fbpx Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Chonggak kimchi (Ponytail Kimchi)


  • Author: Seonkyoung Longest
  • Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
  • Yield: 9 lbs 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Ponytail Radish

  • 9 lbs Chonggak moo, Korean ponytail radish with greens
  • 2 1/2 cups Korean coarse sea salt or 2 cups coarse sea salt
  • 3 cups water

For the Flour Porridge

  • 2 cups water
  • 5x5” dasima, dried kelp
  • 2 to 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour or sweet rice flour (you could also use 4 tbsp cooked rice)

For the Kimchi Paste

  • 15 cloves of garlic
  • 3 to 4 slices of ginger
  • 1 small apple, roughly diced
  • 1/2 of large onion, roughly diced
  • 1/2 cup Yondu (you can use fish sauce or/and shrimp paste)
  • 1/3 cup Maesilaek, Korean green plum extract, or apple cider/juice
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp coarse salt to your taste
  • 1 1/2 cups gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes
  • 2 bundles of green onions, cut into 2” long pieces

Instructions

  1. Trim the soil between ponytail radish and radish greens with a knife, then wash three times in running water. I wiped it off with a soft scrubber (I used luffa), just enough to remove the outer dirt.
  2. Sprinkle Korean coarse sea salt on the radish layer by layer. Sprinkle water on top and salt for 2 hours. Turn over once halfway through to salt evenly.
  3. While the radish is salting, let’s make flour porridge.
    Combine water, dasima, and dried shiitake in a saucepan and sit for 30 minutes. Bring it to a boil. Right before boiling, remove the dasima. Reduce heat to medium and keep simmer for 10 minutes. Remove shiitake from the saucepan and keep it for different recipes. Add flour and turn the heat back to medium. Whisk well until there are no lumps. Even though there are some lumps, no worries as long as they are fully cooked. When it boils, stir for another 3 to 4 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat, and set aside. 
  4. Combine all ingredients for kimchi paste except gochugaru and green onions in a blender. Blend well until smooth. Pour into a large mixing bowl and mix with gochugaru. 
  5. Rinse the salted radish under running water three times and put it on a colander to drain the water for 30 minutes. Add the radish into the mixing bowl along with green onions. Mix gently with both hands so that the radish and the greens do not fall apart.
  6. After putting them side by side in a kimchi container, let them ferment at room temperature for about two days and then place them into the refrigerator. I left it at room temperature for a couple of days and then refrigerated it. Enjoy! 
  • Prep Time: 2 hrs 30 mins