Chonggak Kimchi (Whole Radish Kimchi)

Ingredients

Directions

1. 1
   

   Scrape the soil from between the radish and its greens with a knife, then rinse the 3 bunches of radishes twice under running water. Use a soft scrubber to gently remove only the surface dirt so you don't scratch the radishes.

2. 2
   

   Sprinkle 3 cups of coarse salt over the radishes, pour in 3 L of water, and brine for about 2 hours. Because the radishes are brined whole, they take a while. A good ratio is 1 cup of salt and 1 L of water per bunch. To speed things up, halve the radishes and brine for about 1 hour.

3. 3
   

   While the radishes brine, make the rice paste. In a pot, whisk 3 tbsp glutinous rice flour with 2 cups water until smooth, then bring to a boil over heat, stirring constantly. Once it bubbles, stir for 1 more minute until thick, then let it cool. If you don't have glutinous rice flour, plain flour works too.

4. 4
   

   Combine 3 cups gochugaru, 1 cup anchovy fish sauce, 4 tbsp salted shrimp, 6 tbsp minced garlic, 1 cup grated onion, and 4.5 tbsp sugar with the cooled rice paste to make the seasoning. Grated onion gives the kimchi a fresh, cool flavor.

5. 5
   

   Trim and clean 1/2 bunch of chives, then cut them into finger-length pieces.

6. 6
   

   Rinse the brined radishes twice under running water, drain in a colander, then add the chives and seasoning and gently toss from the bottom up. Toss carefully with both hands so the radish greens don't come off.

7. 7
   

   Wrap the radish greens snugly around each radish so they stay attached.

8. 8
   

   Pack the kimchi neatly into a container, ferment at room temperature for about 2 days, then refrigerate. Since the radishes are whole, they need time to ripen. Left at room temperature, the kimchi releases a savory brine. Once ripe, be sure to keep it refrigerated.