Cubed radish kimchi

Kkakdugi 깍두기

Kkakdugi is a type of kimchi made from diced radish. It’s a very common kind of kimchi and often used in Korean everyday meals along with baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi).

I posted a video about how to make kimchi in 2007, when I had just started using YouTube. I showed how to make both baechu kimchi and kkakdugi in a single video, but I didn’t provide exact measurements as I wasn’t accustomed to measuring things out at that time. I mentioned things like “you need 2 medium sized napa cabbages…” But I soon realized that it would be diffcult for people to make their own kimchi without knowing the exact pounds, kilos, cups and spoons etc.

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So last year I posted an easy kimchi recipe that calls for 10 pounds of napa cabbage, and I tried to do my best to provide accurate measurements so that my viewers and readers could make delicious kimchi.

Now I’m posting my kkakdugi recipe today. You can make delicious kkakdugi in an hour!

Ingredients

Korean radish (or daikon), kosher salt, sugar, fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, green onions, garlic, ginger.

Directions

  1. Peel 4 pounds of Korean radish (or daikon).
  2. Rinse in cold water and pat dry.
  3. Cut it into ¾ to 1 inch cubes. Put into a large bowl.
  4. Add 2 tbs kosher salt, 2 tbs sugar, and mix well.
    *tip: If you like your kkakdugi sweeter, add 1 or more extra tbs of sugar.
  5. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  6. Drain the juice from the radish into a small bowl.
  7. Add 2 tbs minced garlic (about 5-6 cloves garlic), 1 ts minced ginger, 4 stalks of chopped green onions, ¼ cup fish sauce, 2/3 cup hot pepper flakes, and ⅓ cup of the juice from the radish.
    *tip: The amount of hot pepper flakes you use depends on your taste; use ¼ cup hot pepper flakes for a mild version. For a vegetarian version, replace fish sauce with soy sauce.
  8. Mix it up well until the seasonings coat the radish cubes evenly, and the radish looks juicy.
  9. Put the kkakdugi into a glass jar and press down on the top of it to remove any air from between the radish cubes.
  10. You can eat it right away, and then store it in the refrigerator. Or you can let it ferment by keeping it outside of the refrigerator for a few days. When it starts fermenting, little bubbles may appear on top of the kkakdugi and it’ll smell strong & sour. Then put it in the refrigerator.

Kkakdugi goes with kongnamulguk (soybean sprout soup) and ox bone soup.

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Posted on Monday, August 1st, 2011 at 5:30 pm. Last updated on April 26, 2015.
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233 Comments:

  1. bhingko Philippines joined 7/21 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 26th, 2021 at 3:00 am | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi. Can I use your recipe for vegetarian kimchi to make cubed radish kimchi?

  2. CherieB Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia joined 3/20 & has 2 comments
    Posted January 9th, 2021 at 10:16 pm | or create a profile.

    Hello Maangchi!! I’ve made this several times and absolutely LOVE it as do my friends and family! However, now there is only me and I want to make a much smaller version. I’m not sure how to get the ratio correct from radish to ingredients – salt, sugar, gochugaru, green onion, garlic, ginger and fish sauce. I use vegan fish sauce, by the way. I’m not good at conversions and wanted to know if you could maybe make a video of using a much smaller radish/daikon, etc? Or maybe someone here can help me? Thank you so much!!

  3. Jang-geum Charlotte, NC joined 9/20 & has 9 comments
    Posted October 19th, 2020 at 10:13 pm | or create a profile.

    My home-made Kkakdugi…delicious delicious..


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  4. Insertplanthere Melbourne joined 10/20 & has 2 comments
    Posted October 3rd, 2020 at 11:01 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi, just wondering if there is anything I can do with the leftover salt+sugar+radish juice brine. Can I use it to brine something else? Seems like a waste to throw it out!

  5. Applesauce Canada joined 9/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted September 20th, 2020 at 10:56 am | or create a profile.

    Hello

    Can I use this recipe with regular cabbage?

  6. greatstoneface Fairfax County, Virginia joined 4/17 & has 4 comments
    Posted September 14th, 2020 at 9:03 pm | or create a profile.

    I’ve made kkakdugi twice now, using jicama, instead of joseonmu or daikon. It’s turned out very good.


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  7. cowpants Kingston, WA joined 2/17 & has 3 comments
    Posted August 6th, 2020 at 3:15 pm | or create a profile.

    Would there be a way to make this with more juice? I’m going to separate it into several jars for gifts, and I want to be sure there’s enough liquid in each jar to cover the radish. Thank you! =)

  8. Sporifix Houston TX joined 4/20 & has 5 comments
    Posted July 6th, 2020 at 7:13 pm | or create a profile.

    This is so easy and really yummy. A great snack.

  9. Jaelyss Canada joined 6/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted June 4th, 2020 at 10:26 am | or create a profile.

    Hello Maangchi! I want to make this recipe based on your book. Should I rinse it as you directed here?

    Also can I add or substitute salty shrimp (Saeu-jeot) for the fish sauce? I know it’s saltier so I may mix the two a little. I have some leftover shrimp from kimchi and want to use it up. Thank you!

  10. EMH OK joined 5/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted May 12th, 2020 at 12:31 pm | or create a profile.

    Hello,

    New to the site and to making Korean food myself (but a big fan). This is the first recipe I’ve tried. It is jarred and sitting out to ferment. I noticed however, that when using the recommended amount of fish sauce it smelled fishier when jarring than that which I buy at the Korean grocer. Will this attenuate a bit with fermentation?

    Also, I had Gochugaru powder instead of flakes. I couldn’t find a conversion from flakes-to-powder. I suspect it would be less than 1:1 (based on how hot my son’s Korean cooking is using the powder). Do you recommend differing amounts of powder versus the more course flakes?

    Thanks! Happy to have discovered this site. Plan to try many of the recipes now that I have stocked my pantry. Cheers!

  11. gemplee Singapore joined 4/20 & has 3 comments
    Posted May 10th, 2020 at 9:14 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi,

    I tried making kkakdugi yesterday but I am not sure if I was successful because I didn’t smell any sourness. I come from a hot and humid country so I am not sure if that is tha cause. Anyway, I kept the kkakdugi in my warm kitchen (about 30C) for 18 hours and have moved it to the fridge for fear of spoilage.

    Thanks for the recipe. I enjoy your demonstration a lot.


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  12. Maah Ahmad Pakistan joined 4/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted April 1st, 2020 at 7:27 am | or create a profile.

    Hello maangchi… I made this radish kimchi last month .. My first ever Korean dish ..since I started making it, it’s my mom’s favorite dish .. watching and trying your recipes are Big help during this lockdown .. stay safe :)


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