If you love watermelon, save the rinds and make this delicious Watermelon Rind Kimchi! Balanced with crunchy texture, refreshing flavors and some heat! So addictingly good and perfect as a summer side dish!
Prep Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, banchan, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 4people
Calories:
Author: Seasoned by Jin
Ingredients
2lbswatermelon rind slices
3Tbspcoarse sea salt
Kimchi Seasoning
6clovesgarlic minced
5Tbspgochugaru/coarse red chili flakes
2Tbspmesil/plum syrup
Garnish
chopped scallions
sesame seeds
Optional
⅓cupwatermelon juice freshly blended
Instructions
Prepare fresh watermelon rinds. Discard green part and keep white part. Slice white part thinly then combine into a wide bowl.
Sprinkle sea salt and toss until salt is well dissolved. Place a wrap on top and let it sit in room temperature for 30 min. Toss and flip the rinds. Wrap and let it sit another 30min.
While rinds are pickling, make kimchi seasoning. Combine all seasoning ingredients, mix and set aside.
After 1 hour of sitting in salt water, take out rinds. Rinse rinds in cold water 2 x and squeeze water out.
Combine rinds and kimchi seasoning into a mixing bowl. Work seasoning into rinds until well incorporated. Sprinkle with scallion and sesame seeds when serving.
Consume within 2 days for best flavor and texture. Store in glass container.
**The original recipe had watermelon juice as one of the main ingredients. I modified this recipe by making this an option. **When adding watermelon juice into the sauce, it's best to consume the kimchi within 2 days. Its sweeter due to the juice but the crunchy texture will not last after 2 days. **If you omit the watermelon juice, the kimchi will stay crunchy for about 5 days.