- Prep Time: 1 hr.
- Brining time: 2 hrs.plus 2 days to 2 weeks
- Yields:1 ½ quart
Ingredients
- ½ Napa cabbage, chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 2 daikon radishes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsps sugar
- 1 small Asian pear, peeled and cored
- 1-inch piece of ginger
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 shallot
- 2-3 red or green chilis, slivered
- 2 scallions, slivered
Preparation
- Make a brine for the cabbage with 2 tbsp salt and 1 cup of water. Combine and let stand, weighted down with a plate, for a couple of hours.
- Toss the radish pieces with a tbsp of salt and the sugar and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Drain both cabbage and radish well, rinsing off excess salt if you like, though it should remain a bit salty. Reserve the brine from cabbage and any liquid exuded by radishes.
- Puree pear, garlic, ginger and shallot with ½ cup of water; strain this, if desired, then add to reserved brine.
- Toss cabbage and radish with chilis and scallions, pack into the jar(s) and pour seasoned brine over. If you need more brine to cover, mix 2 tbsp of salt with an additional 4 cups of water, and use this to cover.
- Leave dongkimchi out at cool room temp for two days then put in refrigerator for another 2 weeks. It is ready to eat any time after the initial 2 days but gets more complex with time. This keeps for a couple of months.
