Phoebe ChungWhite kimchi has a longer history than red kimchi with chili powder. However, many foreigners are familiar with red kimchi.
This kimchi contains all the flavors of kimchi except for the spicy taste.
If there are people who cannot eat kimchi because of its spicy taste, try this.
About white kimchi
White kimchi got its name because it does not contain chili flakes, so it does not have a red color.
In Korean, it is called ‘baek kimchi’. The word ‘baek’ means white.
This kimchi is not spicy and strong flavore, but has a more refreshing than regular kimchi.
In this kimchi, refreshing vegetables or fruits such as apples and pears are added.
‘Minari’, which many people have come to know through the movie, is also widely used as a vegetable that adds flavor and refreshment to it.
Another thing, all vegetables are submerged in salty brine. That creates the refreshing taste of this kimchi.
Otherwise, it may go bad or smell unpleasant that part came out of the brine. And it’s good to keep it in a cold place (refrigeration) from the beginning.
This is not to eat when it is made and fresh. It’s better when all the flavors are harmonized over time and the unique taste of kimchi starts come out.
What is good dishes with?
Goes well with all kinds of food.
Koreans in particular add it as a side dish to very spicy dishes or rich foods.
Also, the liquid of this kimchi is used as broth for cold noodles especially in summer.
Recipe note
*Koreans also add healthy ingredients to this kimchi, such as dried Chinese dates and chestnuts.
It doesn’t affect the taste of kimchi, so don’t worry if it’s hard to find.
*Sweeteners add a bit of umami. You can also use stevia instead of sweetener. If you don’t have them, substitute sugar.
*If you are vegetarian or vegan, season with salt instead of fish sauce.
Good veggies and fruits to add
Usually pears and apples.
Radish, Minari ‘water parsley’, cucumber (summer), carrot.
By the way, Koreans put spicy red chilies here for garnish. Is it really for garnish or because of the spiciness? What do you think?
White kimchi recipe (Baek kimchi)
Ingredients
- 1 napa cabbage
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 1 small radish
- 10 stems green onions
- 1 pear
- 10 dried jujube (Option)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 5 g ginger
- ½ onion
- 2 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1½ teaspoons Sweetener + 1 tbsp sugar (or 2 Tablespoon sugar)
- 2 liters purified water
Instructions
- Wash the cabbage and divide it into 4 parts.Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt per portion of cabbage between the white stems.Make salty water, like seawater, and pour it over the cabbage until submerged.Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of salt over it, press with a weighted bowl, and let it sit for 6 hours.
- Pour 1 cup of water into 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour, mix well. Make glutinous rice porridge by microwave.Add sweetener to it and mix. Set aside.
- Wash the radish to remove the dirty skin, cut 2/3 of the radish into large pieces, and mix with a tablespoon of salt.Cut the remaining 1/3 of the radish into long strips.Peel the pear and remove the inner part. Cut 1/2 of pear into long strips, the other half to slice. As in the picture, cut the jujube, cut the green onion into 5cm lengths, cut the onion, and chop the garlic and ginger.
- The cabbage is ready when it bends gently as shown in the photo. Rinse with cold water and drain.
- Put the radish strips, jujube, and pear strips in a large bowl, add half of the other ingredients (onion, green onion, garlic, ginger).Add fish sauce, sugar, and 1 tbsp salt and set aside.
- Insert the mixed ingredients little by little between the cabbages.(If you add too much, the white kimchi will not look good.)Gently wrap it with the outer leaves of the cabbage and put it in a kimchi container.
- Place the rest of the ingredients on top. – The salted radish and sliced pear, half of others ( onion, green onion, garlic, and ginger).Dissolve glutinous rice porridge prepared in 2 liters of purified water, season with salt as much as you like, and pour.
- Press down the cabbage with a gentle treat so that it does not float, cover, put in the refrigerator, and consume after about 3 days.
