Bachelor radish kimchi is a very popular summer kimchi in Korea. You might wonder why the name is “bachelor kimchi.” In the old days, boys who did not marry had to wear a special haircut that was styled like the shape of this radish. So Koreans called this radish, “bachelor radish,” and the kimchi made with it is called “bachelor radish kimchi.” With well fermented bachelor kimchi, you can make different kinds of korean dishes. Of course, just eating the kimchi with rice also taste awesome.
Yield: 1½ Gallons
Short Korean Lesson
- ChonGak (총각) = Bachelor
- CheoNyeo (처녀) = Bachelorette
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 4 lb Korean Bachelor Radish
- 10 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Coarse Sea Salt
Rice Flour Paste Ingredients
- 1½ Cups Water
- 3 Tbsp Sweet Rice Flour
Kimchi Paste Ingredients
- 1 Cup Hot Pepper Powder
- 1 Cup Onion
- 1 Head Garlic (12 Cloves)
- ½ Cup Apple
- ½ Cup Fish Sauce
- ⅔ Cup Red Hot Peppers
- 1½ Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
- ½ Tbsp Fresh Ginger
Directions
Obtain about 4 lb of Korean bachelor radish. Gently peel off the skin. Remove any bad parts from the radish or its leaves. Clean the radish.
Sprinkle 2 cups of coarse sea salt onto the radish evenly.
Pour about 10 cups of cold water on the radish.
Leave them soak for about 2 hours: until the radish absorbs enough salt.
Meanwhile, make the rice flour paste. Mix 1½ cups of water and 3 Tbsp of sweet rice flour in a pan. When the rice flour dissolves, cook it on medium until it starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and let it cool down.
To make the kimchi paste, chop 1 cup worth of onion, ½ cup worth of apple, ⅔ cup worth of red hot pepper, 12 cloves of garlic, and ½ Tbsp worth of fresh ginger.
Grind the kimchi paste ingredients together with ½ cup of fish sauce.
Combine the cooled rice flour paste, the ground kimchi paste, 1 cup of hot pepper powder, and 1½ Tbsp of sugar.
Add 1 Tbsp of sesame seeds lastly. Mix it thoroughly.
Two hours later, rinse the salted radish 2 or 3 times in cold water, and then drain the water.
Mix the radish with the kimchi paste.
Put the kimchi in a glass container and leave it out for a day at room temperature. Then store it in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks: until it becomes fermented.
Wow, it looks delicious. If you see any bachelor radishes in a Korean or Asian store, please try it someday. Alternatively, you can plant the radish in your garden and make your own kimchi as I did. Enjoy!
Hi Aeris,
This dish looks so delicious with such a interesting name.Really wannt to try it.And i wonder when you said :”Then store it in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks: until it becomes fermented.” it means the kimchi will be ready to served after 2-3 weeks, right?Anyway, thanks for sharing! 🙂
hi katoo,
Napa cabbage kimchi (normal kimchi).. you can eat before it’s fermented…but radish has strong flavor .. so you don’t eat it before fermented.. sometimes.. your stomach can be upset by eating raw radish… yes.. it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to get fermented in the refrigerator.. after that you can enjoy.. hehe thanks 🙂
ahhhhh~~~ i love this kimchi! all you need is rice!
hi Angie,
haha.. I agree ~~~ 🙂
Yes, I have the same question as katoo. Did u mean it will take that long before we partake the kimchi ❓
hi layping,
Yep, you are right.. ^^
hi aeri!! 😀 did you miss me??? i miss YOU!!!
i love your garden and i’m sure this dish tastes especially delicious because you grew the radish yourself.
😉 😀 😉 😀
love you!
hi farleen,
OF COURSE !!! I missed you. 🙂 I’m happy to get your comments. I guess that you are very busy these days.
Please keep touch with me.
I love you too. 🙂
Hello Aeri!
I’m a longtime reader of your blog but this is my first time commenting.
Do you think it would be possible for you to check what the latin name is for korean radish? I’m trying to find seeds to plant for next year but I’m in Sweden and I’m not sure if the ones I find are the correct ones. This one is the closest I seem to find: http://www.runabergsfroer.se/?p=301
This year I grew sesame leaves and asian chives. 😛
hi Birgitta,
Sorry, I tried to research latin name..but couldn’t..
maybe this can help you a little.. it’s about korean radish..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kkakdugi
The picture you sent me.. looks like.. daikon radish.. which has a little different texture and flavor from Korean radish..but some people substitue it for korean radish since they can’t find Korean radish.. so try that one instead.. wow.. i need some sesame leaves seeds..hehe good job.. thanks
i’m so excited to find this recipe. I’ve been looking all over the internet, and this is the only recipe for chong gak kimchi. Thank you so much for posting it!
Hi Aeri,
Wow, this chongak kimchi looks delicious! Is the garden scene yours? I’m jealous! 😆
hi csyama,
Yes, it’s our garden. hehe thanks
Hi, I’m korean too hahaha… hence the name.being from a korean background I’ve eaten the normal types of kimchi but I haven’t tried baek kimchi or cha kimchi if you know how to make thoese ones please can you upload a vid?
to learn to cook properly!
(I first heard of cha kimchi from the drama seik gek) I’m a big korean drama fan..and think I’ve watched most of the dramas that have aired probably since kindergarden (wow that unseemly makes me sound old I’m only in my teens lol) your videos although I’ve tasted most, I very NEED
Typos..the last line, your videos are great althoug
I’ve tasted most of the cusine* sorry ill make the replys shorter hehe lol ah, it would have been shorter if had koren formatted my phone lol
hi hae kyung,
I will add it to my list and post it someday.. thanks 🙂
Thanks for your comment. I enjoyed reading it.. so no worries.. hehe thanks
Hi Aeri,
Is it a must to leave the radish kimchi at room temperature for 1 day? I live in Singapore where the weather is rather hot, I am worry that the kimchi will turn too sour after 1 day. Is it ok to put it into the refrigerator immediately after mixing all the ingredients and still be able to achieve the great taste?
Thks!! 😀
I’ve grown up with this and it was a favorite, but was one of the few things I didn’t pick up from “um ma”. Now I live out of state so it’s hard to make it home for cooking lessons. But I’m now officially on the Korean radish hunt (hard to find in Utah) so we’ll see, otherwise it’s going in the garden next year
I made this several weeks ago. Three words; Fabulous, Fabulous and Fabulous.
Hello Aeri,
I am a Turkish woman (was married to a French man) and live in Strasbourg, France.
I love your country because my father used to tell us stories about it : he went there as a soldier (with the turkish army) during the Korean war in the 50’s. He loved your people, so much that he wished us to marry Korean boys.
Concerning your recipe, bachelor kimchi : in Turkey we say that non married boys have almost prepared their pickles, meaning that they are old and not married. I find funny the similitary between our two cultures.
And so I wanted to say that I find your blog very nice to read and to see and interesting because I learn a lot with it. So thank you and keep on teaching us about your beautiful country.
Best regards to you and your family.
hi Emine,
I’m very happy to meet you. Your story about your dad and Korea.. it was very interesting… I appreciate your dad’s service for the Korean war. Yes, it is interesting to have similarities between two cultures..hehe We call.. Turkey is our brother country because you helped us a lot when we had difficult time during Korean war.. ^^ anyway.. love to see more of your comments here. Thanks