White Daikon Kimchi
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Easy
Although the most common form of kimchi is highly spiced and made with napa cabbage it is traditionally made with almost any vegetable or even fish, sometimes dry-salted and sometimes brined. I like this version, with the sharper heat of green chilli and ginger replacing pungent red pepper paste.
When using the preserving jar, add water around the rim and place the weights straight on top of the ingredients.
This recipe is written by Thom Eagle, a chef, writer and fermenting expert.
Ingredients for white daikon kimchi
- 2kg daikon, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
- 20g sea salt
- 1 tbsp dried wakame seaweed
- 1 bunch spring onion, finely sliced
- 50g fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
- 4 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
- 4 green chillies, finely sliced
- 100ml soy sauce
Method for white daikon kimchi
- Toss the prepared daikon with the salt and leave to drain in a colander overnight. The next day give it a quick squeeze and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Pack into a 2 litre preserving pot or jar, pressing down to ensure it is covered with liquid. Cover with a piece of baking parchment, weigh down and seal the jar.
- After three or five days it should have begun to ferment, with little bubbles rising to the surface; at this point you can begin to taste for sourness. I normally leave it for around a week or ten days. When you’re happy with the flavour you can transfer the jar to the fridge, where it will continue to ferment very slowly.
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Read our guide to pickling and try our classic kimchi recipe.
About the author
Thom Eagle is a chef, writer and fermenter, formerly of Littleduck but currently based in Kent. He has presented at the Oxford Symposium of Food & Cookery, writes the psychogastronomy tinyletter, and contributes to At The Table, Pit and Market Life magazines, the Wine Zine, MOB Kitchen and the Vittles newsletter. His first book First, Catch was shortlisted for the Andre Simon Food Book of the Year and won the Debut Food Book at the Fortnum and Mason’s Awards; his second, Summer’s Lease, came out in June 2020.
