Fresh Kimchee - Non Fermented

Try this non-fermented version of Kimchee. People tend to shy away from making Kimchee because the process can be cumbersome and the thought of fermentation sucks the life out of you. But this version is made fresh and is very simple. If you have the patience to pre-salt green tomatoes when you make Fried Green Tomatoes or pre-salt eggplants for Eggplant Parmigiana, you can make this!

This fresh Kimchee is actually called GeotJeori (Phonetically pronounced Gut Jo Di). It is spicy and garlicky with a mildly sweet note. This is a great side dish when you are looking to jazz things up....kinda like when you add peperoncino (pepperoncini) to your pizza.

GeotJeori is a traditional Korean side dish and if you love Korean food, this is a must! But heed this delicious warning; this is garlicky so make sure everyone with you is eating it so not any one person stands out :)

This recipe is dedicated to my older brother, who drools when he sees or smells this coming!

📸 The Recipe Sherpa

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Disgorging Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients: The ingredients are grouped to simplify the prepping and cooking processes. Links are provided for quick access to pantry items.

Cabbage Mixture - Mix Water & Salt until the salt is completely dissolved. Set aside

Napa Cabbage - 2 lbs, cut into long strips.
Cold Water - 2 cups
Course Sea Salt - 1/3 cup https://amzn.to/3f6IGE3

Paste - Mix and set aside

Garlic - 2 tbs, minced
Green Onions - 2-4 stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
Korean Chile Flakes (Gochugaru) - 4 tbs https://amzn.to/335oxMq
Fish Sauce - 2 tbs https://amzn.to/2EuRKWP
Mango Preserves - 2.5 tbs (Apricot is a good substitute)
Toasted Sesame Seeds - 1 tbs https://amzn.to/2P1gdVJ

Method

Step 1. We need to disgorge the cabbage (using salt to remove excess water). Slice the cabbage into long stems. Pour the salt water mixture over the cabbage and mix thoroughly. Press the cabbage down and pack it into the bowl. (Visual aids for slicing are at the bottom of this page)

Step 2. Set your timer for 40 minutes. Gently toss the cabbage every 10 mins to ensure all of it gets disgorged. Each time you toss the cabbage, be sure to press it down firmly and pack it into the bowl.

At the end of 40 mins, you will see the volume has reduced to a 3rd of its original size and there is a lot of excess water. It should look like this.

Step 3: Drain the cabbage and rinse it thoroughly to remove all the salt. You should be able to bend the cabbage without snapping it. Let the cabbage sit in a strainer for a several mins to ensure all of the water has been drained. You want this as dry as possible to avoid diluting the paste.

Step 4: Add the paste and mix. When mixing, periodically squeeze the cabbage to help the flavors marry.

And that's it!! You are ready to serve this fresh.

Storage & Container 411

GeotJeori is best served fresh. It will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days max. Just like any other pre-dressed salad, it's not ideal to store it. When serving stored GeotJeori, get it from the bottom of the container not from the top. The bottom is where are the water has released so you should get to it first.
My cabbage was 2.12 lbs. It fit perfectly in a large rubbermaid container. 9 x 4

The soaking bowl I used was 12 x 4.5 inches. It comes with the strainer basket. You can usually find these at most large Asian grocery stores. Or here's a link to an option on Amazon. It is slightly smaller than what I used. https://amzn.to/3gcbKeS