Yangpa-jangajji (Soy-Pickled Onion)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 quart heatproof glass jar or lidded glass container
• •Small saucepan
• •Clean spoon or small pickle weight

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the jar

   Wash a 1 quart glass jar and lid with hot soapy water, rinse well, and let them dry. This is a refrigerator pickle, not shelf-stable canning, but a clean jar still matters because the onions will sit in brine for weeks.

2. 2

   Cut the onions

   Peel the onions and quarter them through the root so the layers stay partly attached. If the onions are large, cut each half into 3 wedges instead of 2. Even pieces cure at the same speed; careless cutting gives you sharp raw centers and soft outer pieces in the same jar.

3. 3

   Pack the jar

   Pack the onion wedges into the jar with the sliced chilies, if using. Do not crush them. Leave about 1 inch of space at the top so the hot brine can cover everything without spilling.

4. 4

   Boil the brine

   Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar, and maesil-cheong, if using, in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. The boil is short, just 30 seconds once it bubbles hard. You are dissolving and unifying the brine, not cooking it down.

5. 5

   Pour it hot

   Pour the boiling brine directly over the onions until they are fully covered. Press the onions down gently with a clean spoon so trapped air rises. This hot pour is the whole technique: it takes away the raw bite while leaving the onion crisp.

6. 6

   Cool and chill

   Let the jar stand uncovered until it is no longer hot, about 45 minutes, then seal and refrigerate. If a few onion tips float above the brine, turn the jar once after 2 hours or weigh them down with a clean small dish that fits inside the mouth.

7. 7

   Serve after resting

   Start tasting after 24 hours. The onions should be crisp, sweet-sour, and soy-salty all the way through the outer layers, with a little raw snap left in the center. Serve cold in a small banchan dish, spooning over just enough brine to shine at the bottom.

Chef Tips

• •Use small, firm onions with tight skins. Sprouted onions are sharper and softer, and jangajji will not fix that. My teacher would have sent them back without a word.
• •The safe shortcut is the jar. A glass storage container works as well as a jar if the onions stay submerged. The corner you cannot cut is the hot brine; lukewarm brine leaves the onion too raw and uneven.
• •If your soy sauce is very salty, use 3/4 cup soy sauce and 1 1/4 cups water the first time. Write down the brand and the amount. Soy sauce changes more than people admit.
• •Keep this refrigerated and use clean chopsticks every time. It is best from day 2 through week 3, and still good for about 4 weeks if the onions stay covered.

Advance Preparation

• •Make yangpa-jangajji at least 1 day ahead. The onions are sharper on day 1, balanced by day 2, and mellow by day 4.
• •The brine can be boiled a second time after the onions are eaten, cooled, and used for one more batch within a week. After that, it thins and loses its clean edge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)