Korean Radish Water Kimchi: Dongchimi! This radish water kimchi is light, refreshing and full of flavor! Don’t let the color fool you . . it’s still packed with flavor and some heat. I hope you try it!
One of my favorite things to do is go grocery shopping. Before we go further, let me say – if you have young kids and babies, I feel for you. Shopping with kids, toddlers and infants is not fun and often times, a super stressful situation. If I may offer some advice for young parents who may be in this camp currently: make a shopping list, you need to be in and out as efficiently as possible. Pack snacks for your kids. I loved shopping at Whole Foods when my kids were little because they could pick a piece of fruit, apple or banana, have that to snack on and be happy.
You might be anti-device and I’m all for them, especially when you have to get some things done. So if the snack doesn’t work and your child is whining or crying, give him or her your iPhone. Play their fave videos and do your shopping.
Fast forward to my life now. I love grocery shopping because I can take my time, discover new foods and enjoy myself. Hmart is my absolute favorite place to shop because of all the ready made foods, interesting food items in the produce department and frozen food section etc.
Recently, on my latest trip to Hmart, I picked up some Dongchimi and all the ingredients I needed to make kimchi. After sharing my kimchi video, there were a few who asked about non-spicy kimchi. If you have an Hmart or Korean market close to you, ask them if they have Baek Kimchi, or white kimchi.
Anyway, I love Dongchimi and wanted to share the recipe with you all so we can all make it at home!
Dongchimi (동치미) is a popular water kimchi made with Korean radish. The kimchi is often prepared in late (Korean) fall or early winter using radishes harvested in fall. The word dongchimi means “winter water kimchi”. I think it’s super refreshing and delicious! You can control the amount of heat by the types of peppers that you add, or you can omit entirely. At any rate, I hope you try the recipe!
Korean Radish Water Kimchi
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 (1 1/2 to 2 lbs) Korean radish or daikon radish peeled and cut into spears or sticks
- 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 2 green onions sliced into 1 or 2-inch pieces
- 2 green and/or red chili peppers thinly sliced
For the Brine:
- 1 1/4 cups Korean pear peeled and cubed
- 3/4 cup Fuji apple peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup white onion peeled and cubed
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger peeled
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 4 cups cold water
Instructions
- Place the cut up radish pieces into a large bowl and sprinkle the coarse sea salt and sugar over the top. Using your hands, gently mix and let sit for 30 minutes.
- While you are waiting, make the brine. Blend all of the brine ingredients together in a high speed blender or food processor. Remove the chunky parts of the brine and into a cheese cloth. Squeeze and save all of the liquid brine. Strain everything else through a sieve or fine mesh strainer, and into something with a spout so you can transfer into the jar easily.
- After 30 minutes, rinse the radish under cold running water a few times to remove any salt and sugar. Place the radishes, along with the green onions and chili peppers into a jar or container. Pour the brine over the top and seal closed.
- Fermentation: Leave your jar/s at room temperature for 1 day and then move it to the fridge. You can start eating it from 48 hrs to 72 hrs after making it. You may notice some bubbles in the broth. That means it’s fermenting well! Dongchimi should be good for 3 to 4 weeks when refrigerated.
