tonight's midnight meal

homemade kimchi, pressed into every leaf by hand

Name: homemade kimchi, pressed into every leaf by hand
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 7 hr · mostly hands-off salting
Yield: about 1 large jar
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 whole napa cabbage (about 4–5 lbs), outer leaves removed; 1 cup coarse sea salt, for brining and dry-salting; 2 Tbsp sweet rice flour (or regular flour) + 2 cups water, for the rice porridge base; 1½–2 cups gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes); ½ cup minced garlic (8–10 cloves); 1–2 tsp grated ginger; ¾ cup grated or minced onion; ½ cup fish sauce; ¼ cup salted shrimp (saeujeot), minced; 1–2 Tbsp sugar; 1 Korean radish (about 1 lb), cut into thin matchsticks; 2–3 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

⏱ 7 hr · mostly hands-off salting🍽 1 whole cabbage, keeps for weeks

Ingredients · tap to check

1 whole napa cabbage (about 4–5 lbs), outer leaves removed
1 cup coarse sea salt, for brining and dry-salting
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour (or regular flour) + 2 cups water, for the rice porridge base
1½–2 cups gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
½ cup minced garlic (8–10 cloves)
1–2 tsp grated ginger
¾ cup grated or minced onion
½ cup fish sauce
¼ cup salted shrimp (saeujeot), minced
1–2 Tbsp sugar
1 Korean radish (about 1 lb), cut into thin matchsticks
2–3 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

The Way

Cut a few inches into the base of the cabbage with a knife, then pull the rest apart with your hands along the natural grain, into quarters.
Dunk the quarters in a salt-water brine, then scatter more dry coarse salt between the leaves, working it mostly into the thick white ribs. Let sit 6 to 8 hours at room temperature, turning every 2 to 3 hours, until the ribs bend without snapping.
Rinse the salted cabbage in cold water two or three times to wash out the excess salt, then drain well.
Simmer the rice flour and water for 5 to 9 minutes, stirring, until thick and translucent. Let it cool completely.
Stir the cooled porridge with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, salted shrimp and sugar into a thick, glossy red paste. Let it sit a few minutes so the gochugaru drinks in the moisture.
Toss the radish and green onion into the paste until every piece turns red-orange.
Working one leaf at a time, lift each leaf of a cabbage quarter and pack a handful of the radish paste onto the white rib, all the way out to the leaf tips.
Fold the coated quarter closed and pack it tightly into a jar, pressing out the air pockets as you go. Eat it fresh and crunchy the same day, or leave it out a day or two before moving it to the fridge to sour.

midnight tip. tear off a piece and eat it right off the cutting board while you pack the jar, that's the reward for doing it by hand. leave the rest out a day or two before the fridge, and it turns into real, sour kimchi.

Questions

can I skip the salted shrimp (saeujeot)?

yes, technically. it's what gives kimchi its deep savory backbone as it ferments, so if you don't have it, add a little extra fish sauce instead. the flavor will be simpler, but still good.

how long does homemade kimchi keep?

packed tight in an airtight jar in the fridge, it keeps for weeks and just gets more sour with time. the fresh, crunchy version in this recipe is really its own thing, best eaten within the first day or two.

why coat the leaves by hand instead of tossing everything in a bowl?

working the paste into the ribs of the standing leaves gets the seasoning deep into the thickest part first, right where it needs it most. that's what keeps the whole-leaf texture that makes it taste like real kimchi instead of a spicy slaw.

homemade kimchi, pressed into every leaf by hand

Ingredients · tap to check

The Way

Questions

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