Chong-gak (Bachelor) Kimchi, Ponytail Radish Kimchi
Equipment
Buy Kimchi Ingredients Here.
Ingredients
- 3 lb Ponytail Radish Chong-gak mu or Altari mu in Korean
- 4 tbs Coarse Sea Salt We use Korean coarse sea salt. Depending on what type and grain size you use, the amount may vary. If you are using finer salt, you will need more.
Seasoning
- 1½ tsp Sweet Rice Flour or regular all purpose flour
- ½ cup Water
- ⅓ cup Gochugaru (Korean Hot Pepper Flakes) This recipe is on the spicy side so cut gochugaru by 20-30% if you want medium spicy.
- 2 tbs Salted Shrimp (Sae Woo Jeot) Can be found in refrigerated section of Korean market. Can use anchovy fish sauce instead OR use half salted shrimp & half anchovy fish sauce
- 3 Green Onion cut 1" length
- 1 tbs Sugar or artificial sweetener or use minced apple
- 4 tsp Garlic minced
- ½ tsp Ginger minced
- 1/4 tsp Coarse Sea Salt (OPTIONAL) Only if your seasoning is not salty enough you can add some salt as needed (because salted shrimp saltiness may vary depending on the brand)
Instructions
- Rinse radish if they are dirty.3 lb Ponytail Radish
- Cut off the root.
- Remove dirt from the area where the stems connect to the radish by using a knife.
- Scrape the surface of radish with the edge of a knife (or rough scrub) to remove dirt. Cut off yellow leaves and the outer stems that look tough. Cut long stems in half.
- Cut the large radishes in half length-wise but no need to separate the stems.
- Place the ponytail radishes in a large bowl. (If they are dry, sprinkle some water so surface is wet.) Sprinkle salt. Mix everything well by hand. (If large amount, you can sprinkle in layers. More salt as you move to the top layers.) Wear rubber gloves so your hands don’t sting.
- Let it sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn over the ponytail radishes and leave them for another 30 minutes. (Total brining time is 60 minutes.) This helps the ponytail radishes to be evenly salted. Depending on the quality of the ingredients and the weather, brining time may vary. When the radishes are properly brined, they should bend without any resistance. (The colder the temperature, the longer the brining time.)4 tbs Coarse Sea Salt
- Wash each radish thoroughly 2-3 times each time with fresh water. Wash the stems more throughly because they absorb much more salt than the root part. Leave them in a strainer for at least 1 to 2 hours to drain water out completely.At this point, if you taste after washing, should be a tiny bit saltier than you like. The saltiness will decrease as they get fermented later. If it’s extremely salty, you can soak in water for a while until desired to saltiness.
- Mix sweet rice flour (or regular flour) with COLD water. Stir until there are no lumps. (If you are making a large amount, use some water to mix with flour and boil the rest of the water. Then, add the mixture to the boiling water. This way you don't have to stir for a long time.) Cook on medium heat while stirring until it reaches “cream soup like” consistency. Take it off the heat and let it cool COMPLETELY.1½ tsp Sweet Rice Flour, ½ cup Water
- Add gochugaru (hot pepper flakes) into the completely cooled flour soup. (If you can’t take very spicy food, reduce the amount of gochugau. Mix well. Leave it for about 20 min to get more vibrant color (optional). If you leave this gochugaru and flour soup mixture in the fridge overnight, it can improve color and taste but not required.⅓ cup Gochugaru
- In a medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients (salted shrimp, green onions, minced garlic, minced ginger and sugar) into the gochugaru paste. Taste and add some salt as needed ONLY IF your seasoning is not salty enough you can add some salt (because salted shrimp saltiness may vary depending on the brand OR if your brined radish is not salty enough)2 tbs Salted Shrimp (Sae Woo Jeot), 3 Green Onion, 1 tbs Sugar, 4 tsp Garlic, ½ tsp Ginger, 1/4 tsp Coarse Sea Salt (OPTIONAL)
- In a large bowl, throughly mix the radishes with the seasoning. Don’t pour all the seasoning at once in case there is too much seasoning for the amount of radish.
- Place them in a container with a good seal. Fill only 85% of the container and place a tray below the container. It can overflow as it produces liquid while fermenting. Once the container is filled, use your hand to pat down on kimchi so that it is tightly packed in the container.
- Cover the top with a plastic sheet (cling wrap). Close the lid. If you are making a small amount and will be eating it in a week or two, you don’t have to cover with a plastic sheet. The plastic sheet keeps the air out so it reduces a chance of getting molds. Alternatively, you can use a specialized kimchi container or fermenter with a vacuum seal.
- Leave it out in room temperature for a day or two for proper fermentation then into the fridge. If you want to eat it soon you can leave it at room temperature until it has a sour taste you like. We left out in room temperature for 4 days and 2 days in the fridge before eating it. After they are fermented, keep them in the fridge.
- Serve COLD as a side dish (usually 2-3 pieces per person).
Notes
Good to Know
Optional Ingredients and Substitution Salted Shrimp: Salted shrimp can be found in the refrigerated or freezer section of Korean markets. Store in the freezer to keep it for a long time since only a small amount is used at a time. Due to its saltiness, it doesn't freeze solid so you can use it anytime without thawing. For Kkakdugi, salted shrimp is better than other types of fish sauce because it keeps the refreshing and clean taste which is key to Kkakdugi. Also, other types of fish sauce can darken the color. However, some Koreans, especially in the southern Korea, use anchovy sauce only or a mix of shrimp fish sauce and anchovy fish sauce. Use rubber gloves!Use clean food-safe rubber cloves for brining cabbages and applying seasoning. Otherwise, your hands will sting from salt and chili peppers. Seasoning Leftover
If you have made more seasoning than you need, you can freeze the seasoning. When you make radish kimchi or perilla kimchi next time, thaw the seasoning in the fridge overnight and use it. Also, you can use other types of kimchi with your favorite vegetables such as cucumber, soybean sprouts, garlic chives, green onions, etc. Frequently Asked Questions Do I have to use coarse sea salt?
You can use kosher salt. But, coarse ones are better than fine ones. If the particles are too small, it may speed up the brining process too much that the texture of Kkakdugi may not be as crispy. We don’t recommend using table salt (iodized salt) because iodine prevents fermentation and the texture and the color of Kkakdugi may not turn out right. You can buy coarse sea salt from local Korean market or order online here. How long should I ferment chong-gak kimchi for?
Fermentation time depends on temperature and the amount of salt in the radish. A lower temperature and smaller amount of salt will make the fermentation process slower. The duration of fermentation also depends on your personal preference. Some people like fresh (almost unfermented) kkakdugi. Some like it very fermented and sour. I personally like my kkakdugi fermented to medium sourness. I leave it out in room temperature for about 4 days and ferment slowly for 2-4 days in the fridge before eating. The best way is to leave it out and taste it every day. When it reaches your preference, put it in the refrigerator. If you made a large amount, you can leave some out and store the rest in the fridge right away. Then, take some out later for more fermentation as needed. Remember that kimchi will produce gas and liquid as it is fermented. Leave some room in the container, or it will overflow. How should I store my chong-gak kimhi and how long does it last?
Traditionally, kimchi was stored in earthenware called "Ong-gi." Ong-gi (Onggi) is breathable pottery that keeps kimchi and other fermented foods in an optimal condition. Today, most Koreans use plastic kimchi containers to store Kimchi, and keep the containers in a specialized Kimchi fridge. Kimchi fridges keep kimchi at an optimal temperature, and keeps your regular fridge free of the potent kimchi smell. If you don't have any of the above, place the kimchi in a tightly sealed container and keep in the fridge. When you place chong-gak kimchi in a container, make sure you press down firmly to get rid of any air between chong-gak kimchi. Then, cover the top with a plastic sheet or saran wrap before closing the lid. (This is only necessary if you are making a very large amount and storing it for months.) Finally, make sure the lid is on properly. While chong-gak kimchi can last for many months, it tastes best to eat within 1-2 months. If you keep it longer than that, it will get too sour. Unlike napa cabbage kimchi, chong-gak kimchi is NOT meant to be fermented and eaten for a long period of time.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!