Easy White Kimchi (Baek Kimchi) – Non-Spicy, Vegan, Small Batch
Make White Kimchi (Baek Kimchi) at home! A non-spicy, naturally fermented Korean kimchi recipe. Perfect for beginners and fermentation lovers.
Servings: 2 liter-container (2.1 quarts)
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 head Napa cabbage 1kg (about 2.2 lbs)
- 2 cups Water
- ½ cup Coarse sea salt (kosher salt) (about 100g)
Seasoning
- Flour slurry (1 tbsp all-purpose flour + ¾ cup water) Substitute: 1½ tbsp glutinous rice flour or rice flour
- 200 g Korean radish (or kohlrabi) 1¾ cups when cut into matchsticks
- 20 g Carrot ¼ cup when cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 stalk Green onion
- ½ Red chili pepper optional to add heat
- 1 tbsp Coarse sea salt (or kosher salt)
Broth
- ½ Asian pear or red apple about 100g
- ¼ Onion about 50g
- 2 cloves Garlic about ⅔ tbsp minced
- 1 thin slice Ginger about ½ tsp minced
- 1 tsp Coarse sea salt
Instructions
Step 1: Brine the Cabbage
- Cut the napa cabbage into quarters, then slice crosswise into bite-sized pieces.🔥 Pro-tip #1: Don’t throw away the cabbage core. Thinly slice it and use it for kimchi as well. It gives a good crunchy bite!
- Dissolve ½ cup coarse sea salt in 2 cups of water, then pour it over the cabbage. Toss gently to coat.
- Weigh it down with a plate & something heavy (like a pot, mortar, etc.) and flip every 30 minutes. Let it brine for 1.5 hours in summer, up to 3 hours in winter. The thick white stem of the cabbage should bend easily without snapping.
- Rinse the cabbage 3 times, changing the water each time, then drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Seasoning
- Make the Flour Slurry: In a pan, combine 1 tbsp flour and ¾ cup water to make a flour slurry. Whisk until smooth and bring to a boil while stirring continuously. Simmer for 1–2 minutes, then let cool completely.
- Cut Korean radish (or kohlrabi) into matchsticks.
- Cut carrot into thin matchsticks.
- Thinly slice green onion diagonally.
- To add gentle heat without overpowering, halve the red chili pepper lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and thinly slice.
Step 3: Make the Broth
- Make the Dashima water (kelp water) by Soaking a piece of dried kelp in 400ml cold water for 5 hours, or steep in hot water for 10 minutes, then cool. Take out the kelp.
- Cut Asian pear (or peeled red apple), onion in to cubes. Crush the garlic and slice a little ginger. Blend everything with 1 tsp salt and 1¾ cups (350ml) dashima water until smooth.
Step 4: Mix the Kimchi
- In a large bowl, mix the blended ingredients with the flour slurry, julienned radish (or kohlrabi), carrot, sliced green onion, optional chili pepper, and 1 tbsp salt.Toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Gently mix the drained cabbage with the seasoning paste, ensuring every piece is coated.🔥 Pro-tip #2: Mix gently. Don’t mash! Keeping the crunch is key.
- Pack the kimchi tightly into a clean 2-liter container or jar.
- Pour the broth over the packed kimchi, pressing down gently to ensure the cabbage is fully submerged. If available, place a fermentation weight on top.
Step 5: Fermentation & Storage
- Let it sit at room temperature for 1–2 days (just half a day in summer). You’ll know it’s ready to refrigerate when you see small bubbles forming and a slight tanginess in taste.
- Transfer to the refrigerator, where it will slowly develop deeper, complex flavors.
- Although some kimchi can be enjoyed immediately, I recommend waiting at least 5 to 7 days for white kimchi. It develops a much deeper, more harmonious flavor after this time.Try it at different stages—fresh, tangy, or deeply fermented!My favorite stage? After around 2-3 weeks.