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
I recommend reviewing the tips and recipe before getting started on making kkakdugi 🙂
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Tips
Storage
- 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
- After letting the kimchi sit at room temperature for 1-2 days of making it, store it in the refrigerator.
- Press down the kimchi so it submerges into the brine. Especially after scooping some out to serve. If kimchi is dry, it may spoil.
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 flavorful it will be. I let it ferment in the refrigerator for 1 month, minimum before trying it.
Smell and Taste
- Smell: Your refrigerator will smell from the fermentation. There’s no remedy for this. Enjoy the process.
- Since the radish will release more liquid during fermentation, don’t be alarmed if your marinade tastes extra salty and flavorful while making it. It will be diluted from the radish liquid.
- People have their preferences in how they want kkakdugi to taste. Taste the marinade and add more ingredients if needed. You want it to taste a bit saltier than usual as it will be diluted from radish liquid while fermenting.
Korean Radish Kimchi (Kkakdugi)
A popular form of kimchi made from radish cubes
Ingredients
- 5-6 lbs Korean radish Looks for the ones with more green than white for sweeter taste
Brining (no water needed)
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar or 3 cups of lemon-lime soda can be used
Marinade
- 18 garlic cloves ~6 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp ginger 30g
- 1/3-1/2 cup sugar Add more if you want it to be sweeter. Can also add 1/4 cup meshil (Korean plum syrup) + 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped. Remove the roots
- 1 large apple or Asian pear, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 onion, peeled and rougly chopped
- 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup shrimp krill
Rice flour paste
- 1 cup water or boil 1 1/4 cups of water with 3g of dried kelp to make a broth. Still use 1 cup of the broth when making the paste
- 2 tbsp glutonious rice flour
- 1 cup gochugaru (Korean red pepper 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 with lemon-lime soda. Or if not using soda, just use salt and sugar. Water isn't needed.1/3 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup sugar
- Add the chopped radishes and mix with salt and/or soda or sugar
- Brine for 2 hours at room temperature. Liquid from radish will release.
Rice flour paste
- In a small pan, mix water (or kelp broth) with rice flour and THEN turn on the stove to medium-low1 cup water, 2 tbsp glutonious rice flour
- If using kelp broth… Add 3 square or 3g of dried kelp onto a pan. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Make the paste when the broth is room tempeature. Otherwise, the paste will cook quickly.
- Continuously stir water/broth and rice flour until you can see the bottom of the pan. It'll thicken in about 3-5 minutes. It may thicken faster if using warm kelp broth. 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 (Korean red pepper 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 with water to remove the extra saltiness.
- Strain it to remove excess water
Marinade
- In a food blender, puree add apple and/or pear, onion, sugar, salt, garlic, green onion, shrimp krill, fish sauce, and ginger.18 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp ginger, 1/3-1/2 cup sugar, 3 tbsp kosher salt, 1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped. Remove the roots, 1 large apple or Asian pear, peeled and roughly chopped, 1/2 onion, peeled and rougly chopped, 1/4 cup shrimp krill, 1/2 cup fish sauce
- Pour it into a large bowl and mix well with the cooled rice flour paste
- Add the radish cubes
- Mix it well until all radish cubes are well coated in the marinade. It's easier to do this wearing clean 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, away from direct sunlight. If it's cold, I leave it out at room temperature 2 days. If it's warm , I leave it at room temperature 1 day.
- Place it in the refrigerator. Depending on your taste preference, let it ferment for a month before trying it. I like it the best after 2 months.
