This bok choy kimchi salad is a quick and easy recipe when you need to whip up a kimchi substitute or when you want fresh kimchi.
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 putbaechuor spring cabbage called bomdong (봄동). Here, I made it with tender baby bok choy. In Korean, bok choy is called cheon-gyeong-chae (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.
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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.
Sophia Grande says
I just made this with a few alterations – soy sauce instead of fish sauce and shrimp (to make it vegan), and added a bit of gochujjang. Delicious!! I couldn’t stop eating it as I was making it, delicious!
Hyosun says
Great substitutes! Thanks for trying it!
Lauren says
My friend made this and it was ADDICTING. I am thankful this dish is in my life!
Crystal says
just wondering! how do you store this? if you make too much
Hyosun says
Just keep it in the fridge in an air-tight container. It will keep well for a few days.
Esther K says
Love this recipe! Have made it several times and it always comes out great. It is simple enough for a basic cook like me, and authentic-looking enough to please my Korean family members.
Hyosun says
That’s nice to hear! Bok choy is used quite a bit in Korea these days. It’s really an easy ingredient to incorporate into Korean cooking.
Kurt says
This was fast to make. I had everything but ginger, so used powdered. This is excellent. No need to wait for fermentation… it’s not the same flavors, but it’s very satisfying and satisfies the craving for kimchi without the expense to buy or the fermentation time of homemade kimchi
Lisa says
Can shanghai bok choy be used if I cannot find baby bok choy?
Tricia Kelley says
This is genius and delicious. The sesame oil makes it for me, and I added an asian pear to mine, wow. Tagged you on FB. I will be making this as a part of my Kimchi staples.
Hyosun says
Aww thank you! So nice of you to let me know. I’ll look for the FB tag.
Liz says
Can I put this in a jar to ferment, or is it only for enjoying fresh ?
Hyosun says
It’s best to eat this within a few days. Not salted enough to be kept long.
Ira says
Really delicious! I made this today and it was perfect 🙂
jennifer brush says
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!)
Bobby says
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
Hyosun says
Nice! Glad you tried it.
Lee says
Yum! Love all your recipes. How long will this baby bok choy kitchen keep in the fridge?
Hyosun says
It will be good for a few days. Enjoy!
Tom says
How long can you leave this in the fridge for? Is it still good the next day?
Hyosun says
Yes it will be. Should be good for a few days. Enjoy!
Impy says
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?)
brownthumb says
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.
Hyosun says
You’re welcome! Great to hear this is how your mom makes it.
Royce says
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?
Hyosun says
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.
Lily Winter says
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.
Hyosun says
Yes you definitely could do that.
Mee Gray says
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?
Hyosun says
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!
Mae R says
Love kimchi of any kind will have to try. Thank you for the recipe.
Hyosun says
This is an easy one to try. Enjoy!
Dongwoo kim says
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.
Hyosun says
You’re welcome! It’s pretty easy to make so hope you try to make it.
Sumin kim says
It was a good introduce and you boast our Korean food Kim-chi.GREAT!
Hyosun says
Thank you, Sumin!
Mi Cha Sarachek says
It’s delicious! I’ve never known that I could make Geotjeori with bok choy.
Thank you!
Hyosun says
Thank you, Mi Cha!
Mari Paik says
That looks scrumptious! I can’t wait to try it because bok choy is one of my favorite veggies. Thanks for sharing!
Hyosun says
Great! Hope you try it soon! Thank you for stopping by!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love bok choy and this looks like such a spicy, flavorsome and delicious way to cook and eat it.
Hyosun says
Yes, it is! Thank you for visiting!