Korean Radish Kimchi (Kkakdugi Recipe)
Korean Radish Kimchi is a tangy, crunchy, and spicy side dish and condiment that you can easily make at home. This recipe is delicious and foolproof. Enjoy your homemade radish kimchi with rice and noodle dishes. It also works great as an accompaniment to Korean BBQ, fried eggs, and wraps.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 17 hr 9 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb Korean or Daikon Radish (- Peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes )
- 2 tsp Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- ½ Asian pear (- Peeled and cubed, about ½ cup)
- 2-3 Garlic cloves
- 1-2 tbsp Fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp Korean chili flakes (Gochugaru) (- Use more or less to taste)
- 1-2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 5 Scallions (- Cut into strips or chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Salt the Radish. Add your cubed radish to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle them with salt. Mix the salt well and let the bowl rest on the counter for 15-30 minutes. The salt will draw out moisture from the radish.
- 2
Rinse the radish. You will notice that there is a puddle of liquid forming at the bottom of the bowl. Discard it and quickly rinse the radish under cold water. Just a quick 5-second rinse is enough, you don’t want to wash away all the saltiness from the radish cubes.
- 3
Make Gochugaru paste. Process the Asian pear, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and fish sauce in a food processor until you have a smooth paste.
- 4
Combine. To the radish bowl, add chopped green onions and the chili paste.
- 5
Mix. With your hands, massage everything together to get the chili paste evenly distributed.
- 6
Ferment. Transfer and pack the seasoned radish and scallions to a mason jar, making sure to press down as you pack to reduce air pockets. Cover with a standard lid (or fermentation lid if you have one) and ferment on the counter for 1-2 days. Burp the jar every day to release any potential gasses that form. You might notice small bubbles forming in the jar. That’s a good sign. Refrigerate when the radish reaches the desired sourness. Remember Kimchi should be a little sour.