Make this quick and easy Korean Fresh Kimchi recipe that’s meant to be eaten right away, without fermentation! It’s less pungent compared to regular kimchi and makes a refreshing side to serve with any Asian meal.
Through food, we connect with people and make new friendships. Whenever I make this Korean Fresh Kimchi (Geotjeroi), it always reminds me of the fun time I had with my friend, Seonkyoung.
I didn’t know about Korean fresh kimchi until she introduced it to me. Back in 2016, she came to our house with her husband, Jacob, for the 2-day video shooting collaboration (we shot this and this recipe). She brought a mason jar of her fresh kimchi with her.
My family wasn’t into pungent well-fermented kimchi at that time, and her fresh kimchi became an important transition dish until we developed the taste buds and a genuine liking for the real-deal kimchi. And all the while and even now, I’ve been making fresh kimchi once a month, if not more frequently, and always enjoy it as a part of tsukemono (Japanese pickles) along with steamed rice.
Since this recipe has become a significant part of my family’s favorite dishes, I’ve asked Seonkyong for her permission to share it as a part of Just One Cookbook recipe collections and she generously said yes. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to know her, please visit her website and YouTube channel. Thank you, Seonkyong. I hope our readers will discover or rediscover your site and enjoy your delicious recipes.
What is Korean Fresh Kimchi?
Korean fresh kimchi, or baechu geotjeroi, is non-fermented kimchi made with napa cabbage, garlic, green onions, gochugaru, fish sauce, and so on. It will remind you of a bright, spicy salad!
As you might be aware, traditional kimchi is typically fermented, so it’s pungent, sour, salty, and has the intensity that most fermented food is known for. Some describe the smell and taste as funky and find the robust flavor less attractive.
Fresh kimchi, on the other hand, has a mild sweetness and is deliciously flavorful minus the pungency or sourness. The fresh crunch of the vegetables is noticeable and vivid, making it a lighter and refreshing counterpart to the fermented cousin. I find it the best introduction to anyone who is less inclined with pungent food.
Ingredients for Fresh Kimchi
- Napa cabbage
- Coarse sea salt – Seonkyoung recommended this brand.
- Garlic
- Green onions
- Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes, coarse powder)
- Fish sauce
- Apricot jam (or apple jam)- This is a unique ingredient Seonkyong uses for her recipe; it gives a fruity sweetness and slight tanginess; I believe this is the key ingredient to round up the flavor of the fresh kimchi.
- Toasted white sesame seeds
How to Make the Best Fresh Kimchi
- Cut napa cabbages into smaller pieces and brine them.
- Make the kimchi paste.
- Drain the brine and rinse the napa cabbage.
- Combine the drained napa cabbage and kimchi paste together.
- Mix well and serve!
Tips on Making Fresh Kimchi
- Give a head start by making brine. Coarse sea salt takes time to dissolve completely, so combine the water and sea salt ahead of time, if possible.
- Use a large bowl to brine and mix the napa cabbage. The large bowl gives space for you to flip the napa cabbages easily. One of the large stainless steel bowls I have is from IKEA. When this IKEA bowl is filled to the top with sliced napa cabbage pieces (see step 4, the right picture in my recipe card for reference), it is the right amount for this recipe. I usually get one large napa cabbage and start filling up the bowl so I don’t have to weigh it.
- Use a disposable plastic glove to mix the kimchi. Your hands will be stain-free and ready to eat the meal right away after you serve the fresh kimchi!
- Use airtight glass containers. I use glass containers such as Mason jars or Weck jars so the kimchi doesn’t stain the container. It should be airtight so the smell (cabbage smell) doesn’t leak into the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need to use Korean sea salt?
You don’t have to. However, this Korean coarse kimchi sea salt is commonly used to brine napa cabbage for kimchi. I’m not familiar with the sodium content in this particular Korean sea salt compared with kosher salt, so I can’t provide the right amount of kosher salt as a substitute.
If your sea salt is a fine grain, not coarse, then use slightly less amount.
Can I skip gochugaru/fish sauce (or any other ingredient)?
Every ingredient in this recipe plays an important role (even garlic!) so I do not recommend substituting any of them.
For vegan, you can use vegan fish sauce.
How can I make it less spicy?
Adjust the spice level by adding a bit more apricot jam, which I did in the beginning when the kids were younger, or by using less gochugaru.
How do you store fresh kimchi?
I use glass containers such as Mason jars or Weck jars so the kimchi doesn’t stain the container. It should be an airtight container too so the smell (cabbage smell) doesn’t permeate the refrigerator.
How long does fresh kimchi last?
Fresh kimchi should be eaten when it’s fresh, but with proper storage, you can keep it in your refrigerator for about a week. I have eaten fresh kimchi that past one week. Having said that, it really is best to enjoy it within a week.
Can I use this fresh kimchi in your recipes that use kimchi?
Sure, you can. Although pungent fermented kimchi gives way more flavor, I understand that not everyone enjoys it. In that sense, you can definitely use this fresh kimchi.
What to Serve with Fresh Kimchi
In Korea, fresh kimchi is often being served with Korean BBQ or savory noodles like kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), sujebi (hand torn noodle soup), and seoleongtang (oxtail soup). But it certainly makes a fine side dish all on its own to go with any Asian meal. Here are some of our favorite Korean recipes that I serve with fresh kimchi:
- Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef)
- Korean Pancake
- Gluten-Free Korean Veggie Pancake
- Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Noodles)
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Quick Korean Fresh Kimchi
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- ⅓ cup coarse sea salt
- 2½ lb napa cabbage
For the Kimchi Paste
- 3 green onions/scallions
- 5 cloves garlic (1.2 oz, 35 g)
- 4 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes) (coarse powder)
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce (use an umami seasoning sauce for vegan)
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam (I use 2 heaping Tbsp; you can also use apple jam or maesilaek, the Korean plum extract)
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Salted Napa Cabbage
- Mix 2 cups water and ⅓ cup coarse sea salt until the salt has dissolved.
- Cut 2½ lb napa cabbage into quarters. Then, cut off and discard the tough core at the stem end of the cabbage quarters.
- Remove the small and tender yellow leaves from the center and transfer them to a large bowl. Then, cut each quarter into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces that are about 3 inches (7.5 cm) at their widest part. They don‘t need to be uniform in size; actually, uneven-sized pieces are better for the kimchi‘s texture.
- Put the napa cabbage pieces into the large bowl. Pour the prepared salted water over the cabbage. Toss to mix well and press down on the cabbage as much as possible. Let it soak for 40 minutes.
- Halfway through (after 20 minutes), toss so that the cabbage pieces at the top of the bowl are now at the bottom. We want all the cabbage to soak evenly in the salted water. Press down and soak for another 20 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, you can see that the salted water has drawn out the liquid from the cabbage. Now, drain the salted cabbage.
- Rinse under cold running water for about 1 minute to get rid of the excess salt (you may see some dirt since this is the first time you‘re rinsing the cabbage). Drain completely for about 5 minutes.
To Make the Kimchi Paste
- Meanwhile, make the kimchi paste. Cut 3 green onions/scallions in half lengthwise, then cut into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Put them into a large bowl.
- Mince or press 5 cloves garlic (I use my garlic press to crush them). Add the garlic, 4 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes), 2 Tbsp fish sauce, 2 Tbsp apricot jam, and 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds.
- Mix it all together and set it aside.
To Make the Fresh Kimchi
- Mix the well-drained napa cabbage and the kimchi paste together with your hand (I wear a plastic glove). Mix with gentle pressure and squeeze the cabbage so that it absorbs the color and flavor of the kimchi paste very well. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately with an extra sprinkling of sesame seeds.
To Store
- Keep the fresh kimchi in airtight containers (I use 2 Weck jars, 850 ml and 580 ml) and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
I have made this 2x now. We absolutely love it! We are wondering does this kimchi have the same health benefits as traditional kimchi? Or do we need the full fermentation process and additional ingredients like ginger to get all of the benefits?
Hi Jeanne! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying the recipe.
We are unsure about the comparison of health benefits. Because this is a quick style, we believe that the fermentation type is superior.
Once you bought all the ingredients, this is so easy to put together! I prefer fresh kimchi to the aged ones so this is a perfect recipe for me. My Napa cabbage was 1.3kg, and I used a whole bulb of garlic, tripled the spring onions and added a medium size yellow onion. Made 5 full mason jars! Perfect homemade gift for loved ones 😋
Hi Juz Me, We are glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
We hope your friends and family will enjoy the homemade Kimchi gift. What a great idea! 🤗
Made this just now and very much loving it! The idea of using jam in it balances the flavor, just like how some kimchi recipes used pear juice. I used roselle jam as thats what i have in hand. I would like to cut my cabbage smaller next time so that i can snack on them better 😀
Hi Linny! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you like this recipe as much as we do.☺️
Happy Cooking!
Hi Nami-I have NEVER seen kimchi made with apricot preserves. I never buy that bc I don’t like peach & apricot flavors but it adds a different flavor profile than sugar? I always salted shrimp & ginger. Have you made it with these ingredients in the past? Wondering why you left out the ginger. Thank you :))
Hi Michelle, Thank you for trying this recipe.
This recipe is from Nami’s blogger friend, and Nami learned from her that the apricot is the secret ingredient. Please check her blog to learn more about it.😊
Yummy! I used passion fruit jelly since that’s all I had and just a regular coarse salt but this turned out sooo good! I actually don’t like the sourness of the fermented kim chi so this was perfect!
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
We are glad to hear this recipe worked out well for you!
Happy Cooking!😊
Hi Nami, thanks to you and Seonkyong for this recipe! I have korean red pepper powder, but not coarse. Should I reduce the quantity or keep the same?
I was copying the recipes I like in a personal onenote but since you introduced the metric & scale feature, it’s so convenient, I LOVE it!
Hi Platypus, Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed this collab post and our website’s new feature.
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
As for the Korean red powder, it’s usually spicier than coarse ones, so we recommend reducing the amount to your liking.😉 We hope this helps!
Hi, what can I substitute the jam with? Would honey work?
Hi Lily! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We recommend using similarly flavored fruit jam like Orange Marmalade or peach jam, etc., as a substitute.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami .. can i substitute gochugaru with gochujang instead as i have that at home?
Hi Marianne! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We have not tried this recipe with gochujang before. It has a different flavor, and not sure if that works well.
If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Hello, I tried this recipe with gochujang and it turned out pretty well. It’s what I had in the fridge and I had too much cabbage. It’s the first time I am trying this recipe so I am not sure how it compares with the original. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your input, Sydney!
Hi Nami – do you also have a recipe from your friend for making fermented kimchi?
Hi Hazel! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Here is Nam’s friend’s traditional Kimchi (Fermented Kimchi) recipe: https://seonkyounglongest.com/traditional-kimchi/
We hope you enjoy it.
Hi Nami! Hajimemashite! Douzo Yoroshiku. I am glad that I found your blog. I really love your recipe for Japanese Food. Thank you and keep up the good job. May i know any substitute for apricot jam which is not so common to find in HK where i am living？
Hi Jess! Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback! It means so much to us.
The apricot jam can be replaced with similarly flavored fruit jam like Orange Marmalade or peach jam if that works better for you.
We hope this helps!
This is a GREAT quick kimchi recipe. Super tasty. Our family loved it, thank you!
Hi Corinna! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We are so happy to hear your family loved homemade quick Kimchi!😊
I’d like to try this! Can I use those crispy Japanese cucumbers instead of napa cabbage?
Hi Cathy! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Sure, you can use Japanese cucumbers too. We hope you enjoy it.😊
What would happen if you left this to ferment? Would it develop the characteristic “kick” of traditional kimchi?
Hi Bkhuna! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
This Kimchi is a quick version and not the traditional way, so it only lasts for a week and is not recommended to ferment.
We hope this helps!
I was wondering the same thing. Thanks!