Sikhae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sikhae

Gajami-sikhae (fermented righteye flounders)
Place of origin	Korea
Associated national cuisine	Korean cuisine
Similar dishes	Jeotgal

Sikhae is a special kind of fermented food from Korean cuisine. It's made with seafood and grains. Think of it as a tasty mix of fish or shellfish with cooked rice or other grains.

Sikhae is part of a bigger group of Korean foods called jeotgal. However, sikhae is not as salty as most jeotgal. This is because jeotgal usually uses a lot of salt to preserve seafood. Sikhae adds grains and other ingredients like radish, which makes it less salty. Because it has less salt, sikhae doesn't last as long as very salty jeotgal.

Koreans often eat sikhae as a banchan. These are small side dishes that come with a main meal. The exact type of sikhae can be different. It depends on the main ingredients used, the region it comes from, or even what a family likes to make. In the past, people mostly made sikhae with seafood that was easy to find near the coast.

Making Sikhae: A Simple Recipe

Making sikhae involves a few steps and some waiting! It uses fish, salt, cooked rice, and traditional Korean spices.

First, you need to clean the fish and let it dry. Then, you mix the fish with salt and put it in a pot. This sits for about 10 days. This step helps to preserve the fish.

After 10 days, you take out the salted fish. You cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. Then, you put the fish back into the pot with cooked rice and chili powder. This mixture sits for another four days.

Finally, you add shredded radish to the pot. After about 10 more days, your sikhae is ready to eat! It's a process that takes time, but it creates a unique flavor.

Different Kinds of Sikhae

There are many types of sikhae, each named after its main ingredient or region. Here are some popular ones:

• Gajamisikhae (가자미식해)
  • This is a very common and well-liked sikhae. It's made with flat fish (called gajami in Korean). It comes mostly from the Hamgyong region in North Korea.
• Dorumooksikhae (도루묵식해)
  • This type uses sailfin-sandfish, known as dorumook. It's popular in Gangwon-do.
• Boogasikhae (북어식해)
  • Made with dried pollack (called Booga), this sikhae is found in Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangnam-do.
• Mareungogisikhae (마른고기식해)
  • This sikhae uses dried squid (mareun ojingeo). You can find it in the Gyeongsang-do region.
• Yeonansikhae (연안식해)
  • This variety is made with the flesh of shellfish or clam meat (joegaetsal). It's a specialty of Hwanghae-do.

Why Sikhae is Good for You

Sikhae is a fermented food, which means it has some great health benefits.

One big benefit is that it's easy to digest. During the fermentation process, proteins in the food break down. This creates simpler substances like peptone, peptide, and free amino acids. Because of this, sikhae is a good food for people who need easy-to-digest meals, like younger children, older people, or those who are recovering from illness.

Also, one of the ingredients often used in sikhae is millet. Millet is known to help warm the body. This can be especially helpful in winter if you often feel cold in your hands or feet.