Suitcase Economy: Yeolmu Mul Kimchi Workshop

In this workshop, led by Donghwan Kam and Riet Wijnen, we will prepare yeolmu mul kimchi (열무 물김치), a refreshing, watery Korean kimchi made from yeolmu (열무), young leafy summer radishes. Both the radish and its greens are submerged in a savory, tangy brine for a quick ferment, taking no longer than one to two days.

We will experiment with making two different versions of yeolmu mul kimchi, one with yeolmu brought by Donghwan from Seoul and the other which we replace the yeolmu with pink radish, the most common radish in Europe. Yeolmu, primarily grown in Korea, is mainly cultivated for its tender leaves, but the very small taproot is also eaten, whereas in the case of the pink radish, the big root is the main part to be eaten and the leaves are often discarded. Both plants are part of the mustard family, known as Brassicaceae.

The prepared yeolmu mul kimchi will be the main ingredient to make yeolmu guksu (열무국수), cold noodles[a] served in a tangy, icy broth, for Monthly Suitcase Economy Brunch #9. The brunch will take place on Saturday, 19 July, participants of the workshop can join the brunch for free.

Monthly Suitcase Economy Brunch is a testing ground for experimenting with relationships, translation, economic models, transformation, and time through the preparation and serving of food. In this series, Riet is developing a method to build connections among different local daily contexts, past and present, by researching local histories of preservation and fermentation.

The workshop will be held in English.