Pickle, Preserve & Ferment: Radish Kimchi

The raw food product I have chosen is daikon radish. I have chosen Radish Kimchi, (Kakdugi) and the fermentation method from Momofuku (p. 74). 

Raw Food Product: Daikon Radish

Radish Kimchi (Kakdugi) 

Momofuku p. 74

This recipe follows the criteria of a well-written recipe outlined in the Gisslen Professional Cooking textbook. The recipe outlines the name of the recipe, the ingredients and exact amounts as well as the exact description of the ingredients, directions for preparing each ingredient, and directions for preparing the dish.

Ingredients

3 Medium or 2 Large Daikon Radishes, peeled, any discolored portions trimmed away, and cut into ½ inch chunks for the cabbage.

2 Tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

20 garlic cloves, minced and 20 slices peeled fresh ginger, minced

½ cup kochukaru (Korean Chile Powder)

½ cup fish sauce

¼ cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)

2 teaspoons jarred salted shrimp

½ cup 1-inch pieces scallions (greens and whites)

½ cup julienned carrots

Kimchi Radish Ingredients 

Recipe

1.    Cut the daikon radish lengthwise in half, then cut the halves crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces. Toss the cabbage with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Cut Daikon Radish into 1-inch-wide pieces 

2.    Combine the garlic, ginger, kochukaru, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp and remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl. If it is very thick, add water 1/3 cup at a time until the brine is just thicker than a creamy salad dressing but no longer a sludge. Stir in the scallions and carrots.

Combining Ingredients

Stir in Scallions 

3.    Drain the daikon radish and add it to the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Though the kimchi will be tasty after 24 hours, it will be better in a week and its prime in 2 weeks. It will still be good for another couple weeks after that, though it will grow incrementally stronger and funkier.

Daikon Radish and Brine Combined 

Kimchi is a fermented cabbage or pickle dish similar to sauerkraut, as well as a main dish Korea. There are three types of kimchi: Napa Cabbage Kimichi (Paechu Kimchi), Radish Kimchi (Kakdugi), and Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi). Fermentation is the process where Kimchi is produced, and key to its flavour. Once the fermentation process has been completed Kimchi taste spicy due to the Korean Chile Powder (Kochukaru) however, with the other ingredients in the brine the spicy portion in the kimchi is balanced out. After two weeks of fermentation the bacteria that are fermenting the kimchi start producing CO₂ and the kimchi start to taste sour.  Depending on the type of kimchi, once the kimchi turns sour, it can be used in soups, like Kimchi stew or made into Kimchi fried rice.