Korean Turnip Kimchi (Diced Gochugaru Water Fermented)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Sunmu kimchi is a brined kimchi made with diced turnips seasoned in chili flakes, fish sauce, garlic, and ginger juice, then submerged in water to ferment with its own liquid.
Read more
Turnips have a naturally higher sweetness and denser flesh than Korean radish, so they stay firm and crunchy even after fermentation. Scallions woven through the batch add an aromatic layer that rounds out the spice. One day at room temperature followed by two days of refrigeration produces a cool, tangy brine that is refreshing to drink on its own. Adding turnip greens, if available, deepens both the color and the fragrance.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Scrub 1200 g turnips with the skins on and trim only bruised or damaged spots.
Cut them into even 2 cm cubes so they salt and ferment at the same pace.
- 2Season
Coat the turnip cubes evenly with 70 g coarse salt and let them sit for 25 minutes.
Turn them once halfway through, then discard the released liquid so the brine does not taste harsh.
- 3Prep
Rinse 80 g scallions, shake off excess water, and cut them into 3 cm lengths.
If you have turnip greens, slice in a small amount to add fragrance and color without overwhelming the kimchi.
- 4Season
Stir 50 g gochugaru, 25 g minced garlic, 10 ml ginger juice, and 40 ml fish sauce into 500 ml water.
Mix until no dry clumps remain and the seasoning brine looks evenly red.
- 5Season
Add the salted turnips and scallions to the seasoning brine, then fold from the bottom upward so the cubes do not break.
Once the turnip surfaces are evenly stained red, transfer everything to a container.
- 6Control
Press the vegetables down so the brine covers them, and do not fill the container to the rim because fermentation needs space.
After 1 day at room temperature, check for bubbles and a lightly tangy smell, then refrigerate for 2 days.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Dense, sweet turnips in sunmu kimchi provide a lasting crunch in this red water-based ferment.
- Finish cue
- Coat the turnip cubes evenly with 70 g coarse salt and let them sit for 25 minutes.
- Avoid this
- Add the salted turnips and scallions to the seasoning brine, then fold from the bottom upward so the cubes do not break.
- Storage and reheating
- One day at room temperature followed by two days of refrigeration produces a cool, tangy brine that is refreshing to drink on its own.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
40min, 8 ingredients
Category median
32min, 7 ingredients
Based on 163 recipes
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