''Sikhae'' () is a salted
fermented
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...
food in
Korean cuisine
Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...
prepared with fish and
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
s.
''Sikhae'' is made in the east coast regions of Korea, namely
Gwanbuk
Kwanbuk is a region in North Hamgyong Province of North Korea. The region may once have been occupied by the Okjeo people. It was later controlled by Goguryeo and then Balhae, and subsequently contested by Goryeo and the Jin dynasty.
Its liter ...
,
Gwandong
Gwandong (관동; ) is a region coinciding with the former Gangwon Province in Korea. Today, the term refers to South Korea's Gangwon Province and North Korea's Kangwon Province. The name is often used to refer to people residing in the regio ...
, and
Yeongnam
Yeongnam (Hangul: 영남, ; literally "south of the passes") is a region that coincides with the former Gyeongsang Province in what is now South Korea.
The region includes the modern-day provinces of North and South Gyeongsang and the self-gov ...
.
Ingredients and preparation
Righteye flounders are typically used for ''sikhae''. Other commonly used fish include
Alaska pollock
The Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') is a marine fish species of the cod genus ''Gadus'' and family Gadidae.
It is a semi-pelagic Shoaling and schooling, schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean, N ...
,
chub mackerel
The chub mackerel, Pacific mackerel, or Pacific chub mackerel (''Scomber japonicus'') is a species of fish in the tuna and mackerel family, Scombridae. This species of mackerel closely resembles the Atlantic chub mackerel.
Characteristics
The chu ...
,
sailfin sandfish
The Japanese sandfish (''Arctoscopus japonicus''), also known as the sailfin sandfish , is a species of fish of the Percomorpha (perch-like) clade in the Order (biology), order Trachiniformes, being one of the two genera in the Family (biology), ...
, and
Japanese anchovy
The Japanese anchovy (''Engraulis japonicus'') is a schooling fish of the family Engraulidae. It is common in the Pacific Ocean south from the Sea of Okhotsk, widespread in the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea, and near the coasts of ...
.
Sometimes, dried fish such as ''
bugeo
Alaska pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus''), a species of cod (''Gadus'') found in the North Pacific ocean, is used as food globally. Compared with common pollock, Alaska pollock is milder in taste, whiter in color, and lower in oil content.
Alaska ...
'' (dried Alaska pollock) may also be used to make ''sikhae''.
Grain-wise, cooked
foxtail millet
Foxtail millet, scientific name ''Setaria italica'' (synonym ''Panicum italicum'' L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet, and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidenc ...
is used in the
Gwanbuk
Kwanbuk is a region in North Hamgyong Province of North Korea. The region may once have been occupied by the Okjeo people. It was later controlled by Goguryeo and then Balhae, and subsequently contested by Goryeo and the Jin dynasty.
Its liter ...
region, while cooked rice is used in other regions.
Sometimes,
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
,
quinoa
Quinoa (''Chenopodium quinoa''; , from Quechua ' or ') is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and ...
, or other grains may also be used.
For salting,
coarse sea salt is used.
Other ingredients include
chili powder
Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili p ...
,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
, and
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
.
''Gajami-sikhae''
The
Hamgyŏng Province
Hamgyong Province () was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng.
Names
The province was first established as Yonggil ( ko, 영길, , '' ...
is famous for its ''gajami-sikhae'' (fermented flounder).
Righteye flounders—preferably
yellow-striped ones harvested during December to early March— are washed, drained, and salted with coarse sea salt for about ten days.
The salted fish are then rinsed, cut into bite-size pieces, mixed with cooked
foxtail millet
Foxtail millet, scientific name ''Setaria italica'' (synonym ''Panicum italicum'' L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet, and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidenc ...
and
chili powder
Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili p ...
, and let to age.
After four days, thickly julienned and salted
radish
The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an Eating, edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman Empire, Roman times.
Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, be ...
slices mixed with chili powder are added, and the ''sikhae'' can be eaten after another ten days of aging.
See also
* ''
Jeotgal
''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piece ...
''
*
Fermented fish
Fermented fish is a traditional preservation of fish. Before refrigeration, canning and other modern preservation techniques became available, fermenting was an important preservation method. Fish rapidly spoils, or goes rotten, unless some method ...
*
List of fermented foods
This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes involv ...
References
Further reading
*
Korean cuisine
Fermented foods
{{Korea-cuisine-stub