Classic Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Baechu-Kimchi)
Korea's most essential side dish: napa cabbage salted until supple, then rubbed with a fiery paste of gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and scallions and left to ferment into something tangy, crunchy and alive.
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Start your free weekContinue with free accessSalt the cabbage
Quarter the cabbage lengthwise. Sprinkle salt generously between every leaf, concentrating on the thick white stems. Leave for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes, until the leaves bend without snapping.
Rinse and drain
Rinse the cabbage three times in cold water to remove excess salt, then drain cut-side down for 30 minutes.
Make the porridge base
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Mix the paste
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Rub and pack
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Ferment
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Salt the cabbage
Quarter the cabbage lengthwise. Sprinkle salt generously between every leaf, concentrating on the thick white stems. Leave for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes, until the leaves bend without snapping.
Rinse and drain
Rinse the cabbage three times in cold water to remove excess salt, then drain cut-side down for 30 minutes.
Make the porridge base
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Mix the paste
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Rub and pack
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Ferment
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The Story Behind the Dish
Koreans have fermented vegetables in salt for well over a thousand years to survive long winters. Chili peppers only arrived in Korea around the 17th century, and the red, spicy napa cabbage kimchi known today became widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Every autumn, families still gather for gimjang — the communal making of a winter's worth of kimchi.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Kimchi is served at almost every Korean meal and is a symbol of Korean identity.
💡 Fun Fact
Gimjang, the tradition of making and sharing kimchi, is listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage (2013).
Korean Peninsula
37.57°N, 126.98°E
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