Crispy Kkakdugi (Radish Kimchi) with Large Radish Chunks
Crispy kkakdugi cut into large chunks and seasoned with lemon-lime soda and New Sugar for a rich, savory taste.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This restaurant-style kkakdugi is made by cutting Korean radish into large chunks, salting them, and coating them with gochugaru first to give them a vibrant color. Lemon-lime soda and New Sugar are added for a sweet and refreshing flavor. It pairs wonderfully with hot soup dishes like gomtang or sundaeguk.
- Servings
- about 8–10 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
- Keeps
- 15 days
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Korean radish (mu)2 kg
- Scallions (jjokpa)10
- Coarse sea salt5 tbsp
Seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)5 tbsp
- Garlic3 tbsp
- Salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot)2 tbsp
- Lemon-lime soda (chilsung cider)1/2 cup
- New Sugar (saccharin sweetener) (or saccharin)1 tsp
- Ginger powder1 tsp
- Toasted sesame seedsa little
- In winter, people make kimchi with large green onions or mustard greens, but in summer, a small amount of scallions is used instead of large green onions.
- Sprinkle the coarse sea salt evenly and let it pickle.
- Rinse the pickled radish in clean water and drain the excess moisture.
- This is the time to let the drained radish sit with gochugaru to coat it with color.
- Kkakdugi made with lemon-lime soda should not be kept too long and should be eaten within half a month so it does not turn soft.
Steps
The radish is quite large. That one weighed about 2 kg. Peel the skin and wash it clean.
Cut the radish into large squares, 3.5cm across and 1.5cm thick.
Sprinkle about 1/3 cup, around 5 tbsp, of coarse sea salt evenly over the radish and let it pickle for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Rinse the pickled radish once in clean water and drain the moisture for about 2 hours.
Place the drained radish in a bowl, add 5 tbsp of gochugaru, and toss to coat it with color.
Whenever I make kimchi, I always coat it with chili color first and add the seasoning later.
That way, the kimchi gets a lovely color.
Let it sit for about 1 hour...
Season: finely mince the garlic and salted fermented shrimp, then add the scallions, ginger, toasted sesame seeds, lemon-lime soda, and New Sugar (saccharin sweetener) instead of sugar, and mix evenly. Do not keep kkakdugi made with lemon-lime soda for a long time.
You should eat it within half a month, as keeping it too long will make it soft.
Here is the thoroughly mixed kkakdugi.
Ppunwife's tips
- When making kimchi, coating the radish with chili color first before adding the seasonings gives the kimchi a beautiful color.
- Kkakdugi made with lemon-lime soda will turn soft if kept too long, so it should be eaten within half a month.
FAQ
Why do you add the gochugaru before the rest of the seasoning?
Tossing the drained, salted radish with gochugaru first lets the vibrant red color soak into the radish, giving the kimchi a much prettier color.
How soon should I eat kkakdugi made with lemon-lime soda?
Kkakdugi made with lemon-lime soda can turn soft if stored for a long time, so it is best to eat it within half a month.
Is there a reason to use scallions instead of large green onions?
In winter, people often make kimchi with large green onions or mustard greens, but in the summer, this recipe uses a small amount of scallions instead of large green onions.
