''Baechu-kimchi'' (), translated as cabbage kimchi or simply kimchi is a quintessential ''

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish ...

'' (side dish) in Korean cuisine, made with salted, seasoned, and fermented

napa cabbage Napa cabbage ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''pekinensis'' or ''Brassica rapa'' Pekinensis Group) is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in East Asian cuisine. Since the 20th century, it has a ...

s. *

Preparation

''Baechu-kimchi'' is made by fermenting salted

s with

Korean radish ''Mu'' or Korean radish is a variety of white radish with a firm crunchy texture. Although ''mu'' () is also a generic term for radishes in Korean, the word is usually used in its narrow sense, referring to the white radish, or more specific ...

, aromatic vegetables, ''

jeotgal ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piec ...

'' (salted seafood), ''

gochugaru Korean chili peppers or Korean hot peppers, also known as Korean red, Korean dark green, or Korean long green peppers according to color (ripening stages), are medium-sized chili peppers of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. The chili pepper is long ...

'' (chili powder) and various seasonings. Northern varieties are milder and soupier. Southern varieties are saltier and more pungent.

Cabbages

Korean brining salt, has a larger grain size compared to common

kitchen salt A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a ...

, is used for the initial salting of

s. 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, ''

'' (chili powder), ''

'' (salted seafood),

, and aromatic vegetables are added to make the kimchi seasoning.

Scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chi ...

s, minced

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northe ...

, and ground

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

are the most commonly used aromatic vegetables, and

garlic chives ''Allium tuberosum'' (garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek) is a species of plant native to the Chinese province of Shanxi, and cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in Asia and around the world. Description ...

, Korean parsley,

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the oni ...

s, carrots, and

chilli pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for t ...

s are also often added. Korean radish is typically

julienned Julienne, , or french cut, is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks. Common items to be julienned are carrots for , celery for , potatoes for julienne fries, or cucumbers for . Trimmi ...

, and the aromatics can be chopped, minced, or ground. ''Jeotgal'' can be replaced with raw seafood in colder Northern parts of the

Korean peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

. If used, milder '' saeu-jeot'' (salted shrimp) or '' jogi-jeot'' (salted croaker) 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'' (salted anchovies) and ''

galchi-jeot ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piece ...

'' (salted hairtail) is commonly used. Raw seafood or ''

daegu-agami-jeot ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid pie ...

'' (salted cod gills) are used in the East coast areas. Most commonly used '' aekjeot'' (liquid ''jeotgal'', or fish sauce) are '' myeolchi-aekjeot'' (anchovy sauce) and '' kkanari-aekjeot'' (

sand lance A sand lance or sandlance is a fish belonging to the family Ammodytidae. Several species of sand lances are commonly known as "sand eels", though they are not related to true eels. Another variant name is launce, and all names of the fish are ...

sauce). ''Aekjeot'' may be used in place of solid ''jeotgal'' 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 ''Onggi'' () is Korean earthenware extensively used as tableware and storage containers in Korea. It includes both unglazed earthenware, fired near 600 to 700°C, and pottery with a dark brown glaze fired at over 1100 °C.The origin of ong ...

'' (earthenware) or a container, covered, and pressed down, and let ferment at room temperature for a day or two. Traditionally, kimchi is stored underground in ''

'' (earthenware). Today, it is more commonly stored in a

kimchi refrigerator A kimchi refrigerator is a refrigerator designed specifically to meet the storage requirements of kimchi and facilitate different fermentation processes. The kimchi refrigerator aims to be colder, with more consistent temperature, more humid ...

or a regular refrigerator.

Preparation

Cabbages

Fillings

Fermentation

See also

References

Further reading