Korean Ponytail Radish Kimchi
Quick answer
- Total time
- 60 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Chonggak kimchi is a traditional Korean kimchi made with whole young ponytail radishes salted for two hours, then coated in a paste of gochugaru, anchovy fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and scallions before fermenting.
Read more
Blooming the chili flakes in fish sauce first softens their texture and intensifies the red color, and garlic and ginger are added afterward to build aromatic depth into the heat. Radish tops that are left too long turn fibrous, so trimming them short before seasoning keeps the kimchi crisp from root to leaf. One day at room temperature produces light carbonation and a cool, refreshing tang that signals the fermentation is alive. Refrigerating after that preserves the radish crunch and spicy umami for weeks. A year-round staple, this kimchi appears at Korean tables across every season.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Wash 1500 g young radishes well to remove soil, then trim the leafy tops short so they do not turn fibrous.
Sprinkle 90 g coarse salt between the roots and leaves, brine for 2 hours, and turn once halfway through.
- 2Season
When the radishes bend gently and the surface looks slightly translucent, rinse them 3 times in cold water.
Drain in a colander for 30 minutes so excess water does not thin the seasoning paste later.
- 3Season
Mix 5 tbsp Korean chili flakes with 4 tbsp anchovy fish sauce and let them stand for 10 minutes.
Wait until the flakes look moist, the paste thickens, and the red color deepens before adding aromatics.
- 4Season
Add 2 tbsp minced garlic and 1 tsp minced ginger to the bloomed chili paste, then stir until evenly loosened.
Scrape the bottom of the bowl so no clumps remain, because concentrated paste can make some radishes too salty.
- 5Season
Cut 80 g scallions into 4 cm pieces and fold them into the seasoning first.
Add the drained radishes and toss gently, coating both roots and leaves without bruising the softened greens.
- 6Control
Pack the kimchi tightly into a container and level the surface to reduce trapped air.
Leave it at room temperature for one day; when small bubbles appear and the aroma turns clean and tangy, refrigerate it.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Whole young ponytail radishes in chonggak kimchi are soaked for two hours to lock in their crunch.
- Finish cue
- When the radishes bend gently and the surface looks slightly translucent, rinse them 3 times in cold water.
- Avoid this
- Wash 1500 g young radishes well to remove soil, then trim the leafy tops short so they do not turn fibrous.
- Storage and reheating
- Refrigerating after that preserves the radish crunch and spicy umami for weeks.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
60min, 7 ingredients
Category median
32min, 7 ingredients
Based on 163 recipes
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