In late fall, Korean homes make enough kimchi to last through the winter and early spring. By this point in spring, the kimchi has aged and tastes pretty sour. While old kimchi is great for dishes such as kimchi jjigae, kimchi jjim, kimchi jeon, etc., we crave fresh kimchi. This makes a salad-like kimchi, called geotjeori (겉절이), a popular spring dish.
Geotjeori is made in a small amount for immediate consumption without fermentation. Geot means outer or outside, and jeori means salted or pickled, so the name, geotjeori, implies that the vegetables are lightly salted unlike normal kimchi, which is fermented.
Geotjeori is typically made with napa cabbage or other varieties of cabbages such as young cabbage called putbaechu or spring cabbage called bomdong (봄동). Here, I made it with tender baby bok choy. In Korea, bok choy is called cheongyeongchae (청경채), so the name of this dish is cheonggyeonchae geotjeori.
Typical kimchi seasoning is used to make geotjeori. Every household makes it a little differently. My mother adds sesame oil to her geotjeori, and some of my friends even add a little vinegar.
So, here’s a quick and easy recipe when you need to whip up a kimchi substitute or when you want fresh kimchi.
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby bok choy
- 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
Seasoning ingredients
- 2 tablespoons gochugaru Korean red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon saeujeot salted shrimp, finely chopped (or use more fish sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons sugar or corn syrup or Korean rice syrup
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
Instructions
- Separate the leaves by cutting off the stem of each bok choy. Rinse and drain.
- Place the bok choy in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss well to coat evenly. Leave it for 30 to 40 minutes until softened, flipping over once halfway through.
- Thinly slice the onion and scallion. Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl, and mix well with 3 tablespoons water.
- Rinse the bok choy twice and drain well.
- Add the onion, scallions, and seasoning mix to the bok choy. Using a kitchen glove, toss everything well by hand until the bok choy pieces are well coated with the seasoning. Add a little salt or more fish sauce to taste.
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Can I put this in a jar to ferment, or is it only for enjoying fresh ?
It’s best to eat this within a few days. Not salted enough to be kept long.
Really delicious! I made this today and it was perfect 🙂
i LOVED this, and shared the recipe with neo foodies and my facebook friends. i get bok choy from my farm shares and already have made this twice. i’m not korean, but shared with some korean friends who gave it a thumbs up (and then gifted me their home-made kimchi!)
I think bok choy makes a much better version since I don’t like Napa cabbage and carrots gives it a little sweetness to avoid adding sugar
Nice! Glad you tried it.
Yum! Love all your recipes. How long will this baby bok choy kitchen keep in the fridge?
It will be good for a few days. Enjoy!
How long can you leave this in the fridge for? Is it still good the next day?
Yes it will be. Should be good for a few days. Enjoy!
This recipe seems like it makes a lot of food, but I unfortunately have a small stomach and can’t ever eat much at once. Will this recipe keep in the fridge so I could have it with several meals over the course of a week or so?
(Also, I have had some trouble finding fish sauce. Could I use a little oyster sauce instead, or would that be too strong for this?)
Thank you for this! This is one of my absolute favorites with hot rice. Almost exactly how my mom makes it, but now I have the recipe nicely outlined with photos.
You’re welcome! Great to hear this is how your mom makes it.
How spicy is this dish? I can’t eat spicy food but a little bit of kick is fine… And instead of korean pepper flakes can I just use regular pepper flakes?
It will be a bit spicy. Yes, you can try with different pepper flakes. It will be different but I am sure it will be good. Try it with a little bit of peppers if you can’t eat spicy.
This was beautiful as well as delicious.
I thought it was a little salty, and may cut down on the fish sauce. Since it was to be eaten fresh and not fermented I wondered if you could just wash the bok choy and not salt it. It would be like a fresh western salad, but with the Korean yummies.
Yes you definitely could do that.
It looks great, can I make geortjuri with left over kimchi I make, by just adding some sesame oil? Also I’m vegan so what can I substitute the fish sauce for?
Of course, you can. That’s what we do often when we make kimchi. Simply omit the fish sauce and add more salt. You can enhance the flavor by adding a bit more of aromatic vegetables such as garlic and ginger, if you want. Enjoy!
Love kimchi of any kind will have to try. Thank you for the recipe.
This is an easy one to try. Enjoy!
Thank you to teach me how to make kimchi. It will be very yummy. When I saw your kimchi pictures I was very hungry because it will be delicious.
You’re welcome! It’s pretty easy to make so hope you try to make it.
It was a good introduce and you boast our Korean food Kim-chi.GREAT!
Thank you, Sumin!
It’s delicious! I’ve never known that I could make Geotjeori with bok choy.
Thank you!
Thank you, Mi Cha!
That looks scrumptious! I can’t wait to try it because bok choy is one of my favorite veggies. Thanks for sharing!
Great! Hope you try it soon! Thank you for stopping by!
I love bok choy and this looks like such a spicy, flavorsome and delicious way to cook and eat it.
Yes, it is! Thank you for visiting!