Godeulppaegi-kimchi (Bitter Greens Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large basin or food-safe tub for soaking
• •Heavy plate or fermentation weight
• •Large colander
• •Small saucepan and whisk
• •Food-safe gloves
• •Clean 2-liter glass jar or small onggi
• •Tray or plate to catch overflow

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the greens

   Trim away bruised leaves, tough root tips, and any dark hair roots, but keep the main root attached to the leaf crown. Wash the godeulppaegi in several changes of cold water, rubbing gently around the root collars where sand hides. This kimchi keeps its character because root and leaf ferment together, so do not cut the bunches short now.

   If the roots are thick, split only the largest ones lengthwise from the tip toward the crown. Leave small roots whole so they keep their snap.
2. 2

   Soak the bitterness

   Dissolve 90g coarse sea salt in 3 liters cold water in a large basin. Add the cleaned godeulppaegi, weigh it down with a plate so every stem is under the brine, and soak 24 hours in a cool place. Drain, then repeat with the remaining 3 liters water and 90g salt for another 12 to 24 hours. Taste a root. It should still be bitter, but clean, not harsh at the back of the throat. You are not washing the bitterness away. You are teaching it manners.

   If your kitchen is warmer than 20C, soak in the refrigerator. Slow and cool keeps the greens crisp and prevents sourness before the seasoning is ready.
3. 3

   Rinse and drain

   Rinse the soaked greens twice in clean cold water, lifting them rather than crushing them. Drain in a colander for 1 hour, roots facing downward if you can manage it. Do not squeeze them dry. Squeezing bruises the leaves, but leaving them dripping will thin the kimchi paste and weaken the ferment.

4. 4

   Cook the paste

   Whisk 1 cup water with the glutinous rice flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until it turns glossy and lightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool it completely. This paste helps the seasoning cling to the long leaves and feeds fermentation gently, which is why a spoonful matters more here than extra sugar.

5. 5

   Mix the seasoning

   In a wide bowl, stir the cooled rice paste with the gochugaru, anchovy fish sauce, minced salted shrimp, optional thick anchovy jeot, garlic, ginger, grated onion, grated pear, and maesil-cheong. Let it sit 20 minutes so the gochugaru blooms and softens. Taste a fingertip of the paste. It should be salty and strong because the greens are unsalted at the center, but it should not taste sweet. Let the godeulppaegi still speak.

   No thick anchovy jeot? Use 1 extra tablespoon anchovy fish sauce. Do not replace it with soy sauce; soy makes the paste flat and dark in the wrong way.
6. 6

   Coat by hand

   Add the radish, scallions, and buchu to the seasoning and fold them through first. Wearing gloves, take small handfuls of godeulppaegi and work the paste into the roots, crowns, and leaf bases, where plain tossing will miss. Keep the bunches mostly aligned as you season them. This sounds fussy until you eat a bite with an unseasoned root, then you will understand why Master Seong-nyeo made us do it twice.

7. 7

   Pack the jar

   Pack the seasoned greens into a clean 2-liter glass jar or small onggi, folding the long leaves down as you go. Press firmly after each layer to remove air pockets, but do not pound. Leave about 2.5 cm headspace, scrape any remaining paste over the top, and wipe the rim clean. Set the jar on a plate because active kimchi has a habit of teaching overfilled jars a lesson.

8. 8

   Ripen and serve

   Ferment at cool room temperature, 18 to 21C, for about 24 hours, opening once to press the greens back under the paste. When it smells briny and lightly sour, move it to the refrigerator. It is good after 5 to 7 days and deeper after 2 weeks. Serve in small portions, cut into 2-inch lengths if the stems are long, with toasted sesame seeds only at the table. Use clean chopsticks every time and keep the greens covered with paste; if you ever see fuzzy mold or smell rot instead of sour brine, discard it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy godeulppaegi in late autumn if you can, with firm pale roots and leaves that are green, not yellowed or slimy. If your market does not have it, cook the month you are standing in and make a different kimchi. Dandelion greens can be delicious, but they are not this dish.
• •The soaking time is a range because bitterness changes with age, field, and weather. Taste the root. A young bunch may need 36 hours total; thick old roots may need the full 48. Write down what yours needed, because the next bundle will not be identical.
• •Jeolla-style seasoning wants real jeotgal depth. Anchovy fish sauce and salted shrimp are the home-kitchen path; thick salted anchovy or hairtail innard jeot adds the country edge if you have it. Use less if your jeotgal is very strong, but do not make this kimchi timid.
• •The safe shortcuts are the vessel and the schedule: a clean glass jar is fine instead of onggi, and you can split the work over two days. The unsafe shortcuts are skipping the soak, leaving sand in the roots, or cutting the salt until the greens cannot ferment properly.
• •Serve this in small amounts beside hot rice, grilled fish, bossam, or a plain bowl of nurungji. It is meant to sharpen the table, not cover it.

Advance Preparation

• •The greens can finish soaking, be rinsed, drained, and then refrigerated up to 12 hours before seasoning. Cover them loosely so they do not dry out.
• •The sweet rice paste can be cooked 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to cool room temperature before mixing, so the gochugaru blooms evenly.
• •After the first room-temperature ferment, keep the kimchi refrigerated. It is ready in 5 to 7 days, best around 2 weeks, and keeps 6 to 8 weeks when handled cleanly and kept covered with paste.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)