Kkakdugi Recipe — How to Make Cubed Radish Kimchi

Ingredients

• 1 kg Korean radish (mu), peeled if the skin is harsh, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp coarse sea salt (or about 2% of radish weight — weigh if you can)
• 2–3 Tbsp medium-coarse gochugaru
• 1.5 Tbsp saeujeot (salted shrimp), minced, plus 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp garlic minced, 1 tsp ginger grated
• 2 scallions sliced, 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 Asian pear grated or 1 tsp extra sugar (optional)

Steps

1. Cut even cubes. Toss with salt and rest 60 minutes until they weep and a cube bends at the edge without going soft.
2. Drain. Do not rinse heavily — you want the surface salt. Pat if a puddle sits in the bowl.
3. Mix gochugaru, saeujeot, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and pear into a thick paste. Taste: salty-savory first, spicy second.
4. Fold radish and scallions through the paste so every face is coated. Pack into a clean jar with about 20% headspace. Press so brine rises.
5. Ferment 24–36 hours at about 64–68°F until the cubes taste lightly sour and the jar is faintly fizzy, then refrigerate. Eat within three weeks for snap.
6. Serve cold next to seolleongtang, galbitang, or kimchi jjigae. Use leftover brine to season kimchi fried rice — /recipes/kimchi-bokkeumbap-restaurant/.