Ueong-jangajji (Soy-Pickled Burdock)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Clean 1-quart heatproof glass jar or lidded container
• •Sharp knife or mandoline
• •Small saucepan
• •Small clean weight or parchment to keep burdock submerged

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare vinegar water

   Mix 4 cups cold water with 2 tablespoons rice vinegar in a wide bowl before you cut the burdock. Have it ready. Burdock browns quickly, and if you wait until after cutting, the first pieces will already have darkened.

2. 2

   Cut the burdock

   Scrub the burdock well, then scrape off only the roughest skin with the back of a knife. Do not peel it white; much of the earthiness sits near the skin. Cut into thin diagonal slices, about 3mm thick, or into matchsticks 6cm long and 3mm wide. Drop each handful into the vinegar water as you cut.

   Keep the pieces even. Thick pieces cure slowly and stay woody; thin pieces cure cleanly and keep the snap that makes this jangajji.
3. 3

   Rinse and drain

   Soak the cut burdock for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse once under cold water. This removes some harsh tannin without washing away the root's own flavor. Drain very well, because extra water weakens the brine.

4. 4

   Pack the jar

   Pack the drained burdock into a clean heatproof glass jar or container. Do not crush it down. Leave enough room for the brine to move around the pieces, because a tight jar cures unevenly.

5. 5

   Boil the brine

   Put the soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, sugar, rice wine, kelp, and dried chili if using into a small pot. Bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pull out the kelp as soon as the brine boils; leave it longer and it can turn slippery and bitter.

6. 6

   Pour over hot

   Pour the hot brine over the burdock until fully covered. Press the pieces down with a small clean weight or a folded piece of parchment if they float. The hot brine lightly sets the surface so the root cures without losing all its bite.

7. 7

   Cool and chill

   Let the jar cool uncovered until no longer warm, then cover and refrigerate. After 24 hours, taste one piece. It should be salty, lightly sweet, sour at the edge, and still crisp between your teeth. If your soy sauce is very mild, let it cure another day before serving.

8. 8

   Serve small

   Lift out only what you need with clean chopsticks, slice smaller if the pieces are long, and finish with a few toasted sesame seeds if you like. Serve cold or cool as banchan beside rice. Keep the rest submerged in brine.

Chef Tips

• •Choose burdock roots that feel heavy and firm, with no hollow softness when you flex them. Very thick old roots can be woody, and no brine fixes bad texture.
• •Do not skip the vinegar water. It is not decoration. It slows browning and keeps the finished pickle clean-tasting instead of dull and muddy.
• •This is jangajji, not jorim (braise). If you simmer the burdock in the brine, you will make a softer dish. Good to eat, wrong texture for this one.
• •For a less sharp pickle, reduce the rice vinegar in the brine to 1/3 cup and add 2 tablespoons water. Do not reduce the soy sauce unless you plan to eat it within a week.

Advance Preparation

• •Make this at least 24 hours before serving. It is better on the second day, when the soy has reached the center of each slice.
• •Stored refrigerated and kept submerged with clean utensils, it keeps well for 3 to 4 weeks.
• •For longer keeping, boil the brine again after the first 24 hours, cool it completely, and pour it back over the burdock. This firms the preserve without cooking the root further.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)