Not all kimchi needs weeks. Geotjeori is fresh kimchi, dressed and eaten right away, all crunch and brightness. It is the easiest way into making your own.
Salt briefly, then rinse
Cut napa cabbage or use a tender green like young leaf lettuce. Salt it twenty to thirty minutes until just bendy, then rinse and drain well.
Mix the seasoning
Stir together gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, a little sugar and chopped green onion into a loose paste.
Dress and eat
Toss the greens through the seasoning, taste for salt and heat, and eat it straight away while it still snaps.
Eric’s tip
Geotjeori is about freshness, not depth, so make only what you will finish that meal. Leftovers soften and start to ferment, which is a different dish.