Tongbaechu Kimchi — Classic Napa Cabbage Kimchi

Ingredients

• 1 large napa cabbage (1.2kg), quartered
• 1/2 cup coarse sea salt (cheonilyeom)
• 5 cups water for brine
• 1 cup Korean radish, julienned
• 1/4 cup gochugaru (medium coarse)
• 3 Tbsp saeujeot (salted shrimp), minced
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced (6 cloves)
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 scallions, cut 2-inch
• 1 tsp sugar + 1 Asian pear, grated
• 1 Tbsp chapssal (sweet rice) porridge: 1 Tbsp flour + 1/2 cup water, cooked thick

Steps

1. Salt cabbage wedges with coarse salt between leaves, brine 8 hrs turning once, rinse 3x and drain 2 hrs until bendable but crisp.
2. Mix porridge, gochugaru, saeujeot, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, pear and sugar into paste; fold in radish and scallions.
3. Spread paste between each leaf, not just outside; pack tightly into clean jar with 1-inch headspace, press to submerge.
4. Ferment 1–2 days at 68°F until barely fizzy, then refrigerate. Taste daily: ready at pH 4.2–4.4 (3–5 days), jjigae-ready at 2 weeks.
5. Keep brine covering leaves; refrigerate up to 2 months. Use clean tongs each time.