Today I’m going to show you how to make your own yellow pickled radish, called danmuji in Korean. It’s a crispy, tangy, refreshing side dish and an essential ingredient in gimbap, Korean seaweed rice rolls.
I know that some of my regular readers and YouTube viewers have been waiting for this recipe for a while. Thank you for your patience! I’ve actually been working on this recipe off and on for years, and after much experimentation, I’ve come up with this delicious, accessible, foolproof version anyone can make!
I use gardenia fruits (chija in Korean) to give these radishes a nice yellow color, naturally, and I use rice bran to give them a deep aftertaste. The resulting radish tastes good and is also really beautiful. Most important to me is that this danmuji is made with all natural ingredients. Many Koreans think chija is good for your health: good for insomnia, jaundice, and is anti-inflammatory. It sounds like a panacea! When I heard this I bought a big bag of chija and have been using it as often as I can.
I’m forever grateful to my readers for requesting this recipe, because without them, I would never have tried to make danmuji at home. It’s pretty easy for me to buy it in a Korean grocery store, but like everything else, homemade is much better, more delicious, and more satisfying. Now I make danmuji at home all the time, I just love it!
I encourage you to give it a try! Good luck with making danmuji!
Ingredients (makes 4 pounds of danmuji)
- 4 pounds daikon radish, washed, the tops trimmed, and dried for 3 days
- 1 ounce chija (gardenia fruits)
- 1½ cup water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ⅓ cup white or turbinado sugar
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup rice bran
Directions
Make the pickle mixture:
- Crush the chija in a plastic bag. Transfer to a sauce pan. Add 1½ cup water, cover, and boil for 20 minutes over medium high heat.
- Remove from the heat and strain the solids over a bowl. Put them into a cheesecloth folded over a few times, with the top tied to make a pouch.
- Put the strained chija water (about ⅓ cup) into a measuring cup. Add enough cold water to top it up to 1 cup.
- Rinse out the sauce pan and put the cup of strained chija water back into it. Add the salt, sugar, vinegar, and the rice bran. Mix well and set aside.
Make danmuji:
- Use a peeler to remove any brown spots and roots from the daikon.
- Cut the tops and bottoms off the daikons so the the radishes are about 10 inches long. They should be able to fit comfortably into a gallon ziplock bag. Add the leftover tops and bottoms, too.
- Add the pickle mixture and close the bag. Press gently and move the bag around, upside down and rightside up, so everything gets well mixed. Open the bag and add the gardenia pouch, too.
- Double bag with plastic bags. Refrigerate.
Ferment danmuji:
- 24 hours later, take the radishes out of the refrigerator.
- Press and massage the radishes through the ziplock bag to mix everything well. Turn it upside down and rightside up a few times. Squeeze the pouch, too.
- Ferment for 1 month, taking it out every other day and giving it a good mix.
Serve danmuji:
- It should be ready to eat in one month. Discard the pouch, and take out as much radish as you’ll need for a serving. Keep the rest in the bag.
- Wash the radish well. Slice, and eat.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
I made it and was so excited today to try it after month of waiting. But mine just tastes bitter and the flavour is the taste of the rice bran. Anything I can do to fix it?
Maybe adding some sugar and vinegar. It may fix the taste. Good luck!
안영하세요 송생님,
대박! You’re recipes are easy and so yummy. So many of the store bought products include artificial sweeteners, which I’m allergic to and not good for anyone – A natural recipe is always better. 감사합니다
Can you use mu instead of daikon radish?
Yes, you can use a Korean radish, too. https://www.maangchi.com/ingredient/korean-radish
Hi Maangchi, I can’t find rice bran here, can I replace it with oat or wheat bran? And also for gardenia, can I use tumeric instead?
Wheat bran and turmeric sound good to me!
Thank you Maangchi, I will try this recipe soon. Feeling excited to the end product :)
Hi maangchi..can you share white danmuji? Because i ever eat the white one and its so delicious..taste sweet n a lil bit sour..the yellow one its too sour.. thank you
Hi Maangchi. Can you store the homemade Danmuji in an Onggi, or must it be the plastic bags? I just think my Onggis are prettier ;P
As long as you keep the onggi in the fridge it will be ok. The danmuji I made uses less salt, so if you keep it outside it will get soggy.
Thank you
Maangchi….luv your recipes. Always come out great. Started the pickled radish and i’m curious…been 1 week and the radish is really soft…that ok?
I would like to try the radish but I can’t find rice bran. Can I use barley bran as I was told it is the one closest to rice bran? Thanks.
Can I use any kind of radish? Or it must be daikon radish?
It should be daikon.
Hi Maangchi.. I’ve tried some of your recipes and it turned out tp be great! So I have to dry the daikon first before it ready to use, maybe I’ll let them in the open air for 3 days, is that enough?
Sounds good!
Is it a necessity to use chija and rice bran?
Hi Maangchi, very good news! I managed to locate a Chinese Medicinal herbal supplier who supplies the Gardenia berries as a medicinal product for making tea, so I bough at good quantity! THEN – I also managed to get Rice Bran from another on-line company! You took such a long time to develop this recipe, and I’m sure that by following your Grandmotjher’s recipe, and trying and testing different results, you finally achieved something you felt able to share with us – you would not share something you were not sure about, so I’m sure it is perfect – and I am so happy that I will now be able to follow your recipe EXACTLY as you showed us in your video!
I will be delighted to let you know my result!
I already make your Kimchi – and that is absolutely superb! My friend, who lived in Korea for 3 years as an English teacher, loves it – she cried when she first tasted mine, as she said it was so real, so authentic and the best kimchi she had ever tasted outside Korea! So thanks to you, It was a great success!
How did your danmuji turn out?
Sadly, I’m afraid it all went off. It didn’t pickle at all, and began to rot, instead. I actually think the radishes I bought were to blame. I have no local shop or supplier so had to resort to buying the daikon on line, but it wasn’t in the best condition when it arrived.
I will try again in the spring or summer, when I can buy better produce!
Hi Maangchi, thanks for an awesome recipe but can we make danmuji without rice bran???
Hi Maangchi! I am from Philippines and I don’t think we have Chija here. Is chija used just for coloring or does it also affect the taste of danmuji?
Hai Maangchi, thank you for this awsome recipe. i have a question, can i use turmeric for danmuji?
because at my country hard to get chija. i must import from china :(
Yes, some of my readers have let me know they made danmuji with turmeric. Good luck!
Can I make this without sugar?
Hi dear Maangchi, I have a question about this recipe, would you please help me
I couldn’t find Gardenia, but I fine the powder of it, can I use powder of gardenia instead of the fruit? if it is OK, how much should I use it?
thank you very much for your attention
Thank you for a great recipe. Anxious to make danmuji, but have a very elementary question: do I dry the daikon for three days in the refrigerator or in open air?
Dry the daikons in open air.
Hello!
Maangchi, do you think i could also use saffron instead of gardenias. or is the gardenia flavour essential?
<3
Hi Maangchi!
I am really eager to make some gimbap, and so when I was in the Korean supermarket yesterday, I happened to pick up a package of danmuji and start reading the ingredients. Big mistake! I was horrified by the crazy stuff they are putting in there: Saccharine, aspartame, MSG, sodium benzoate, and every artificial yellow dye known to man. I just couldn’t bring myself to purchase the stuff. I guess that’s one more reason to make your own at home. Not sure I can wait a whole month for the gimbap though. :-(
Love your videos! Keep them coming!
Help me, Maangchi! I just unpacked my danmuji and I think it didn’t ferment at all. No smell at all! Is it because it was put in the fridge as soon as it was packed? Shouldn’t it have a couple of days at room temp., to start fermentation like for Kimchis? The taste is not bad at all, a bit too salty, probably from no fermentation. And hardly any sour taste… Also as I had put in less sugar than your recipe, I put the danmuji and its juice in a glass pot, and added a tbs. of rice syrup, and am leaving it out to see if it starts fermenting. I also prepared some salted squid, and will leave it out until I smell some fermentation, and then I’ll keep it in the fridge for a month. Is all that ok?
Well made danmuji won’t taste sour like kimchi and it won’t have a distinctive smell, either. But the aftertaste will be better. “I had put in less sugar than your recipe,…” Add some more sugar or any sweetener to your taste. When you serve it, cut it into bite size pieces and drizzle a little bit of vinegar.
thanks Maangchi! anyway my chija danmuji is so much better than store bought Phosphorescent Yellow and aspartame Takuan…! and even more with a drop of gukganjang (such a REAL taste!) and (Korean brown rice) vinegar, as you said. so, I’ll start another batch soon, or I’ll have eaten all of this one long before the month is over! and I now understand why danmuji doesn’t ferment, there is vinegar in it! maybe I’ll try 2/3rd of a cup of vinegar next.
BTW, did you talk with that site that copied your recipes?
I was reading the ingredients for this on the package at Super Market and it said it can cause cancer, so I didn’t buy it. With your homemade recipe I can try it out now. Thanks Maangchi.
sorry for the large pix, and thanks for all your help. um grande abraco.
hi maanchi, i know this is rice bran, as i looked up the ideograms, but does it say ‘made in korea’, or ‘made in brasil’ .
not a very important question, but if u have a minute to answer it, i would be very grateful…
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yes, it’s rice bran powder. You could use it to make danmuji.
Finally Danmuji is ready! It came out crunchy, a little salty, not too sweet. A tiny bitter taste too, and it’s nice. But boy, it smells fuuuuunky while it ferments. Even my Japanese room mate, who knows all about pickled radish called Takuan said “oh my gaaaawd” when I opened the container. :)
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oh my! Gorgeous color! Yes, it tastes a little bitter because of the natural coloring from gardenia fruits (chija). “oh my gaaaawd” when I opened the container” lol
Hi Maangchi !
What can I use instead of gardenia fruits because I do not want food colour and do you know where it can be easily bought and can I use raw or brown sugar instead of the turbinado sugar?
and can I make this danmuji without any colour? thank you it will be great if you are able to answer my questions
Yes, you can make white danmuji.
You could use brown sugar but it will make your danmuji brownish. I would use white sugar.
You can get gardenia fruit at most chain health food or vitamin stores. In addition, it’s sold on ebay and amazon. Most people don’t look there for food, but they carry almost every unusual food ingredient I ever looked for there. Just keep an eye on the prices- sometimes ebay is best, sometimes amazon.
Hello, I want to ask you. If I dont have 치자, can I change it with yellow food colour? And then what is fungsional of rice bran
Yes, you can use yellow food coloring. Rice bran will give danmuji a deep aftertaste. You can use plain rice flour if rice bran is not available. Good luck with making good danmuji!
Dear Maangchi,
Another great recipe from you. Thank you so much. For friends who can’t find chija/gardenia fruit, it is easier to get it than you think. Just go to your nearest chinatown, look for a chinese medical herbs shop, ask for ‘san zhi zi’ there, or just show a picture of it. Usually, the shop will have it.
Hey Maangchi,I cant find chija and rice bran….Is it still ok to make this with just water,salt,sugar and vinegar? it’s called white pickled radish am i right?
I really wanna make this but i cant find Chija and Rice Bran :(
Looks so delicious! Can not wait to try this recipe!
Your posting this recipe now is very timely because the gardenias are just starting to bloom. After watching the video I went out to look at my gardenias. I think what you call the “fruit” (chija) is actually the bud of an unopened gardenia flower. I had no idea they were edible.
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I think the fruit is the dry seedpod that will form after the flower fades, if it is pollinated. The buds don’t produce a deep gold color, and chija don’t have the swirly shape of the buds.
Hi Maangchi!
I can’t tell enough how grateful I am for this recipe! I love this radish but the ones in the stores all contain aspartame! Not good!
Now I can make yummy kim bap and radish side dish. Thank you !!!!
In your new cookbook, did you include Gye tang? Crab stew???
Thanks Maangchi!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
My new cookbook has seafood stew (haemul-jeongol) and one of the ingredients is crab. You will love it.
Glad you mentioned the aspartame. I wish someone could give me a good reason why they put that stuff in the danmuji. Makes no sense! I live near about one million Korean grocery stores. Not one single store sells danmuji without saccharine or aspartame. I’m glad, in a way. Motivates me to make my own!
Where did you get the lunch box? I’ve been looking for one like the for a long time.
I bought it in Korea but you may be able to find a similar one at a Korean grocery store.
Oh Thank you Maangchi! I will definitely get your book. By the way, my daughter, who is 10 years old, loves your videos!!
A great recipe once again Maangchi. I love cooking your recipes for my family and friends. And they seem to love it too!
Tuna pancakes are one of my favorite. I noticed that the tuna pancakes are a bit different in this video. They look more yellow and with more ingredients inside. What did you use? I think there is green onions and red peppers maybe?
Thanks again, from France!
how i wish i can make this maangchi. i haven’t seen yet this fruit here in philippines.il try here in korean store.. is it only color or it has a taste also? for yellow color i’ve only seen here turmeric.
mouthwatering food i want that lunchbox :( heheh..
Japanese use turmeric traditionally to provide color to this. It will be fine, but make sure you use fresh turmeric so the color is better and there’s no bitter taste.
thank you. I will try. :)