Baechu-kimchi, translated as cabbage kimchi or simply kimchi is a quintessential banchan in Korean cuisine, made with salted, seasoned, and fermented napa cabbages.
Preparation
Baechu-kimchi is made by fermenting salted napa cabbages with Korean radish, aromatic vegetables, jeotgal, gochugaru and various seasonings. Northern varieties are milder and soupier. Southern varieties are saltier and more pungent.
Cabbages
, with a larger grain size and lower sodium content compared to common kitchen salt, is used for the initial salting of napa cabbages. Being minimally processed, it serves to help developing flavors in fermented foods. Per water, around of salt is used. Half of the salt is dissolved in water before putting the cabbages in, and the other half is sprinkled in between the layers of napa cabbages that were washed, trimmed, and halved or quartered lengthwise. The cabbages are salted in the brine for several hours, turned over, then salted for more hours. After that, salted cabbages are washed thoroughly under running water and drained.
Fillings
Porridge-like thin paste is made by boiling small amount of glutinous rice flour in water. To that, gochutgaru, jeotgal, Korean radish, and aromatic vegetables are added to make the kimchi seasoning. Scallions, minced garlic, and ground ginger are the most commonly used aromatic vegetables, and garlic chives, Korean parsley, onions, carrots, and chilli peppers are also often added. Korean radish is typically julienned, and the aromatics can be chopped, minced, or ground. Jeotgal can be replaced with raw seafood in colder Northern parts of the Korean peninsula. If used, milder saeu-jeot or jogi-jeot is preferred and the amount of jeotgal is also reduced in Northern and Central regions. In Southern Korea, on the other hand, generous amount of stronger myeolchi-jeot and galchi-jeot is commonly used. Raw seafood or daegu-agami-jeot are used in the East coast areas. Most commonly used aekjeot are myeolchi-aekjeot and kkanari-aekjeot. Aekjeot may be used in place of solidjeotgal or used along with them. Small amount of sugar, honey, fruit juice, or ground fruit can also be added. The fillings are packed in between each leaf of the cabbages.
Fermentation
Kimchi is placed in an onggi or a container, covered, and pressed down, and let ferment at room temperature for a day or two. Traditionally, kimchi is stored underground in onggi. Today, it is more commonly stored in a kimchi refrigerator or a regular refrigerator.
