Deodeok-jangajji (더덕장아찌, Gochujang-Cured Bellroot)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small paring knife or vegetable peeler
• •Rolling pin or flat meat pounder
• •Rimmed tray and clean kitchen towel
• •1-liter glass jar or small glazed onggi with a tight lid

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the roots

   Scrub the deodeok well, trim off the stem ends, and peel away the brown outer skin with a small knife or vegetable peeler. Wear thin gloves if you have them, because the sap is sticky and clings to your fingers. Rinse the peeled roots quickly and pat them dry; do not leave them soaking, or the mountain fragrance weakens before the cure even begins.

   If your market sells peeled deodeok, buy it only if it still feels firm and moist. Peeled root dries quickly, so cure it the same day.
2. 2

   Pound them flat

   Split any root thicker than your thumb lengthwise. Lay the pieces between two sheets of parchment or inside a split food-safe bag, then pound gently with a rolling pin or flat meat pounder until each piece is about 5 mm thick. Pound from the center outward. You want opened fibers and a flexible strip, not mashed root.

   If a root snaps instead of flattening, it is old or too dry. Slice that piece thin and use it for muchim (seasoned salad), not this jangajji.
3. 3

   Salt and dry

   Spread the pounded deodeok on a tray and sprinkle evenly with the 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit 20 minutes, until the surface looks damp and the strips bend without cracking. Blot very well with a clean towel, then leave the pieces uncovered in the refrigerator or in a cool airy place for 2 hours, until the surface feels tacky. This drying is what keeps the gochujang thick instead of watery.

   Taste a thin end after salting. If it tastes sharply salty, rinse for 3 seconds under cold water, then dry it even more carefully.
4. 4

   Mix the cure

   Stir together the gochujang, rice syrup, soy sauce, maesil-cheong if using, and soju if using. The cure should be thick enough to cling to a spoon and salty-sweet, not candy-sweet. Do not add sesame oil here. Oil belongs at serving, where it stays fresh and lets the deodeok still taste like itself.

5. 5

   Pack the jar

   Use a clean, fully dry 1-liter glass jar or small glazed onggi. Spread a spoonful of gochujang cure on the bottom, lay in a few deodeok strips, and smear cure over every surface. Keep layering until all the root is packed, pressing gently to remove air pockets. Finish with a solid 1 cm layer of paste on top, because exposed root dries and spoils first.

6. 6

   Cure cold

   Cover tightly and refrigerate. After 24 hours, open the jar with a clean spoon, press the roots back under the paste, and close it again. The jangajji is ready after 5 to 7 days, when the deodeok has softened slightly but still has chew. Two weeks gives a deeper cure. Keep it cold; soju rounds the paste, but it does not make the jar shelf stable.

7. 7

   Scrape and dress

   Lift out only what you will serve. For every 150g cured deodeok, scrape off the heavy old paste with the back of a spoon or chopsticks, but do not rinse it clean. Tear or cut the strips into bite-size lengths, then dress with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon crushed toasted sesame seeds, and the sliced scallion if using. Let it sit 10 minutes before serving with rice. Do not return dressed leftovers to the storage jar.

   The scraped paste can season a cooked stew or a spoonful of ssamjang, but boil or cook it first and never put it back into the curing jar.

Chef Tips

• •Deodeok is not doraji (bellflower root). Doraji is sharper and more medicinal in its bitterness; it can be made into its own muchim or jangajji, but it will not give this same resinous mountain aroma.
• •Use plain fermented gochujang, not cho-gochujang, the sweet vinegar dipping sauce. Cho-gochujang makes the cure thin and sour before the deodeok has time to settle.
• •Scraping the old paste is part of the dish. The cure seasons and preserves; the serving bowl needs only a stain of red, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
• •If you see fuzzy mold, smell anything rotten, or find the top layer exposed and dried hard, discard the batch. A preserved food is not an excuse to be careless. Clean utensils and cold storage do quiet work.

Advance Preparation

• •This jangajji needs at least 5 days before serving and is better after 2 weeks. The total time reflects passive drying and curing, not active labor.
• •You can peel, pound, salt, and dry the deodeok one day ahead. Keep it uncovered in the refrigerator on a tray, then pack it in gochujang the next day.
• •Stored cold, covered with paste, and handled only with clean dry utensils, the cured deodeok keeps about 6 weeks. Dress only the portion you will serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)