Nabak-kimchi

A pink water kimchi cut into thin squares, where the chilli is steeped in muslin so the brine colours without going gritty.

Vegan.

Ingredients

For the vegetables

• 400 g napa cabbage, in 3 cm squares
• 300 g Korean radish, in thin 3 cm squares
• 1 carrot, in thin squares
• 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

For the brine

• 1.5 litres water
• 2 tablespoons gochugaru
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 piece ginger, 2 cm, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• half an Asian pear, sliced
• 4 spring onions, in 3 cm lengths
• 1 green chilli, pricked

Method

1. THE CHILLI IS STEEPED IN MUSLIN AND NEVER STIRRED IN LOOSE. Two tablespoons of gochugaru tied in a square of muslin and swirled through the water until it turns a clear pink, then squeezed and taken out. That is the whole trick of this kimchi: you want the colour and the warmth in the liquid and none of the flakes, because the brine is drunk. Stirred in loose, it never settles -- every mouthful is gritty and the liquid is muddy rather than pink.
2. EVERYTHING IS CUT INTO THIN SQUARES, which is what the name describes and what separates it from the other two water kimchi on this site. Dongchimi is whole radishes and baek-kimchi is stuffed cabbage quarters; here cabbage, radish and carrot are all flat 3 cm squares, so a spoonful carries a little of each.
3. THE VEGETABLES ARE SALTED BRIEFLY AND NOT RINSED. Twenty minutes only, and the water they give up goes into the brine. This is a very lightly fermented pickle and a long salting makes it limp.
4. THE GARLIC AND GINGER GO IN SLICED, for the same reason as the chilli -- anything crushed clouds the brine. They can be lifted out before serving.
5. AND IT IS BARELY FERMENTED AND EATEN YOUNG. A day at room temperature, then the fridge, and it is at its best within a week. It is served cold as a palate-cleanser beside heavy food, so it should taste fresh and faintly fizzy rather than sour.
6. Cabbage, radish and carrot cut into thin 3 cm squares, tossed with the 2 tablespoons of coarse salt, and left 20 MINUTES. Not rinsed.
7. The water measured into a bowl and the sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt stirred until dissolved.
8. The gochugaru tied in a square of muslin, lowered in, and SWIRLED and squeezed 2 minutes until the water is clear pink. The bag taken out.
9. TASTED: the brine should be mildly salty and gently warm, like something you would drink.
10. The salted vegetables and the water they have released added to the brine.
11. The sliced garlic, ginger, pear, spring onions and chilli added.
12. Transferred to a jar or a lidded bowl, the vegetables pressed under the surface.
13. Left 1 DAY at room temperature, until the brine tastes faintly sour, then refrigerated.
14. Served very cold in shallow bowls with plenty of the liquid. Best within a week.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under South Korea · All recipes