Edited by Yoon Hee Young
Recipe and photos = World Institute of Kimchi

Nabak kimchi is thinly sliced squares of salted cabbage and radish pickled in salted water with red chili pepper, garlic, spring onions, ginger and minari (water parsley). Eaten cold with kimchi juice, this kimchi is usually enjoyed in summer but its mild taste also appeals to those averse to spiciness. Three days of patience is needed to pickle the vegetables in the fridge.

A debate rages on over the origin of this dish's name. Some say the term was derived from nabak (蘿薄), which means "thinly (薄) sliced radish" (蘿), while others say its origin is from nabok (蘿蔔), which means "radish" written in Hanja (Chinese script).

This week's recipe is refreshing nabak kimchi with cherry tomatoes pickled in pomegranate-flavored red vinegar.

Ingredients:

1. Make cross-shaped cuts in cherry tomatoes
Make slight cross-shaped cuts in 15 cherry tomatoes on the opposite stem.

2. Blanch tomatoes
Pour water in a pot and slightly blanch the tomatoes through boiling.

3. Peel tomatoes
Put the blanched tomatoes in a sieve, put them in cold water and peel.

4. Mix red vinegar and water
Mix 150 ml of red vinegar with 150 ml of water.

5. Put tomatoes in the mix
Put the blanched tomatoes in the mixture of red vinegar and water.

6. Preserve in the refrigerator
Put the dish in an airtight container and let it sit in the refrigerator for three days.

7. Add nabak kimchi

Take the tomatoes out of the refrigerator and put them in a mixing bowl. Add 600 ml of nabak kimchi.

8. Serve on plate
Place the mixture on a plate and add green vegetables as desired.

hyyoon@korea.kr