Kkakdugi (Cubed Radish Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl, at least 4 liters
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Cutting board
• •Small pot for rice paste
• •Clean 1.5 to 2 liter kimchi container or glass jar
• •Food-safe gloves

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the radish

   Peel the mu and cut it into even 2cm cubes. This is not decoration. Radish salts from the outside in, and uneven pieces ferment unevenly. A proper cube gives you one clean bite: salty enough at the surface, sweet and crisp inside.

   Choose a radish that feels heavy for its size, with firm pale green shoulders and no spongy patches. Late autumn and winter mu makes the best kkakdugi.
2. 2

   Salt the cubes

   Put the radish in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let it stand 35 to 45 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the cubes look glossy and have released liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Taste one corner. It should be seasoned but not harsh.

   The sugar here is not to make sweet kimchi. It helps draw moisture from the radish and keeps the finished bite clean.
3. 3

   Make rice paste

   While the radish salts, whisk the sweet rice flour with 1/2 cup water in a small pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes until it turns glossy and lightly thickened. Cool it completely. The paste helps the seasoning cling to each cube instead of sliding to the bottom of the jar.

4. 4

   Drain, do not rinse

   Drain the radish well, saving 1/4 cup of the salting liquid. Do not rinse unless you tasted a cube and found it painfully salty. Rinsing washes away the first seasoning you worked to put in. The cubes should feel slick and firm, not limp.

5. 5

   Color with chili

   Return the drained radish to the bowl and toss it first with the gochugaru. Coat every cube until the red color is even. This order matters: chili meets the damp radish first and stains it cleanly, before wet seasonings dilute the color.

6. 6

   Season the kimchi

   Add the cooled rice paste, fish sauce, chopped salted shrimp, garlic, ginger, grated onion, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix by hand, wearing gloves, until the seasoning clings in a thin red coat. Add the scallions last and fold gently so they do not bruise. If the mixture looks dry and sandy, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved radish liquid, just enough to loosen it.

   Do not chase a wet sauce. Kkakdugi makes its own brine as it ferments, and too much liquid now softens the snap.
7. 7

   Pack the jar

   Pack the kkakdugi into a clean 1.5 to 2 liter jar or kimchi container, pressing down firmly to remove air pockets. Leave at least 3cm headspace, because fermentation will push the brine up. Wipe the rim clean and close the lid.

8. 8

   Start fermentation

   Leave the container at cool room temperature, around 18 to 22 degrees C, for 18 to 24 hours. Open once over a sink to release pressure, then press the cubes back under their brine with a clean spoon. When it smells lightly sour and the brine is beginning to bubble at the edges, move it to the refrigerator.

9. 9

   Chill and serve

   Refrigerate at least 1 day before serving. It is good young, bright, and crunchy, and it deepens over the next week. Serve cold in a small banchan dish beside rice, seolleongtang, gomtang, or any mild soup that needs a clean radish bite.

Chef Tips

• •Use Korean radish if you can. Daikon is wetter and milder, so if you must use it, salt for the shorter end of the range and expect a softer, less peppery kimchi.
• •Medium-coarse gochugaru gives the right color and texture. Fine chili powder turns muddy, and very coarse flakes do not cling evenly to the cube faces.
• •Salted shrimp brings the soup-house flavor people expect with kkakdugi. If you cannot use shrimp, increase the fish sauce by 1 tablespoon, but know that the taste will be cleaner and less rounded.
• •Ferment in a container with room at the top. Kimchi is alive, and radish kimchi can rise quickly in the first day. A tray underneath the jar saves the refrigerator shelf.
• •If it becomes very sour after a few weeks, do not throw it away. Chop it into fried rice, stir it into kimchi stew, or serve it beside fatty grilled pork where the sharpness has work to do.

Advance Preparation

• •Kkakdugi should be made at least 1 day before serving, and 2 to 3 days ahead is better if you want a lightly sour bite.
• •Once fermented to your liking, keep it refrigerated and press the cubes under the brine with a clean spoon each time you serve. It keeps well for 3 to 4 weeks.
• •For batch cooking, double the radish and seasoning exactly by weight, but use two containers. One crowded jar ferments unevenly and is harder to press down cleanly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)