Crispy Watermelon Rind Dongchimi: Enjoy a Summer Delicacy at Home
Refreshing and Healthy Dongchimi Made from Watermelon Rinds
Introducing a refreshing and crispy watermelon rind dongchimi, perfect for the hot summer days. This recipe utilizes the often discarded watermelon rinds, reducing waste while creating a healthy and delicious summer treat at home. The tangy broth and crisp texture will tantalize your taste buds and add a special touch to your meals. We’ve included detailed steps and tips to make it easy even for beginners.
Main Ingredients- Watermelon rinds, about 650g (peel off the tough, dark green outer skin)
- Salt, 5 tsp (coarse sea salt or Korean solar salt recommended)
- Onion, 100g (about 1/2 small onion)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
To make delicious watermelon rind dongchimi, choose a watermelon with a firm and thin rind. Carefully peel off the hard, dark green outer layer of the rind with a knife and discard it. Cut the white part and the thin green part into thin strips using a mandoline or a knife. This should yield approximately 650g of rind. Slicing them thinly ensures they absorb flavor well and have a pleasant texture.
Step 2
Add 5 teaspoons of coarse salt to the thinly sliced watermelon rinds and gently mix. Let it salt for 40 minutes. You can stir it once in the middle to ensure even salting. This process draws out moisture, enhancing the crispiness and removing any unpleasant odors.
Step 3
While the watermelon rinds are salting, prepare the onion for the dongchimi brine. Roughly chop 100g of onion (about half of a small onion) so it’s easy to blend.
Step 4
After 40 minutes, check the salted watermelon rinds. They should have released a significant amount of liquid. Pour off all this liquid. Then, using your hands, firmly squeeze out as much remaining moisture as possible from the rinds. Collect the salty liquid that comes out; don’t discard it. This liquid contains vegetable extracts and will add a wonderful savory depth to your dongchimi broth.
Step 5
Now, let’s make the delicious dongchimi broth! Combine the collected salty liquid from the squeezed rinds with 500ml of fresh water to reach the total liquid volume. Add the roughly chopped onion, 2 tsp minced garlic (or 4 tsp garlic powder), 1 tsp ginger powder, and 1 finely chopped Cheongyang chili pepper (seeds removed) to a blender. Blend until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, you can place the ingredients in a bowl and mash them through a sieve. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add 1-2 Tbsp of plum extract or honey at this stage and stir well. Mix the resulting broth thoroughly.
Step 6
The final step is to combine everything. Add the squeezed watermelon rinds and the blended dongchimi broth to your airtight containers. This recipe should yield about two 500ml containers. Mix them well within the containers. You can enjoy this dongchimi immediately, but for an even more refreshing and flavorful taste, refrigerate it for 2-3 days to allow it to ferment slightly. Stored in the refrigerator, it will last for about a month. This crispy and tangy summer delicacy is perfect for those times when you lack appetite!
