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.
Korean Radish Kimchi (Kkakdugi)
A popular form of kimchi made from radish cubes. Try the kkakdugi recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Large Korean radish Looks for the ones with more green than white for sweeter taste
Brining
- 5 tbsp kosher salt
- 3 cups Chilsung Cider Can use any lemon-lime soda
Marinade
- 18 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp minced ginger Add 2 tbsp if you want less ginger taste
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp can sugar 1/3 cup if you want it less sweet
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup fish sauce add more if needed
- 4-6 chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup shrimp krill
- 1/2 asian pear, peeled and chopped (remove seeds_ can substitute with peel apple (remove seeds)
- 1 onion
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 ot
Instructions
- Rinse, peel, and chop radish into bite-sized cubes3 Large Korean radish
Brining
- Add them into a large bowl and sprinkle on salt and sugar5 tbsp kosher salt, 3 cups Chilsung Cider
- Brine for 1-2 hours for the liquid to come out and for the radish to soak in the salt and sugar
Marinade
- In a food blender, add pear, onion, garlic, and ginger and puree it18 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp minced ginger, 1/2 asian pear, peeled and chopped (remove seeds_, 1 onion
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix sugar, salt, fish sauce, green onion, and shrimp krill1/2 cup + 1 tbsp can sugar, 3 tbsp kosher salt, 1/3 – 1/2 cup fish sauce, 4-6 chopped green onions, 1/2 cup shrimp krill
- Combine well with the puree and place it in the refrigerator
Rice flour paste
- In a small pan, mix water with rice flour and THEN turn on the stove1 cup water, 2 tbsp glutonious rice flour
- Continuously stir until it becomes thick. Be careful to not over heat it and don't walk away from the stove during this process.
- Once thick, immediately add gochugaru and quickly stir until well combined. 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
- When the rice flour paste has been cooled, combine it with the rest of the marinade
- 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 using your hands. Can use gloves.
- Add the radish cubes into a clean air-tight container.
- When adding the radish into the container, press it down to release any air bubbles. Do this until you've put all the radish into the container and press the top.
- Leave some room on the top 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 2 weeks to a month before trying it.
