Summer Kimchi: Subaak (Watermelon) Kimchi

The most popular kimchi are usually made with baechu (Korean cabbage) or muu (Korean white radish) but there’re also several fruit kimchi recipes as well. During autumn, sweet persimmon - the hard kind not the soft creamy one - is the favorite fruit to make kimchi. The pickled dish with tomato or Korean melon is usually consumed in the hot season.

I created a simple, mild, garlic-free “watermelon rind kimchi.” It’s an easy salad-like version using plum to sweeten the pickle. I wanted this recipe to be simple and healthy so it might not satisfy your palates. Add about 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, an additional 1/6 teaspoon of fish sauce (sand lance) and red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper) if you want to enjoy a tastier subaak kimchi.

Ingredients

Serves 1

10 watermelon rind cubes (white rind; 3cm)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated plum

1/2 teaspoon grated red paprika

1/4 teaspoon grated onion

1/6 teaspoon canari aekjeot (sand lance sauce) or 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

Directions

1. Marinate watermelon rind cubes with salt for about 10 minutes.

2. Mix grated plum, paprika, onion and sand lance sauce in a sauce bowl.

3. Wash the marinated rinds with water about two times and squeeze out excess liquid with a tea towel.

4. Combine rind cubes with sauce mixture.  

Kimchi Made Easy

Kimchi is arguably the best known Korean food and staple in the far eastern peninsula. There’s a variety of the vegetable dish already but I made an addition by creating a fast and easy salad-like recipe using gochujang (red pepper paste). You don’t have to soak baechu (kimchi cabbage) in brine for hours in this recipe. An instructional YouTube video is available in French and Spanish.

Ingredients

Serves 1

200ml kimchi cabbage squares (2cm)

1 teaspoon sliced leek

1 teaspoon grated onion

1 teaspoon grated Korean pear (or grated apple)

2 teaspoons gochujang (red pepper paste)

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (or 1 teaspoon of soy sauce)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (or olive oil)

Directions

1. In a bowl mix gochujang, fish sauce, grated onion, grated pear, sugar, leek slices, sesame oil and the white stems of kimchi cabbage.

2. Set the mixture aside for about 5 minutes to let the thick stems absorb some of the sauce

3. Combine kimchi sauce with the rest of the kimchi cabbage squares.

Oimuchim (Cucumber Salad with Red Pepper Sauce)

Vegetables are an important part of the Korean diet. A meal without any kind of greens or kimchi is a rarity. Cucumbers are one of the favorite vegetables in the peninsula. There’re numerous recipes for the crispy and refreshing ingredient. Let us start with muchim, the salad type. 

Muchim is a mix of raw or blanched vegetables with a variety of sauces. It makes a good banchan (side dish). The recipe below is garlic-free and vegan (use sugar instead of honey).

Ingredients

Serves 1

200ml cucumber batons (3cm length, 1cm width)

25ml julienned carrot

1 teaspoon salt

100ml water

1 teaspoon gochujang (red pepper paste)

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon grated onion

1/2 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Put salt and water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Place cucumber batons in boiling water for about one minute and set aside to cool in a strainer. Press down cucumbers with a spoon to squeeze out excess liquid.

2. In a bowl mix gochujang, soy sauce, grated onion and honey. Combine julienned carrots, cucumbers with the red pepper sauce.