Tip: If you have leftover kimchi paste, store it in an airtight container and use it for dishes like seasoned oysters or stir-fried squid. The unique flavor of kimjang paste enhances many dishes. To prevent the kimchi from becoming watery, it’s best to add the radishes and paste gradually as you mix.
Step 18
Now it’s time to season the cabbage. Carefully spread the kimchi paste onto each leaf, especially along the thicker white ribs, ensuring good coverage. Once seasoned, fold the outer leaves around the cabbage and pack them tightly into the kimchi container, pressing down firmly.
Step 19
The outer leaves of the salted cabbage are used last. Gently scrape any remaining kimchi paste from the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with these leaves, mixing them with the paste. Place these coated outer leaves on top of the kimchi in the container, like a lid. This helps prevent the kimchi from drying out and ensures no delicious paste goes to waste.
