Napa Cabbage with Fermented Soybean Muchim
[Vegan]

For the Fermented Soybeans:

1. Soak the soybeans in a large bowl of cold water for 6 hours.
2. In a pot, combine the soaked soybeans and 4 cups (32 fl oz/950 ml) water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 hours, adding more water as the water evaporates to prevent burning. At the end of 2 hours, there should be little water remaining and the soybeans should be soft to the touch and easily crushable by hand. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steam for 30 minutes. Drain the soybeans in a colander.
3. Cover the entire colander with a large plastic bag and ferment at 122°F (50°C) for 42 hours. In a Korean home setting, this temperature is achieved by setting the soybeans on a heating pad and covering with a blanket.
4. In a large bowl, combine the fermented soybeans with salt 3 percent the volume of the soybeans and mash together in a mortar into a coarse paste. Divide into portions of about 6 tablespoons (100 g) and seal in plastic wrap (cling film) or a zip-seal plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

For the Napa Cabbage:

1. In a pot, combine 3 cups (24 fl oz/710 ml) water and the salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the cabbage, root end first, and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the cabbage and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut into 1 1/4–1 1/2-inch (3–4 cm) squares and squeeze to remove excess water.
2. In a bowl, combine the cooked cabbage and soy sauce and mix well until the cabbage is well seasoned. Squeeze the cabbage again to remove excess moisture.
3. In a bowl, combine the seasoned cabbage with the fermented soybeans, sesame oil, garlic, and scallion and massage well to combine. Mix in the ground sesame seeds.