Geotjeori is basically a kimchi that’s made to be eaten fresh without fermentation. As such, the vegetables are lightly salted. Geot means outer or outside, and jeori means salted or pickled. Most commonly made with napa cabbage, geotjeori goes especially well with dishes such as kalguksu (a warm noodle soup) and barbecued meat.

Because it’s eaten without fermentation, during which a natural sweetness develops, the addition of sugar or corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup) helps round out the flavor of geotjeori. In this recipe, I also used a Korean plum extract called maesil cheong, which adds a natural fruity sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 small baechu (napa cabbage), about 1 kilogram
4 tablespoons coarse sea salt (less if using finer salt)
2 scallions, roughly chopped
80 grams buchu (garlic chives), cut into 5-centimeter pieces
Few stalks minari (water dropwort), cut into 5-centimeter pieces

Seasoning:

4 tablespoons gochugaru
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup)
1 tablespoon maesil cheong (Korean plum extract)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame seeds