Napa cabbage kimchi (tongbaechu-kimchi) is a traditional Korean fermented side dish made by salting whole cabbage leaves, coating them with a savory paste of garlic, ginger, gochugaru, fish sauce, and fermented shrimp, then fermenting for complex, spicy flavor.
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Prepare and salt the cabbage: If the cabbage cores stick out too much, trim them off with your knife. To split a cabbage in half without shredding the densely packed leaves inside, first cut a short slit in the base of the cabbage, enough to get a grip on either half, and then gently pull the halves apart so the cabbage splits open.
Cut a slit through the core of each half, 2 inches above the stem. You want the cabbage leaves to be loose but still attached to the core.
Dunk the halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Sprinkle salt between the leaves by lifting up every leaf and getting salt in there. Use more salt closer to the stems, where the leaves are thicker.
Let the cabbages rest for 2 hours. Turn over every 30 minutes, so they get well salted. From time to time ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over top of the cabbages if you want to.
After 2 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water, removing the salt and any dirt. As you wash, split the halves into quarters along the slits you cut earlier. Cut off the cores, give them a final rinse, and put them in a strainer over a basin so they can drain well.
Make the porridge: While the cabbage is salting, combine the water and sweet rice flour in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it starts to bubble. Add the sugar and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely.
Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste.
Add the radish, carrot, and green onion, plus the Asian chives (or more green onions) and the water dropwort if using. Mix well.
Make kimchi: In a large bowl, spread some kimchi paste on each cabbage leaf. When every leaf in a quarter is covered with paste, wrap it around itself into a small packet, and put into your jar, plastic container, or onggi.
Eat right away, or let it sit for a few days to ferment.
Store sealed kimchi in the refrigerator for several weeks; it continues fermenting slowly and develops more tang and spice over time.
You can eat it immediately after making, or let it sit for a few days to ferment and develop deeper flavor.
Salting for 2 hours (turning every 30 minutes) softens the leaves, seasons them throughout, and creates the right texture for the paste to coat evenly.
Yes: use salted anchovies or additional fish sauce (add 1-2 tablespoons more), though fermented shrimp provides distinctive umami depth.
Use a glass jar, plastic container, or traditional onggi (Korean earthenware). Ensure it's clean and has a tight-fitting lid.
Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator; it keeps for several weeks and continues to ferment slowly, developing more tang over time.
