Charim
한 日
Gajami Sikhae
Side dishes

Gajami Sikhae

Quick answer

Total time
At least 7 days
Level
Hard
Yield
1 batch
Ingredients
10

About this dish

Bone-in pieces of flounder ferment with foxtail millet rice, thick radish strips and chili flakes until the whole mix turns tangy and salty.

Read more

This version leaves out glutinous rice and fish sauce, so the millet grains stay visible between the fish, and after mixing it still needs 4 to 5 days in a cool place.

Ingredients

batch

Instructions

7 steps
  1. 1

    Scale the flounder and remove the heads, tails, fins and innards.

    Cut into serving pieces, wash well and drain.

  2. 2

    Use the single cup of coarse salt across the fish and radish cures.

    Sprinkle the fish evenly on both sides and leave on a draining rack for one day. Reserve the remaining coarse salt for the radish.

  3. 3

    Wrap the salted fish in a clean cloth and place a weight on top to press out liquid.

    Spread it on a rack and dry in a cool place for about two days, until partly dried and firm.

  4. 4

    Once the fish is dried, cut the radish into thick strips.

    Toss with the reserved coarse salt, allow it to soften, then drain the released liquid.

  5. 5

    Rinse the millet and cook according to its package directions for firm, separate grains.

    Season with part of the 1/4 cup fine salt, then spread out to cool. Reserve the rest of the fine salt for final seasoning. Sift the barley malt, removing the coarse husks.

  6. 6

    Mix the partly dried fish, drained radish, cooled millet, sifted malt, gochugaru, garlic and ginger juice evenly.

    Use the reserved fine salt to adjust the seasoning.

  7. 7

    Press firmly into a food-safe container and cover.

    Following the source method, mature in a cool place for about four to five days. Keep the finished sikhae chilled and remove only the portion needed.

References checked

These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.

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Tips

Divide the coarse salt between the fish and radish, and the fine salt between the millet and final seasoning. The listed total is not a fresh allocation for every step.
This method uses finely sifted barley malt powder. Do not combine it with a different method that adds boiled malt liquid.
The fish is cut with its bones, so check for bones when eating. The maturation period does not guarantee that every bone will soften.
Edited by Charim Team