Meet Yeolmu Kimchi, a favorite for summer, made at home with young radish and young summer cabbage. A tip for a great watery kimchi is to use good water. Add fresh chili for an extra tasty kick. Enjoy!

Homemade young cabbage kimchi with radish is fermented.

What is Yeolmu Kimchi?

Yeolmu Kimchi is a type of kimchi made from young radish greens. It’s a popular dish in Korea, especially during the summer months.

Homemade kimchi made with young cabbage & young radish is refreshingly light and offers crunchy texture.  It is easier and quicker to make than the traditional cabbage kimchi. This kimchi is so cool and refreshing, it makes a perfect summer kimchi.

We call this kimchi, “elgary yeolmu kimchi (얼갈이 열무김치)”. It is a popular kimchi for warm weather in Korea. Many Korean home-cooks make a batch of this kimchi during spring and summer when young radish and young cabbage are abundant.

Young cabbge kimchi tends to have more liquid than usual cabbage kimchi. The crunch texture brings coolness as well. It is also quite common to add the summer season kimchi into bibimbap or cold noodle bowls.

Pro Tips for This Recipe: Use Artisan Water

This kimchi contains more liquid than usual of its kind, it is important to enhance the flavor of its juice. A secret to make the best tasting kimchi is in the type of water you are using. It’s artesian water.

Artesian water is a specific type of free-flowing, spring water that comes from underground wells. Unlike traditional wells which requires a pump, water in artesian wells moves to the surface naturally due to pressure.

The mineral in the artesian water deepens the flavor of kimchi during the fermentation process. As a result, your kimchi will taste more refreshing and light. It helps the retain its crunch texture longer.

Why Artesian Water Is Good For Making Kimchi

The artesian water is the type of water that the human body is designed to consume. It contains natural minerals that are just right for our health and it is good for making nay food that requires fermentation.

The mineral in the artesian water deepens the flavor of kimchi during the fermentation process. As a result, your kimchi will taste more refreshing and light. It helps the retain its crunch texture longer.

Young Cabbage

young cabbage

These young napa cabbages are sold in bundles like this. In the hot summer season in Korea, people often make a batch of quick kimchi with this young napa cabbage, often young radish is added too in the kimchi.

Young cabbge kimchi tends to have more liquid than usual cabbage kimchi. The crunch texture brings coolness as well. It is also quite common to add the summer season kimchi into bibimbap or cold noodle bowls.

Rice Paste (Glue)

Homemade Kimchi

Adding rice paste helps the fermentation of kimchi. The starch in the paste feeds good bacteria during the fermentation process and makes kimchi more robust in the flavor.

I made my rice paste with stock. I use seafood stock, but fruit stock or vegetable stock would work, too.

Substitute For Rice Paste

Kimchi needs a very small amount of carbs to fee the good bacteria. Typically rice flour or cooked rice is used tor that purpose, but cooked potato can bring the same result. Make sure to use mashed plain cooked potato. Seasoned creamed mashed potato will ruin your hard work.

How to make Yeolmu Kimchi

Summer Cabbage Kimchi

Using fresh red chilies makes this homemade kimchi more refreshing. Puree the onion, garlic, ginger, shrimp sauce first, the add the fresh chili just to pulse so that you will have some small chunks of chilies.

Homemade Kimchi

Mix the puree with red chili flakes and the glue to make kimchi seasoning. Sine it contains fresh chilies, it will be slightly loose.

Since it contains more liquid than usual cabbage kimchi, try adding this them into your bibimbap or noodle bowls. The crunch texture is irresistible and so delicious! Please check out my video for the tutorials.

As I was growing up, I have seen my mother making this kimchi from scratch every summer season. She used fresh red chili for the seasoning. It tastes good on the same day it was made as fresh kimchi, but it tasted even better after a few days.

I remember how much I had enjoyed the flavor of the fresh chili in the kimchi. Adding a few fresh red chilies is a must for this recipe. It makes a big difference.

Try Yeolmu Kimchi Noodle Bowl

A bowl of noodles are mixed with kimchi and its broth, topped with boiled egg and cucumber.

You can enjoy this kimchi as a side dish with any Korean meals, but try mixing with noodles. Any wheat or rice vermicelli is good with kimchi. Top with hard boiled egg and fresh cucumber. It will make this kimchi noodle bowl satisfying and delicious.

More Kimchi Recipes

Check out my easy kimchi recipes for more ideas. A few of my favorites are;

Homemade young cabbage kimchi with radish is fermented.

Yeolmu Kimchi (Summer Radish Green Kimchi)

Try Yeolmu Kimchi, a summer favorite made from young radish and cabbage. For the best kimchi, use good water and fresh chili. Enjoy!
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Ingredients

For kimchi seasoning

Instructions 

  • Rinse the cabbage and radish a couple of times. Put a small portion of greens in a large bowl, sprinkle 2 tablespoonful of salt over. Add more greens and sprinkle more salt. Repeat the layer until you finish all the greens and salt. Let them soak for 1 hour. Turn the greens the other way once during the soaking time.
  • Rinse the greens 2 times and put in a colander to drain the excess water. Set aside.
  • To make kimchi seasoning, process onion, garlic, ginger, pear, potato, and 1 cup of artesian water in a blender until smooth. Add the fresh chilies and pulse 3-4 times until you see the small pieces of chilies.
  • Pour the chili puree into a large mixing bowl, add the Korean chili flakes, shrimp sauce, and the anchovy sauce; mix well.
  • Add the greens into the kimchi seasoning in a mixing bowl and toss well.
  • Put kimchi in an airtight container. Add the 1 more cup of artesian water in the mixing bowl. Swirl the bowl to rinse out the seasoning residue. Pour that water back into a kimchi container.
  • Close the lid and let the kimchi sit on room temperature for 1 day and store in the fridge for 3-4 days to ferment. This kimchi will last up to 1 month in the fridge.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @beyondkimchee on Instagram. I love to see your masterpiece.