Korean Radish Kimchi (kkakdugi) Recipe
Kkadugi or Korean radish kimchi is a popular traditional Korean dish. It’s sweet, spicy, and tangy in one bite! Try the recipe
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Tips
Storage container
- Use a clean and air-tight glass container or kimchi storage bins
- Leave a few inches of space for the air to expand while fermenting; otherwise, it may burst in your fridge.
Fermentation
- Leave it out at room temperature away from the sun for 1-2 days and then store it in the fridge for up to a year. On warmer days, leave it out for 1 day, and on colder days, leave it out for 2 days.
- The longer you let it ferment, the more pungent and fermented it will be. I let it ferment in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks minimum before trying it. I consume the entire kkakdugi within 2 months
Smell and Taste
- Smell: Your refrigerator might smell from the fermentation. There’s no remedy for this. Enjoy the process.
- Since the radish will release more liquid during the fermentation process, don’t be alarmed if your marinade tastes extra salt and flavorful while making it. It will be diluted from the radish liquid.
Non-Seafood Korean Radish Kimchi (Kkakdugi)
A popular form of kimchi made from radish cubes without fish sauce and shrimp krill. Try the non-seafood kkakdugi recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 lbs Korean radish Looks for the ones with more green than white for sweeter taste
Brining
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup sugar 2 cans of lemon-lime soda can be used instead
Marinade
- 18 garlic cloves ~6 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp minced ginger 30g
- 1/4-1/3 cup sugar It depends how sweet you want it to taste
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped. Remove the roots
- 1 large apple or asian pear
- 1 onion, peeled and rougly chopped
Rice flour paste
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp glutonious rice flour
- 1 cup gochugaru (flakes) You will have to see on the packaging if it's flakes or powder – The bags usually don't specify it
Instructions
- Rinse, peel, and chop radish into bite-sized cubes5-6 lbs Korean radish
Brine
- In a large bowl, dissolve salt, sugar, and water1/3 cup kosher salt, 1/3 cup sugar
- Add the chopped radishes
- Brine for 2 hours for the radish to soak in the salt and sugar
Rice flour paste
- In a small pan, mix water with rice flour and THEN turn on the stove to medium-low1 cup water, 2 tbsp glutonious rice flour
- Continuously stir until you can see the bottom of the pan while stirring. It will start to bubble or simmer on the side of the pan. It'll thicken in about 3-5 minutes. Don't walk away from it!
- Turn off the pan and immediately add gochugaru. Quickly stir until well combined wiht the rice paste. It will thicken more after adding the gochugaru1 cup gochugaru (flakes)
- Set the pan aside to cool completely
To make the kkakdugi
- After ~2 hours of brining, strain out the liquid from the radish and lightly rinse in water to remove the extra saltiness. You want a balanced taste of salt and sweet.
- Strain it to remove excess water
Marinade
- In a food blender, puree add apple and/or pear, onion, sugar, salt, garlic, green onion, and ginger. I use the smoothie function on Vitamix.18 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp minced ginger, 1/4-1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup kosher salt, 1 large apple or asian pear, 1 onion, peeled and rougly chopped, 1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped. Remove the roots
- Combine well with the cooled paste and mix well
- Into a large bowl, add the radish cubes and the marinade sauce
- Mix it well until all radish cubes are well coated in the marinade. It's easier to do this wearing kitchen gloves.
- Add the radishes into a clean air-tight container. Press down the radishes while filling up the container. It will help release any air bubbles.
- Leave some room on the top of the container for the kimchi to expand.
- Leave the kkakdugi in room temperature 1-2 days to ferment, depending on the room tempeature. If it's cold, I leave it out at room temperature 2 days. If it's warm like summer time, I leave it at room temperature 1 day.
- Place it in the refrigerator. Depending on your taste preference, let it ferment from 3 weeks to a month before trying it.
