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.
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), salt, sugar, fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, green onions, garlic, ginger.
Directions
- Peel 4 pounds of Korean radish (or daikon).
- Rinse in cold water and pat dry.
- Cut it into ¾ to 1 inch cubes. Put into a large bowl.
- Add 2 tbs salt, 2 tbs sugar, and mix well.
*tip: If you like your kkakdugi sweeter, add 1 or more extra tbs of sugar.
- Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Drain the juice from the radish into a small bowl.
- 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.
- Mix it up well until the seasonings coat the radish cubes evenly, and the radish looks juicy.
- Put the kkakdugi into a glass jar and press down on the top of it to remove any air from between the radish cubes.
- 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.
Posted Monday, August 1st, 2011 at 5:30 pm.
Tagged: cubed radish kimchi, diced radish kimchi, 무김치, 무우 김치, 깍두기, fermented food, food blog, kimchi video, kkakdugi recipe video, kkaktugi, korean food, Korean kitchen, Korean recipes, mu kimchi, muwoo kimchi, pickled radish with spicy seasonings, preserved, radish kimchi video, radish pickles, recipe videos, side dish, spicy pickles, video recipe, white radish, YouTube video recipe
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I tried adding some Korean pear puree to mine a couple days ago and it turned out extremely good. I mix radish and kohlrabi in mine with some of the kohlrabi greens too.
DELICIOUS Kkaktugi
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Love your recipes! If I choose to ferment on counter for a couple of days, should I keep the lid off and just cover w a cloth? Thanks!!
Always close the lid.
Radish kimchi is my favorite!!! I’ve made this a couple times now. So easy with your instructions. I gave a jar as a gift to one of my Korean friends who took it home and served it with dinner. She said her mother complimented and said it tasted like “real” kimchi. LOL Best compliment.
Wow this is a really good compliment, because you impressed your Korean friend with your homemade kkakdugi. : )
Hi Maangchi. I made Kkakdugi yesterday. It has already started fermenting and is delicious. I added some buchu to the recipe as I had some left over from making Tongbaechu-kimchi. Thank you for your fun videos and great recipes.
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Hi Maangchi. I am making a big batch of your mak kimchi today. I am going to make two times the sauce, as I purchased several big Korean radishes to make the cubed radish kimchi as well. I send you good vibes whenever I make my kimchi – all the way to my fantastic Korean market, during the making, and every time I eat it! You are a great teacher in the kitchen. I recommend your beautiful cookbook all the time.
This is a GREAT recipe! I’ve made it before. I decided to try something different this time, using cubed american purple top turnips. I think it’s going to be fantastic! It’s been fermenting for 2 days. Gonna let it go one more day :)
UPDATE: The turnip kimchi turned out AWESOME!!! I let it ferment for 5 days. The house has been cooler with the cooler weather, so I think that’s why it took 5 days for it to taste like it had fermented to my liking. Then I left it in the fridge 10 days before eating it. YUM! I will be making this recipe with turnips again. Korean radish too of course… but this is a nice change… By the way, I always love the beautiful red color this recipe yields…
Try kohlrabi in the mix. Its outstanding. I cut the radish and kohlrabi differently so you can tell them apart. I used daikon last time and cut them into half moons. I cut the kohlrabi into strips.
Its great as a side dish or added to soups.
Just made some tonight Excited to see how it turns out. Iv never made kimchi before but this was my favorite type sense I was a little girl.
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Hi Maangchi!
I made kkakdugi today, stored it two glass jars a few hours ago but… I think it came out too salty!
what should I do?
I also used hot pepper paste instead of hot pepper flakes, but it looked good (hope it will also taste good)
love from Italy
When it ferments, it will taste better.
Maangchi, thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for my Korean husband, and he LOVED IT. He loved it so much that he called his mom to tell her about it. Then he invited his father and brothers over to try some. Now he wants me to make some as a gift for his parents. I also need to make more because it’s all gone! (husband ate it all) If I want to double the recipe, should I just double all of the ingredients?
You impressed many people with your homemade kkakdugi! : ) Yes, double all of the ingredients.
I made my first Kkakdugi on wednesday this week, and we started eating from it friday….so deliscious!!! I live in denmark, so i had to really recalculate the measurements of the recipe to danish measurements, but it worked out so well!!! i still have leftovers and i can’t stop eating it! also i feel like i have more energy today than other days, i attribute that to my deliscious kkakdugi and mmy Yak-Gochujang :D Thank you so much for your great work here Maanchi :D
Hi is it ok without ginger?
Thank you
Hi Maangchi,
I think my kkakdugi is a little too salty and not spicy enough. Is there a cure for that?? Pleas help! I love this idea go to the restaurant, so I’ve attempted to make this recipe but failed. I really want it to work out this time!
Hey Maangchi!
I made some of your amazing kkakdugi recently. I ate most of a glass mason jar full, but then left the last bit untouched in the fridge for about 10 days or so in the tightly sealed jar. When I opened it the lid blew off like a bomb! I know that there is still some fermentation going on even in the fridge, but that seems like a lot of action. And my western brain is conditioned to think that exploding jars=botulism=straight in the trash. There was plenty of liquid in the jar, but the radish floats, so I guess there was some air contact. Is this still safe to eat? Is there a risk of botulism with kimchi? Thanks!
I don’t think it’s botulism, but:
To make sure it’s safe to eat, here’s something I just learned a few weeks ago: When heated above 120 °C, even the botulinus-poison is destroyed.
Therefore: Use it for soup in a pressure-cooker (the liquid in any case!) or slice it up thinly and fry it.
Bye, Sanne.
Good tip, because I’ve used leftover kkakdugi (commercially made) and chuck steak and popped them in a pressure cooker to make korean-flavoured stew. Of course, add gochujang, gochugaru, onions, garlics, fish sauce! Yummy!
Hi Maangchi,
Please help! My kkakdugi is fermented after 3 days but I’m finding that it isn’t salty enough. Can i add more salt or fish sauce now that it’s fermented, or is it too late?
Yes, you can add salt anytime.
oh thank you, I’m so relieved i don’t have to think of ways to use it up, because i really can’t eat it at the moment because it’s so bland!