Kimjang: Making 20 Heads of Napa Cabbage Kimchi – Tips for Salting Cabbage
How to Make Kimjang Kimchi with 20 Heads of Napa Cabbage: Salting Tips and Golden Ratio Seasoning
Learn how to make Kimjang kimchi with 20 heads of homegrown Napa cabbage, slightly smaller than market size. We share essential tips for salting the cabbage and a golden ratio seasoning recipe for delicious kimchi.
Main Kimjang Ingredients
- 20 heads Napa cabbage (slightly smaller size)
- 2kg Korean radish (daikon)
- 14 cups coarse sea salt (for salting cabbage)
- 2 bunches red crown daisy (Hwanggan)
- 1 bunch minari (water dropwort)
- 1 bunch young green garlic or scallions
Kimchi Filling Ingredients (for Blender)
- 3kg Korean radish (daikon)
- 2 Pears
- 1 Apple
- 3 Onions (large)
- 300g Green onions
Glutinous Rice Paste Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked glutinous rice
- 7 cups Kimjang broth (or water)
Kimchi Filling Seasoning
- 1kg + 1 cup Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1kg Fresh small shrimp (cleaned)
- 2 cups Minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp Grated ginger
- 4 cups Saeujeot (fermented shrimp)
- 5 cups Myeolchi Aekjeot (fish sauce)
- 3/4 cup Maesilcheong (plum extract)
- Coarse sea salt (to adjust taste)
- Measured by standard rice spoon and measuring cup.
- 3kg Korean radish (daikon)
- 2 Pears
- 1 Apple
- 3 Onions (large)
- 300g Green onions
Glutinous Rice Paste Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked glutinous rice
- 7 cups Kimjang broth (or water)
Kimchi Filling Seasoning
- 1kg + 1 cup Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1kg Fresh small shrimp (cleaned)
- 2 cups Minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp Grated ginger
- 4 cups Saeujeot (fermented shrimp)
- 5 cups Myeolchi Aekjeot (fish sauce)
- 3/4 cup Maesilcheong (plum extract)
- Coarse sea salt (to adjust taste)
- Measured by standard rice spoon and measuring cup.
- 1kg + 1 cup Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1kg Fresh small shrimp (cleaned)
- 2 cups Minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp Grated ginger
- 4 cups Saeujeot (fermented shrimp)
- 5 cups Myeolchi Aekjeot (fish sauce)
- 3/4 cup Maesilcheong (plum extract)
- Coarse sea salt (to adjust taste)
- Measured by standard rice spoon and measuring cup.
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, trim the Napa cabbage and cut each head into two halves. If the cabbage heads are very large, make a cut about one-third of the way up the core of each half. This helps the seasoning penetrate better later.
Step 2
Prepare a large basin for salting the cabbage. Add 8 liters of water and 5 cups of coarse sea salt (heaping). Stir well until the salt is completely dissolved.
Step 3
Submerge all the prepared cabbage halves in the saltwater. Ensure that the brine soaks through the outer leaves to the core. You can pile the cabbage halves to one side of the basin and then continue soaking the remaining ones.
Step 4
After soaking, sprinkle a handful of coarse sea salt onto the white stem parts of each cabbage half. You’ll use about 8 cups of salt in total for this step. Salting the stems well is crucial for proper flavor and texture.
Step 5
Neatly stack the salted cabbage halves in the basin. Pour the remaining saltwater over the cabbage. To ensure even salting without needing to flip them in the middle of the night, place another heavy basin on top and weigh it down with water. Let the cabbage salt for 10-12 hours. If you choose to flip them, reposition the cabbage halves after about 5 hours.
Step 6
To check if the cabbage is properly salted, gently bend a stem. If it bends without breaking, it’s perfectly salted.
Step 7
Rinse the salted cabbage gently in the brine once, then thoroughly rinse it under clean running water 3-4 times. It’s essential to drain the water completely. Let the cabbage drain for about 3-4 hours. You can place them on a colander or gently squeeze out excess water.
Step 8
Prepare the red crown daisy (Hwanggan), minari (water dropwort), and young green garlic or scallions by trimming them.
Step 9
Prepare the ingredients for the kimchi filling that will go into the blender. Cut 3kg of Korean radish into large chunks. Also, cut 2 pears, 1 apple, and 3 large onions into large pieces. Remove any seeds.
Step 10
Cut 300g of green onions into large pieces to be blended with the other ingredients.
Step 11
Soak 1 cup of glutinous rice thoroughly in water. In a pot, combine the soaked rice with 7 cups of Kimjang broth (or water). Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the rice grains break down and form a paste. Once the rice is soft and has thickened, turn off the heat and let it cool. You should have about 5 cups of glutinous rice paste.
Step 12
Chop the prepared red crown daisy, minari, and young green garlic into approximately 3cm lengths. This size is manageable for mixing into the kimchi filling.
Step 13
Shred 2kg of Korean radish into thick strips for the kimchi filling. Thicker strips provide a better texture when eaten.
Step 14
Combine the chopped radish, pears, apple, onions, green onions, and fresh small shrimp in a blender. Add the cooled glutinous rice paste and fish sauce. Blend until the mixture is smooth but still retains some texture.
Step 15
In a large bowl, place the shredded radish. Add the blended mixture from the blender. Incorporate the minced garlic, grated ginger, fermented shrimp, and plum extract. Mix everything well.
Step 16
Add the gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) to achieve the desired color and flavor. Add 1kg + 1 cup of gochugaru and mix thoroughly with the filling ingredients. Let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes to allow the chili flakes to hydrate and bloom.
Step 17
After the gochugaru has bloomed, gently fold in the chopped minari, young green garlic, and red crown daisy. Mix carefully to avoid crushing the vegetables. Let the filling rest for a short while for the flavors to meld.
Step 18
Take a drained cabbage half and carefully spread the kimchi filling onto the inner stem parts. Ensure the seasoning is evenly applied between each leaf and stem.
Step 19
Fold the outer leaves of the cabbage over the filling to neatly wrap the kimchi, preventing the filling from falling out.
Step 20
Pack the kimchi tightly into a kimchi container, placing the wrapped cabbage with the outer leaves facing downwards. Cover the top layer of kimchi with the reserved salted outer cabbage leaves. Sprinkle a little more sea salt on top to aid fermentation. Cover with plastic wrap, and your delicious Kimjang kimchi is ready! Enjoy!
