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). It’s spicy, salty, delicious, and is incredibly crunchy. Best of all, you can make perfect kkakdugi in an hour!
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. Also, 2 major recipes in one video is a lot for people to learn!
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 a more detailed kkakdugi recipe today, a recipe I have developed over years and years and is the best I have made so far.
I hope you enjoy it! Good luck in your kimchi-making!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Korean radish (or daikon)
- 2 tbs kosher salt
- 2 tbs sugar
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ⅔ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 4 stalks of green onions, chopped
- 2 tbs minced garlic (about 5 or 6 cloves garlic)
- 1 ts minced ginger
Directions
- Peel Korean radish, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
- Cut it into ¾ to 1 inch cubes. Put into a large bowl.
- Add kosher salt and 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 minced garlic, minced ginger, green onions, fish sauce, 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 well with many Korean soups, including kongnamulguk (soybean sprout soup) and ox bone soup.
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My kimchi radish. It was delicious. Thank you
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Hi! Love your recipes and appreciate being able to learn to online since I’m not Korean and don’t have any family to teach me. So I made this for the first time and made a rookie mistake. I didn’t watch the video and just used the written instructions. It just says salt, not kosher or kimchi salt. I did wonder… since technically this is kimchi… but since it only said salt, I assumed that standard table salt was what was called for.
I’ve tried to add in some thick slices of raw radish into the containers… hopefully that will draw out enough of the salt that it will be edible.
But if you would, please edit the post to specify coarse, kosher or kimchi salt.
Thanks!
Susan
Hi Susan,
I’ve been using kosher salt since I started sharing my recipes. But you should be able to make any Korean dishes with standard table salt, too.
https://www.maangchi.com/blog/using-salt As you pointed out, maybe I should update all my recipes.
Hi –
Table salt and kosher salt are interchangeable by *weight* (as in, 5 grams of table salt is the same as 5 grams of kosher salt). However, generally you should only use *half* by *volume* if using table salt (1 teaspoon kosher salt = 1/2 teaspoon table salt).
This is because table salt is much more granular than flaky kosher salt, and you end up with more table salt in the same volume teaspoon measurement as you would with kosher salt.
In general, with most cooking it’s best to use kosher salt as your default, unless the recipe specifically calls for table salt. That way you don’t end up with overly salty food because you were inadvertently adding double the salt by using table salt.
Sorry for any confusion, but hope that makes sense!
Been making the dish for a few years now and love it. I’ve also adapted it to kohlrabi (as have others) both dices and shredded on a mandolin which I prefer. I’ve even used almost the same recipe for things like Brussels sprouts and even okra. Now I want to tackle something a little different, however I’m stumped. This fall I’ll have access to Okinawan sweet potatoes (purple) that I think would be beautiful. Since Koreans eat tons of sweet potatoes I thought finding a kimchi recipe would be a breeze. I was wrong. Are potatoes too dense to use? Will cooking the potatoes destroy the bacteria needed to ferment the kimchi? While I’ve found many recipes for sweet potato dishes that add kimchi can this vegetable even be used for kimchi?
Pleeeeeeeaaaaasssseee tell me how you go about making kimchi okra!! I’ve looked and looked and have never found a technique. We’re picking up farmer’s market okra saturday, so I’d love to know asap. Thank yoooooouuuu soooo much.
Hi Maangchi. I have been following you on your YouTube channel for some months now. My husband and I like to eat at Korean restaurants. And I usually buy bottled kimchi sold at grocery stores but I noticed that they put MSG in it so I stop buying. Last week I made Cubed Radish Kimchi. My first time to try making Korean dish. And it is sooo goood!!!! I am planning to try your other recipes and the traditional Napa Cabbage kimchi as soon as I get all the ingredients from the Korean grocery store near my place.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Maangchi,
I love your youtube channel. I finally tried the radish kimchi recipe but it tasted a bit bitter could it be that type of radish I used? Because I left it over the counter in a room temperature dark place for 4 days. I am afraid that it might have gotten over fermented? But it had that raw radish bitterness, so i wonder if it is because of the radish as well…
Thanks
Maybe your radish was a little bitter. Recently I talked to a Korean farmer and I asked him why kimchi is sometimes bitter, and he says it can depend on the fertilizer used on the vegetables. You can still eat it, and when it’s fermented it will taste better.
I am officially in LOVE with kimchi!
Here is my freshest batch of kkakdugi. Thank you, Maangchi!
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After realizing that anything can be made into kimchi I’d been waiting for the first harvest of kohlrabi to come in this year. Between that and finally finding real Korean gochugaru (been using Chinese pepper flakes) I am very happy with the results.Kohlrabi has about the same water content as diakon and a bit more sweetness so this Kkakdugi recipe requires virtually no modifications. Thank you so much Maangchi.
Wow you used kohlrabi from your own garden! How precious stuff it is! A few years ago I met a reader who also harvested Kohlrabi and she let me know she made kimchi with this, too. I’m glad it turned out well!
thanks Maangchi!
one question – I can’t find daikon here in Scotland, can I use mooli instead?
I believe it is the same thing, different name. OR, it is a variation of a daikon.
Skarlett is correct, Dolly. Mooli and Moola are just South Asian words for the long, white radish that are known as Daikon — the Japanese name. They are a bit different from the more bulbous Korean radish, but they will work fine.
깍두기 done too
I actually used what’s left from the making 오이소박이 and then mixed with radish water
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Great Christmas gift.
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My kimchi radish. It was yummy. Thank you
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I really love the details of her instructions. Very easy to follow. Thanks Maangchi!!!
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
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 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 is it ok without ginger?
Thank you
I don’t add ginger to mine either and it’s delicious
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.
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!
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.
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.
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. : )
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.
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!
Hi Maangchi, I have finally made this after eyeing it for so long! I was afraid that I won’t like any other kimchi other than the cabbage ones, but this is delicious. It’s only the first day but I can’t resist stealing some already. Can’t wait for the fermentation to be done!
Another delicious recipe!! So quick and easy. Next time I need to try the napa cabbage kimchi recipe. Thank you!!
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Hey Maangchi, I followed your recipe but the kkakdugi came out too salty! What should I do to fix this??
Add more radish cubes
Hi Maangchi,
I like my kkakdugi to be not very sweet, will this ferment properly if I use less or no sugar? Thanks!
Yes, of course you can make it with less sugar, or without!
Thank you Maangchi! I had kkakdugi for the first time in a korean restaurant last year and wanted to make it myself. This tastes just like what i had!
This turned out amazing for me! I did not use fish sauce, because I’m a vegetarian. And I left out the green onions, because I did not have any on hand. Used daikon, which I had been inundated with at my CSA. Fermented this for about 3 weeks. It is very strong smelling, but it tastes amazing. My husband, my neighbor and I are all addicted. Thank you for posting this!
I wondered about using coconut aminos in its place. Have you tried this?
Hi maangchi i have a question. I’ve seen in a drama lol and on another website people that in the salting process they also put sprite in it. I was wondering if you ever did that? and if you did does it taste better? because it sounds really appealing to me and i was wondering if you ever did that??
Thank you :)
No I’ve never used Sprite in my kimchi, but I heard that some people use it, especially in radish water kimchi. One of my friends who used to run a big Korean restaurant told me that she used to make it all the time with Sprite. Do some experiments and try it out!
Hi maangchi,
I need to share my 5 months kkakdugi !! So proud of it
i personally tought it would be kind of bad but it was so good when i ate it last night i couldn’t stop myself from eating it ! It became really really spicy and sour and a little soft on the outside and crunchy on the outside !!!! Personnaly i toughts the first few days i ate it in march that it was to hard but now it perfect miammmmmm i had to share this sorry hehe i will be forever thankful to you flr introducing us to lorean cooking
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Thank you for sharing your 5 month old kkakdugi photo! : ) yummy!
Hi Maangchi!! I love your recipe! I made this delicious kkakdugi over the weekend and my mother in law insists that it would taste better if we leave it in the room temperature for 21 days and she said it wont go bad since its been marinated with salt and soy sauce. I am new to korean food and not sure how long I should leave the fermented veggies in the room temperature. Will it go bad after 21 days in room temperature?
Did you put it in fridge or just room temperature for 5 months?
Hi, what can I use to replace green onions?
You can skip green onion in this recipe. It will still turn out delicious.
Hi Maangchi, I love the cubed radish kimchi I made using your recipe. Thank you :)
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It looks amazing!
Hi Maangchi, I just made this Radish Kimchi today with my daughter, its one of her fave next to Gimbap. Sharing owth you the pics … hope it turns out good!
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Thank you for sharing the photo with us! Your daughter eating 1 piece of salted radish looks very cute and the finished product your kkakdugi is perfect looking!
I love your site! I love korean food so you’re site is perfect for me! Easy to follow cooking instructions. I’ll be making the easy kimchi next for my hubby and eldest son! By the way, since korean red pepper flakes is quite expensive in Korean store here in Singapre, can you suggest any substitute which will be available in most grocery stores like cayenne or thai chili or paprika?
Hi Maangchi –
I’m trying to avoid using sugar in my cooking. Can I use a Korean pear instead of sugar? If so, how much pear should I use?
You can use pear, but the pulp of the pear will not mix well, which is why I use sugar. You can try using just the juice. Do some experiments and let me know how it turns out.