By Chef Bao
This is a simple and traditional cabbage-style kimchi that incorporates the crunch of apples and radishes, along with the tanginess of pears, for a burst of flavors and textures that will beat anything you’ve had at your favorite Korean restaurant.
Kimchi is a dish that’s made from a variety of seasoned and fermented vegetables, with cabbage being the classic choice. Originally meant to preserve vegetables over the winter months, kimchi has become a staple of traditional Korean cuisine. Not only is kimchi delicious and versatile, but it is also loaded with probiotics, making it a great way to boost your health!
Recipe
Servings: 10
Prep time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 large Napa cabbage
1 cup Kosher salt
6 ½ cups Warm water
½ small Daikon radish
1 ½ medium Red apple
1 ½ medium Korean pear
3 stalks Scallions
3 tablespoons Fermented salted shrimp
1 ½ cups Water
4 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Korean chili powder
2 tablespoons Fish sauce
9 small Garlic cloves
2 ½ tablespoons Fresh ginger
Directions:
- Clean the napa cabbage. Cut the thick white part of the cabbage lengthwise in half. Then, slowly pull it apart by hand to separate it into two pieces. Use the knife to give one more cut on each half of the thick part of the cabbage.
- In a large bowl, dissolve 1/2 cup of salt in 6 ¼ cups of water. Thoroughly bathe each cabbage in the saltwater one at a time, shake off excess water back into the bowl, and then transfer to another bowl.
- Using another 1/2 cup of salt, start from the outermost leaf, and generously sprinkle salt over the thick white part of each leaf.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside for about 2 to 3 hours, rotating the bottom leaves to the top every 30 minutes. The cabbages should be ready to be washed when the white parts of the leaves are easily bendable. Rinse well, especially between the white parts. Drain well, add to a bowl, and set aside.
- Cut the radish, red apple, and Korean pear into matchsticks (use a mandoline cutter, if desired), cut the scallions in about 4 sections, and mince the fermented salted shrimp.
- In a bowl with the paste, add 1 cup of Korean chili powder, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 3 tablespoons of fermented salted shrimp. Add the apple, radish, pear slices, and scallions. Mix well by hand. Taste a little bit. It should be a little too salty to eat as is. You can add salt, more salted shrimp, or fish sauce, as needed. Let it sit to allow the flavors to meld nicely.
- To make flour paste: Heat a small saucepan, then add 1/2 cup of water and 4 tablespoons of flour and bring to a simmer. Stir with a whisk while cooking to make the flour paste. When it’s done, transfer it to a large bowl.
- Core whole apple and pear, remove seeds, slice in half, and then again in half. Remove the skin of the ginger and cut. Place these ingredients and the garlic in a food processor or blender, and blend. Then add the blended mixture to the radish mixture, and mix well with your hands.
- Place one cabbage quarter in the bowl with the radish mixture. Spread the mixture over each leaf, 1 to 2 tablespoons for large leaves. (Eyeball the mixture into 4 parts, and use one part for each cabbage quarter.)
- Fold the leaf part of the cabbage over toward the stem and nicely wrap it with the outermost leaf. Place it in a jar or airtight container. Once all the cabbages are in the jar or airtight container, press down hard to remove the air pockets. Store it in the fridge for a full day, depending on how fast you want your Kimchi to ripen.
