Kkakdugi

Korean cubed radish kimchi: fiery, crunchy and deeply fermented in the clay-pot tradition of the Goryeo court

Origin: Kaesong & Seoul, Korea

From the journey of Radish.

Kkakdugi (깍두기), the cubed radish kimchi, is among the oldest and most distinct members of the kimchi family, predating the chilli-based preparations that define modern kimchi by at least three centuries. The mu radish, the Korean variety of the white radish, is a stout, round-bottomed root with a dense, crisp flesh and a flavour more assertively peppery than the Japanese daikon; it holds its texture through the salt-drawing and fermentation process in a way that makes it uniquely suited to cutting into large cubes rather than shredding. The Goryeo court (918–1392 CE) documented multiple fermented vegetable preparations, and historians of Korean food trace the mudeep (radish kimchi) tradition to this period, when salt-packed vegetables were the primary method of preservation through the Korean winter. The addition of chilli, gochugaru, the coarsely ground dried Korean red pepper, arrived after the Columbian Exchange brought chilli to Korea via Japanese traders in the seventeenth century, transforming kkakdugi into the fiery, vivid preparation it is today. The fermented kkakdugi is juicy, crunchy, deeply savoury, and intensely spicy. It is served as a banchan (side dish) with virtually every Korean meal, most particularly with ox bone soup (seollongtang) and steaming bowls of white rice, where its acidic crunch cuts through the richness of the slow-cooked marrow broth in a combination of ancient perfection.

Ingredients

Radish

1 kg Korean mu radish or daikon, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
1½ tbsp fine sea salt (non-iodised)
1 tsp caster sugar

Kimchi Paste

4 tbsp gochugaru (Korean coarse red pepper flakes), adjust to heat preference
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated to a paste
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegetarian version)
1 tsp salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot), roughly chopped, optional but traditional
3 spring onions, cut into 3cm pieces
1 tsp caster sugar

Method

Place the cubed radish in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Toss well and leave for 30 minutes to draw out moisture. The radish cubes will soften slightly and weep a good amount of liquid. Drain off the liquid but do not rinse the radish.
Make the kimchi paste: combine the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, fermented shrimp (if using), spring onions, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well. The paste should be intensely red, fragrant with garlic and ginger, and very spicy.
Add the drained radish cubes to the kimchi paste. Using your hands (with gloves), toss and massage everything together until every cube is thoroughly coated in the red paste. Taste: it should be very spicy, salty, garlicky, and savoury. Adjust gochugaru or fish sauce to your preference.
Pack the kkakdugi into a clean glass jar or container with a lid, pressing down firmly to eliminate air pockets. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours to begin fermentation; the brine will become slightly cloudy and the kimchi will begin to smell sour and alive.
After 24 hours (or 48 hours in a cool room), transfer to the refrigerator. The kkakdugi is immediately edible and good at this point; young, spicy, and crunchy. It develops deeper, more complex sourness over the following 2–4 weeks. Peak flavour is usually between 1 and 3 weeks of refrigerator fermentation.

Notes

Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) is essential and cannot be substituted with regular chilli flakes; the flavour and colour profile are completely different. It is available in Korean and most Asian grocery stores. The fermented shrimp (saeujeot) adds a deep umami and briny character that is traditionally present in kkakdugi; omit for vegetarian, replacing with an additional tablespoon of soy sauce. Korean mu radish (무) is the ideal variety; rounder and denser than Japanese daikon. Good daikon is an excellent substitute. Standard red radishes are too small and too sharp for this dish.

The Gastrographer

Name: Kkakdugi
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Korea
Ingredients: 1 kg Korean mu radish or daikon, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes; 1½ tbsp fine sea salt (non-iodised); 1 tsp caster sugar; 4 tbsp gochugaru (Korean coarse red pepper flakes), adjust to heat preference; 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated to a paste; 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated; 2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegetarian version); 1 tsp salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot), roughly chopped, optional but traditional; 3 spring onions, cut into 3cm pieces; 1 tsp caster sugar

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control