If you’ve ever ordered Korean fried chicken at a restaurant before, you might have been served this pickled radish, called chicken-mu. Tiny cold radish cubes, pickled in sweet, sour, and just a little salty brine is very refreshing when paired with super crispy Korean fried or roasted chicken.
The recipe is so simple and easy, which is one reason I didn’t make a video about it, until now! But I’ve been asked about it so many times I decided to make a video for my lovely readers. I remember one time in Toronto, and another time in Los Angeles, people recognized me and right after saying hello, they asked for this recipe. I told them it was easy and explained how to make it, but they preferred a video instead of my live explanation!
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled Korean radish, cut into ⅓ inch cubes
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup water
Directions
- Combine sugar, vinegar, kosher salt, and water in a large bowl and mix well until salt and sugar are well dissolved.
- Add the radish and stir a few times and transfer to an airtight container or a glass jar. Keep in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.
- Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
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Thank you so much for the recipe, Maangchi! It’s so crunchy and refreshing, and reminds me of the radish-and-carrot salad you get on banh mi at a Vietnamese place. I accidentally bought too much mu when it was on sale, so I made pickles to help it last.
For other users reading the comments for tips: I found that one Ball A8 widemouth jar (2.5 cups) was the perfect size for this, with a little room for a pickling weight if you like. You can just shake up the sugar and liquid inside the same jar.
Can I use rice vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Yes, you can use rice vinegar, too.
Instead of adding 3/4 cup water, I added 3/4 cup green onion kimchi sauce that I had left over from maangchi recipe for green onion kimchi <——which is fabulous!
I’ll let you know how my pickled radish turns out…but I know it’s going to be great!
“Chicken, Coke, high calorie! But I don’t care! Because it’s delicious!”
I totally agree! The only time I absolutely have to have a Coke is with Korean fried chicken!
It’s so addictive this pickled radish, Maangchi. Kamsahamida for the recipe.
Maangchi!
I have been so inspired by your cookbook and your website. I love Korean food, and dedicated one quarter of my garden this year to growing veg I can use to make Korean dishes!
The good news: I had great success, thanks to your advice on growing kaenips. They’re really fun to grow! I plan to grow more indoors over the New England winter.
The distressing bit: I planted two rows, about 8sq.ft of Korean daikon. I thought if half survived, that would be a good crop to pickle. The season was amazing for daikon however, and I now have over 35lbs of monster mu to pickle. Many are the size of wine bottles!
My questions to you: can this chicken-mu recipe be made and put into a hot water canning bath to preserve for long term storage? Does it affect the quality of the pickle, and should I increase the vinegar in order to preserve it for a longer time? I’m using American glass canning jars with metal lids as I can’t obtain an onggi.
I made another batch with extra low salt, rice wine vinegar and dried Thunder Mountain chile peppers. Stained with turmeric first like in my first picture.
Adding tumeric to give a little bit of yellow color is such a creative idea!
This is my second time making the chicken-mu… love it!
Hello there Maangchi! Thank you so much for your efforts and sharing. I’m quite fond of Korean foods and at this point after making these I’ve no idea why I’ve been buying them.
Hi Maangchi! I wanna try to make this recipe, but I’m kinda confused about the volume of the cups you use for making the brine. Could you please share the volume of your standard cup in millilitres or some other way so it would be easier to understand the exact volume? Thank you in advance!
Opps, I didn’t see the you have a special converter for this! Thank you for your work, your recipes are perfect for those who live outside korea and really miss the Korean food ^^
this recipe is also great for mu-ssam! So good with samgyupsal! For the water in the recipe, I used the leftover water after boiling beets, and got this great color!
Made it again yesterday for my husband’s birthday party.
I reduced the amount of sugar to 2/3, cut the (unpeeled) radish into very thin slices via machine and also used only half the amount of water. Still a bit too sweet for my taste, but delicious nonetheless! Everybody loved it.
It goes very well with mackerel, too. Thank you for your video how to gut them. They were rather small this time, but fresh as usual (Turkish supermarket at the corner).
Three males and two females this time. Only one was left after the party…
You reduce the sugar to 2/3, c. that’s ok but you reduce amount of water with it ! That bring you almost back to the original recipe, that’s why it still a bit too sweet again. For make it less sweet I suggest to keep the 3/4 cup of water, that way you gona taste the difference surely.
I didn’t reduce the amount of vinegar. The ratio sugar/vinegar is much more important than the less amount of water.
2/3 cup is more sugar than a 1/3 cup. No wonder it was too sweet.
Read again: 2/3 of the amount of sugar mentioned in the recipe. Not 2/3 cups.
Mangchi, I just wanted to mention for those who can’t find Diakon or Korean radishes that you can substitute Jicama. I live in Southern Mexico and it is difficult to find radishes here and finding Diakon or Korean radishes is impossible. I was recently in Seoul for 6 weeks and ate a lot of Korean Fried Chicken and a lot of Chicken Mu with it, and realized it had the same texture and crunch as Mexican Jicama. So when I returned to Mexico I made some Korean fried chicken from one of your recipes for my friends and I pickled jicama to go with it. It worked perfectly and holds its crunch for weeks after. Anyway thanks for your recipes and you have taught me how to cook and appreciate Korean foods. :)
Thank you so much for this! I have never had this from the Korean restaurant we go to. (There is only one good one, and it’s over an hour to drive to get there!) Their food is delicious though and I fell in love with their kkakdugi, especially. Since discovering your videos though, I just make it at home, along with so many of your recipes.
I’m going to take some Dakgangjeong to a Christmas party and was going to take my kkakdugi until I saw this recipe! I did it just a little different, though, I hope you approve! I cut my radish into strips, then added a little carrot and some green onion for extra flavor and beautiful holiday colors! What do you think?
Thanks again for your website and videos! My husband and I have never eaten better. Home cooking is so much more delicious!
Yes, home cooking is the best! I love your holiday chicken-mu, you are so creative! I hope everyone enjoys your food at the party!
I used taikon, and it’s really bitter to the taste, what was wrong?
You need to peel Daikon deeply. All the bitterness is “skin deep”. Don’t leave the skin on.
Reduced salt to 1 teaspoon and used cane sugar instead. Very crunchy and delicious.
These pickles are so delicious! I’m already into my third batch, and I tried once with daikon, but Korean radishes are so much crispier I’ll stick with Mu! I ran out of white sugar for my last batch, so I made it with dark brown sugar, and the color is not too appetizing, but the taste is even more heavenly! Thanks again for all these wonderful recipes!
I make mine a bit differently but the flavor is close.
Weep the radish in salt and sugar. Then stain it with turmeric. Give it a quick rinse and cover with the brine.
It looks gorgeous yellow! I see a few whole black peppers in there, awesome!
Yes, i add a few whole peppercorns and 1-2 whole dried chili peppers. Both are optional of course.
I make it with nappa too.
I have never seen Korean radishes at our local Asian market. I was wondering if daikon woukd work as well.
Yes, you can use it.
These pickles are so delicious! I’m already into my third batch, and I tried once with daikon, but Korean radishes are so much crispier I’ll stick with Mu! I ran out of white sugar for my last batch, so I made it with dark brown sugar, and the color is not too appetizing, but the taste is even more heavenly! Thanks again for all these wonderful recipes!
Hi,
you mention 1/3 cup sugar.. but from the video.. it is 1 cup. can you please explain?
If you watch back she does say “one-third cup sugar” so 1/3 is correct.
Hi! Love your recipes and cookbook! I’ve always wanted learn how to make the radish kimchi that is served at Seollungtang restaurants too, love that taste! Would you also have a recipe to share for that?
My seolleongtang recipe is here! https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/seolleongtang
Hi Maangchi! Yes!! I’ve tried this recipe previously and loved it, but i cannot recreate the type of special radish kimchi that is served in Seollungtang restaurants, it taste different from the normal radish kimchi. I can’t really describe it but but it’s a little sweeter, tangy and just goes sooo well with Seollungtang as compared to normal radish cube kimchi … Was wondering if there was a special recipe for that or does it have to do with the fermentation time …?
I googled with korean for special recipe. The secret recipe for Seollungtang kimchi is adding a ‘Yakult drink’. It will add that sweetness and tangy taste. I hope it helped you.