Radish kimchi - with or without scallions

We became more familiar with Korean food through our several Korean friends, and that of course includes developing the taste for kimchi. One of our favorite stories from our fantastic vacation in Korea is from a simple eatery in Seoraksan national park where the owners could not believe we were not only able to eat their spicy kimchi, we asked for an extra serving, which is quite customary in Korea. That made a shockingly positive impression on the unbelievably kind people running that eatery. And yes, the food was simple yet so good that we went back to the same place.

It is very easy to buy kimchi almost anywhere, and kimchi we can buy is very good, but... One day we were having a dinner with a friend in one of the local Korean restaurants. Their kimchi was out of this world, I think it was by far the best part of a very good meal. So we asked what their source was, and, with a smile, we heard they made it themselves. I resolved instantly to challenge myself and see what I can do.

Radish kimchi is slightly simpler to make than napa cabbage kimchi, so that is what I have been working on first. I need to give credit to My Korean Kitchen web site that I used as the baseline for what I do - my adjustments are minor. 

Note that green onion is a part of every kimchi recipe that I have seen. Once I did not happen to have any green onions, so I made kimchi with radish only, and it was very good. Since then I have been treating scallions as optional.

Ingredients - radish:

• 2.5 pounds (1 kg) radish - any korean, daikon, any variety of white radish will do.
• 2 TBS coarse salt, or rock salt
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
• Optional: 3-4 green onions

Ingredients - Kimchi base:

• 1/2 to 1 onion roughly diced
• 1/2 to 1 apple, cored and diced
• 3 TBS fish sauce (Korean, Thai, anchovy sauce all work well), or you can use brined shrimp if your Korean friends bring them for your from Korea
• 1 TBS garlic, minced
• 1/2 TBS ginger, minced
• 2 TBS Korean chili flakes, or more or less, depending on your taste
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp rice flour (grind some rice in a coffee grinder if you don' have rice flour)

Method:

1. Peel the radish and cut it into 1/2 inch (1cm) cubes. I prefer smaller pieces many of my Korean friends make the pieces a bit larger. 
2. Mix the radish, salt, and sugar in a bowl and let stand at the room temperature for an hour. A few hours is just fine.
3. Make the rice porridge: Boil the water and the rice flour in a microwave, about a minute tends to work well, I whisk the mixture mid way. The result should be a somewhat runny porridge.
4. Blend all the kimchi base ingredients and the porridge in a blender or a food processor
5. If using, chop roughly the green onions
6. After an hour or so, drain the radish and rinse it a few times, then let is sit in a colander for a few minutes to drain
7. Transfer the radish into a large mixing bowl, and mix it with Korean chili flakes.
8. Add the kimchi base, and if using, the green onion, and mix it well so that the base sticks to the radish cubes
9. Transfer kimchi into an air-tight container - I prefer glass, but use whatever you have.
10. Leave the kimchi at the room temperature for 6 hours to 2 days to ferment. My preference is 2 days.
11. Transfer the kimchi to the fridge where the fermentation will slow down. Wait at least a day before eating it.
12. Share with friends. That what makes kimchi particularly tasty.