Kkakdugi

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Place the daikon cubes in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss well. Leave for 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the radish starts to release moisture and tastes lightly seasoned but still crisp.

   500 g daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes12 g fine sea salt
2. 2

   While the radish salts, combine the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, spring onion, toasted sesame seeds, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir into a thick, bright red seasoning paste; if it seems dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of the radish liquid from the bowl rather than plain water for better flavour.

   18 g gochugaru12 g garlic, finely minced5 g fresh ginger, finely grated20 ml fish sauce30 g spring onion, finely sliced4 g sesame seeds, toasted6 g caster sugar
3. 3

   Lightly squeeze the salted radish once or twice with clean hands to help it absorb seasoning, but do not rinse; keeping the surface salt helps the kimchi season evenly. Add the radish to the seasoning paste and toss thoroughly until every cube is well coated.

   500 g daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
4. 4

   Pack the seasoned radish into a clean jar or container, pressing down to remove air pockets. Leave at cool room temperature for about 30 minutes if you want fermentation to begin, then refrigerate. For a fresh, crisp beginner-friendly version, serve immediately; for deeper flavour, chill 1-2 days before eating.

5. 5

   Serve chilled or cool as a banchan. The radish should be crunchy, juicy, spicy, and lightly savoury; if making ahead, stir once before serving to redistribute the seasoning.

Origin & History

Kkakdugi is a classic Korean kimchi made with cubed Korean radish rather than napa cabbage. It is especially popular alongside soups and rice dishes because its juicy crunch and sharp heat refresh the palate. Like many kimchi varieties, it reflects Korea's long tradition of salting and fermenting vegetables for preservation and flavour.