After making watermelon rind kimchi, I wanted to try making another kimchi with a crunchy texture. I had a bunch of chayotes at home, so I thought, why not this? It turned out even better and crunchier than I imagined.
Here is the Watermelon Rind Kimchi if you missed it!
๐ฐ๐ท About This Recipe
I first shared this recipe on my TikTok in early 2023, and it got over 500,000 views in its first week. At the time, I didn't have the recipe written out, but now you can replicate it at home with this blog post.
Chayotes are one of my favorite vegetables for making kimchi. They have a nice mild flavor that pairs really well with the bold flavors of kimchi. Their texture is very crunchy, and it is super satisfying to eat them at dinner or snack on them while watching TV.
The best time to make chayote kimchi is from October to March when chayotes are in season. This also happens to be the best time to make kimchi (the winter) when temperatures are a bit colder. Coincidence? I think not.
๐ What Are Chayotes?
Chayotes are a type of summer squash belonging to the gourd family. They are popular in Mexican cuisine, but I have been seeing them more in Asian dishes. Recently I've made them in soup, stir-fries, and now this kimchi. They have a mild and fresh flavor which is often described as a combination of apple and cucumber.
In Canada, chayotes are mostly imported from Mexico. It's not a super popular ingredient here, so sometimes the chayotes are old and already started bruising. If that happens, you can just cut off that portion and make sure to wash it well.
๐ง Ingredients
- Chayotes: We'll need about 3 pounds for this recipe. Try to find chayotes that don't have too many bruises. If there are some, just cut them off.
- Salt: This is super important for any type of fermentation. It helps inhibit the growth of bad bacteria and promote the growth of good bacteria.
- Gochugaru: These are a type of Korean chili flake. You can find them in the spice aisle of most Asian markets.
- Garlic and Ginger: These have a ton of flavor and have the added benefit of being anti-fungal which helps the good bacteria grow.
- Fish Sauce: I love fish sauce in kimchi. It adds a delicious salty and savory flavor. And don't worry about it tasting fishy, because it doesn't. Many recipes say you can substitute fish sauce for soy sauce, but in my testing, it doesn't taste that good.
- Glutinous Rice Flour: This helps thicken the kimchi paste so that it coats the chayotes better. If you don't have this, you could try using regular flour or even some grated fruit.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Remove the cores from the chayotes and chop them into 1-2-inch chunks. If there are any bruised bits, cut them off and discard them.
STEP 2: Combine the chayotes with salt and rest for 30 minutes. Give them a good toss every 10 minutes to redistribute the salt.
STEP 3: Combine the sugar, rice flour, and water in a small pot over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and let it cool for at least 15 minutes or until it's room temperature.
STEP 4: In a food processor, combine the garlic, ginger, onion, and fish sauce. Pulse for 15-20 seconds until smooth and grainy. You can mince the vegetables with a knife if you don't have a food processor.
STEP 5: Mix the cooled rice paste, garlic mixture, and gochugaru in a small bowl.
STEP 6: Add the spice mixture and green onions into the bowl of chayotes and mix well. Transfer chayotes to one or two glass containers, cover loosely with a lid, and let them ferment at room temperature for 3-7 days. Make sure the lid is not on too tight as gas will build up inside.
I usually check the flavor every 24 hours and then stop when it tastes good to me. Once you are satisfied with the taste, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
๐ Recipe
Chayote Kimchi
Ingredients
Rice paste
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or white sugar)
- 1 tablespoon glutinous rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
- ยฝ cup water
Kimchi
- 3 pounds chayotes (4-6 chayotes depending on size, cored)
- 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch knob ginger
- ยฝ small onion
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ยฝ cup gochugaru
- 4 scallions (sliced into 2-inch pieces)
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, rice flour, and water in a small pot over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and let it cool for at least 15 minutes or until it's room temperature.
- Chop chayotes into 1 or 2-inch chunks. Combine the chayotes with salt and rest for 30 minutes. Give them a good toss every 10 minutes to redistribute the salt.
- In a food processor, combine the garlic, ginger, onion, and fish sauce. Pulse for 15-20 seconds until smooth and grainy. If you don't have a food processor, you can mince the vegetables using a knife.
- Add the garlic mixture, cooled rice paste, gochugaru, and green onions into the bowl of chayotes, and mix well. Transfer to one or two glass containers, cover loosely with a lid, and let them ferment at room temperature for 3-7 days. I usually check the flavor every 24 hours and then stop when it tastes good to me. Once you are satisfied with the taste, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
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