Tongbaechu Kimchi

Ingredients

• 2 large napa cabbages, about 3kg total
• 250g coarse Korean sea salt, for brining
• 3 litres water, for brining
• 3 tbsp glutinous rice flour
• 400ml water, for the porridge
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150g gochugaru
• 80ml Korean fish sauce
• 3 tbsp saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp), minced
• 1 head garlic, about 15 cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 onion, grated
• 400g Korean radish, cut into fine matchsticks
• 6 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
• 100g Asian chives, cut into 4cm lengths, optional

Before you cook

• Cut each cabbage lengthwise into quarters, keeping the core intact so the leaves stay attached
• Dissolve half the salt in the 3 litres of water in a very large tub
• Cut the radish into matchsticks and the spring onions and chives into lengths
• Mince the garlic, ginger and salted shrimp, and grate the onion

Steps

1. Dip each cabbage quarter in the brine, then sprinkle the remaining coarse salt between the leaves, concentrating it on the thick white stems.
2. Lay the quarters cut side up in the tub of brine and weight them down with a plate.
3. Leave the cabbage to brine for 6 hours, turning the quarters over every 2 hours.
4. Test a stem by bending it; it should bow like rubber without snapping, so brine longer if it still cracks.
5. Rinse each quarter under cold running water three times, working between every leaf to wash out the loose salt.
6. Drain the cabbage cut side down in a colander for 45 minutes.
7. Whisk the glutinous rice flour into the 400ml water in a small pan and cook it over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until it thickens into a loose porridge.
8. Stir the sugar into the hot porridge and let it cool completely.
9. Mix the cooled porridge with the gochugaru and leave it for 10 minutes to bloom into a deep red paste.
10. Stir in the fish sauce, salted shrimp, garlic, ginger and grated onion.
11. Fold the radish matchsticks, spring onions and chives through the paste until they are evenly coated.
12. Put on gloves and smear the filling between every leaf of each cabbage quarter, using more on the stem end and less on the leafy tips.
13. Fold each quarter in on itself and wrap it with its own outermost leaf into a tidy parcel.
14. Pack the parcels tightly into a clean jar or crock, pressing down to drive out air pockets.
15. Rinse the mixing bowl with a splash of water and pour that over the top, then seal the container.
16. Leave the kimchi at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days until it smells sour and bubbles when pressed, then move it to the fridge.
17. Wait at least a week before eating it, and know that it keeps improving for months.