Radish Kimchi Recipe

Kkakdugi,cubed radish kimchi,korea food
RunPhoto/Photodisc/Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Initial Fermentation Time: 48 hrs
Total: 48 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Yield: 6 cups

This easy to make radish kimchi is a colorful, spicy variation of the more common cabbage kimchi.

Traditional kimchi usually includes a type of radish—daikon—among its ingredients. Here we've reversed the proportions of radish to cabbage to showcase the radish crunch and taste. Using red globe radishes or French breakfast radishes gives this recipe its cheerful color. You could also use watermelon radishes for their bright pink interiors.

No matter which vegetables kimchi is made with, it is loaded with naturally good-for-you probiotics. Delicious served alongside Korean or other Asian-style dishes, it is also good mixed into rice and other cooked grains.

Radish kimchi is a lacto-fermented food that will get stronger in flavor as it ages. Although it will keep in the refrigerator for many months, it is best eaten within 3 months. Stored longer than that it starts to lose some of its crunch and may get too pungent.

Easy Radish Kimchi/Tester Image

"Although this recipe takes several departures from traditional kimchi preparations, it results in tasty, pickled vegetables reminiscent of kimchi; great for those who find traditional kimchi too strongly flavored. I used peeled daikon radishes, red cabbage, and a glass weight and silicone lid specially made for fermenting in mason jars, which made the process easy." —Danielle Centoni

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 3 cups filtered water

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon fish or soy sauce

  • 3/4 pound radishes, such as globe, French breakfast, or watermelon

  • 1/4 pound cabbage, leaves, cut into thin strips

  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large measuring cup, dissolve the salt in the water.

  3. Stir in the fish or soy sauce.

  4. Slice off the leaf and root ends of the radishes. Julienne them into matchstick sized pieces, or slice into 1/8-inch rounds (a mandoline or thin slicing blade of a food processor will make this step easier).

  5. In a large bowl, toss the radishes, cabbage, onion, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes. Pack them into clean pint-size mason jars.

  6. Pour the brine to the top of the jars, leaving 1/4-inch space. Press gently on the vegetables to release any air bubbles. The vegetables should be completely submerged in the brine.

  7. If the vegetables float to the top of the brine, weight them down with a smaller glass jar filled with water. If the vegetables remain immersed in the brine, just cover the jars loosely with a lid.

  8. Place the jars on a plate to catch the overflow that may happen as it starts to ferment. Leave at room temperature until the mixture begins to ferment, 2 to 2 1/2 days.

  9. Remove the lid or small jar weights and check the kimchee after the first 2 days. You should start to see some bubbles and it will begin to develop a lightly sour smell (like sauerkraut, but more pungent because of the garlic and ginger). Transfer the jars to the door of your refrigerator. This is the warmest part of your refrigerator but still cooler than room temperature; perfect for your kimchi to continue to slowly ferment.

  10. The kimchi is ready to eat 1 to 2 weeks after you make it. If you plan to store it for longer than a month, move it to a cooler part of your refrigerator (one of the central shelves rather than the inside of the refrigerator door).

Tip

  • It's important to use filtered water because the chlorine and other chemicals in most municipal tap water can interfere with the fermentation process.
  • If salt isn't an option for you, you can use the alternate method for lacto-fermentation without salt.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
4 Calories
0g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 4
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 193mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 6mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 43mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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