In the summer, when traditional napa cabbages are not in their prime season, Yangbaechu (green cabbage) comes in handy for making kimchi. Yangbaechu is naturally sweet and crunchy, which makes it a good source for kimchi.

Unlike napa cabbage, which requires many hours of salting, yangbaechu doesn’t need to be salted for very long. All you need is about two hours to soften the cabbage and bring out the flavors. Lightly seasoned, this yangbaechu kimchi is light and refreshing!

Ingredients:

● 1 head green cabbage (about 1.2 kilograms)

● 4 tablespoons coarse sea salt (less if using table salt)

● 3 scallions, roughly chopped

● 1/4 cup gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)

● 2 tablespoons saeujeot (salted shrimp), finely chopped

● 1 tablespoon minced garlic

● 1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger (or juiced)

Cut the cabbage head into quarters, and remove the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter into 4- to 5-centimeter bite-size pieces. Rinse the cabbage and drain.

Place the cabbage in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, and toss well to coat evenly. Let it sit for about 2 hours, flipping over once halfway through. Rinse the salted cabbage once. Drain to remove excess water.

In a small bowl, mix the gochugaru with the next three ingredients along with 1/2 cup of water.

Add the chopped scallions and the gochugaru mix to the salted cabbage. Using a kitchen glove, mix everything well by hand until the cabbage pieces are well coated with the gochugaru mix.

Store the kimchi in an airtight container or a jar. Leave it out in room temperature for half a day or so. Then refrigerate.

By Ro Hyo-sun

See more recipes at www.koreanbapsang.com.