Recipe: Dongchimi (Water Kim Chee)

Chef-host Grant Sato, who has won awards for his Korean cooking, shares a few Korean dishes on Wednesday’s episode, including the dongchimi recipe below. Sato says dongchimi, or water kim chee, was traditionally made before the first snow of winter and served during seasons when no vegetables could grow.

• 2 pounds daikon, cut into cubes or logs
• 1/3 cup salt
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 slices ginger, cut 1/4-inch thick
• 4 to 6 red or green jalapenos
• 1 Korean pear, skinned, seeded and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 bunch green onion or tubular chives
• 1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 8 cups water

Place daikon in bowl and rub with salt. Let sit a few minutes to 1 hour to draw water from the daikon, then pour the daikon and liquid into a ceramic pot or glass jar.

Add garlic, ginger, peppers, pear, green onions and onion. Add water to cover, then cover pot or jar with lid or plastic wrap.

Let sit at room temperature for a day, then refrigerate 3 days to 3 weeks before eating.

Nutritional information unavailable.

“What’s Cooking Hawaii?” airs on KFVE at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and repeats at 3 p.m. Saturdays.