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Vegetables from Korea

Dongchimi (winter water radish kimchi)동치미

Dongchimi is a water kimchi of whole or large pieces of Korean radish in a light brine with garlic, green onion and ginger. Leuconostoc and then Lactobacillus sour the brine into a clear, tangy liquid in about two days when warm or a month when cold, and both the radish and the broth are eaten.

Fully documentedVegetables2 days – 46 days

Recipe

Dongchimi (winter water radish kimchi), a photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: by karendotcom127, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Amounts from a sourceLaboratory proportions from Korean dongchimi studies (radish to brine 1:1 w/v). Home recipes add napa cabbage, pickled green chilli and Korean pear, with no fixed amounts.
Korean radish1 part by weight[lowsalt1997]
Brine1 part by volume, at 2.0–5.1 % saltStudies used 2.0, 3.2 and 5.1 % NaCl, and 3 %; a low-salt juice used 0.5 %[chang1996][water2004][lowsalt1997]
Garlic, green onion and ginger[chang1996][lowsalt1997]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 days – 46 days

Start
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Close-up: salt moving into a piece

What changes: Whole radishes are trimmed and salted

Step 1 of 4
Trim and salt the radishes
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. plantarum

Radish is the main ingredient; whole green or red chillies, leaf mustard, garlic, ginger and leeks may go in too [wp-dongchimi]. Output: salted whole or halved radishes.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Dongchimi is a water kimchi of whole or large pieces of Korean radish in a light brine with garlic, green onion and ginger. Leuconostoc and then Lactobacillus sour the brine into a clear, tangy liquid in about two days when warm or a month when cold, and both the radish and the broth are eaten. Made in 4 steps over 2 days – 46 days. The longest step, ferment, takes 2–46 days (Park S.-J 2008) and runs at 4–25 °C (Park S.-J 2008). Salt is 2–5.1 % (Chang S.-K 1996). Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2–46 daysReported[park2008][water2004]Ferment
Temperature4–25 °CReported[park2008][chang1996]Ferment
Salt2–5.1 %Reported[chang1996][water2004]Pack with aromatics and cover with brine
AciditypH 3.6–4Measured[park2008]Ferment

What makes this one different

Dongchimi is a water kimchi. Whole radish sits in a light brine, so the clear, mild broth is as much the product as the vegetable, and it matures in days, not weeks.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Baechu dongchimiAdds napa cabbage stuffed with julienned radish, with kelp stock [wp-dongchimi].
  • Daenamu dongchimiBamboo leaves added; a South Jeolla specialty that ferments more slowly and keeps longer [wp-dongchimi].
  • Gungjung (royal) dongchimiSmall radishes with yuja, pomegranate and pear [wp-dongchimi].
  • Low-salt dongchimi juiceFermented in 0.5 % brine at 20 °C to pH 3.8–4.0, the version tasters liked best [lowsalt1997].

Safety

Studies show the brine reaching pH 3.59–4.03 [park2008]. Keep it cold once sour, as cold slows the fermentation [chang1996].

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

History
The sources we found do not record its history.
  1. [park2008] Park S.-J., Chang J.H., Cha S.-K., Moon G.-S. 2008, Microbiological analysis of dongchimi, Korean watery radish kimchi, at the early and mid-phase fermentation, Food Science and Biotechnology 17(4):892–894 (abstract)paper
  2. [chang1996] Chang S.-K., Ko S.-N., Choi H.-S., Kim J.-G., Kim W.-J. 1996, 발효온도와 소금농도가 동치미 발효속도에 미치는 영향 (effect of fermentation temperature and salt concentration on the fermentation rate of dongchimi), Applied Biological Chemistry 39(5):398 (abstract)paper
  3. [water2004] 물의 종류를 달리한 동치미의 경도 변화 및 세포벽 관찰 (changes of hardness and microstructure of dongchimi made with different kinds of water), Korean Journal of Food and Cookery Science 20(1):86, 2004 (abstract)paper
  4. [lowsalt1997] 저염 동치미 쥬스의 제조를 위한 최적 발효온도 및 소금농도 (optimal temperature and salt concentration for low-salt dongchimi juice), Korean Journal of Food and Cookery Science 13(5):578, 1997 (abstract)paper
  5. [wp-dongchimi] English Wikipedia, Dongchimi (outline, types and uses)wiki