Geotjeori (fresh kimchi)

Kimchi is one of Korea’s most famous dishes and is served alongside almost anything to add a spicy kick and an extra dimension to your meal.  Salted vegetables including cabbage, Korean radish and occasionally carrots or spring onions are fermented in a spicy paste and the result is an addictive and savoury pickled vegetable side dish.

Geotjeori is essentially a fresh kimchi, made using similar ingredients but designed to be eaten immediately as opposed to being fermented for a long period of time.  Unlike kimchi, geotjeori can be prepared and eaten the same day and so it’s well worth having a go at preparing some, particularly if you are a fan of pickles or spicy food.

This recipe uses a little orange marmalade which, despite not being traditional, adds a nice background sweetness and works very well with the spice levels in the dish.  You can, of course, increase or decrease the quantity of gochugaru (Korean red chilli pepper flakes) to reflect your preferred spice levels.

Geotjeori (fresh kimchi)
Prep Time
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
Course: Side Dish, Condiment
Cuisine: Korean, Asian
Keyword: spicy, geotjeori, kimchi, cabbage
Servings: 8 portions
Ingredients
vegetables prep
  • 1 napa cabbage (also known as Chinese leaf)
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 250 ml water filtered if possible
  • 3 spring onions sliced
spice paste prep
  • 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
  • 1-2 tablespoons gochugaru (korean red chilli pepper flakes)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • dash light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
vegetables prep
  1. Cut the napa cabbage into quarters, removing the hard stem at the bottom. Roughly chop the cabbage and set aside in a large bowl. Add the sea salt and water and mix well, pressing down to ensure all of the cabbage pieces are covered in the salt water. Set aside for 1 hour and 20 minutes, mixing once or twice during that time.

  2. Rinse the cabbage well to ensure the salt water is completely removed and set aside in a colander for 10 minutes until dry. Add the sliced spring onions and mix.

spice mix prep
  1. In a large bowl, combine the gochugaru, garlic & ginger paste, fish sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, orange marmalade & toasted sesame seeds. Mix well.

final step
  1. Mix the prepared vegetables and spice paste. Mix well until all of the vegetable pieces are coated. Spoon the geotjeori into a large clean jar and set aside in the fridge. The geotjeori is ready to eat immediately but will taste best after 24 hours.

Recipe Notes

This fresh kimchi can be eaten immediately but will taste best after 24 hours in the fridge and will keep well for up to 1 week.


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