← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg Korean radish (mu) or daikon, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 4 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 1½ tbsp Fish sauce
• 1½ tbsp Saeujeot (Korean salted shrimp), finely chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Ginger, grated
• ¼ Korean (Asian) pear or apple, grated (optional)
• 3 Spring onion, cut into 2 cm pieces

Method

1. Toss the radish cubes with the salt and sugar in a big bowl. Leave for 1 hour, tossing halfway, until they bend slightly when squeezed. Drain off the liquid but do not rinse; keep 2 tbsp of it.
2. Mix the gochugaru with the saved radish liquid into a paste, then stir in the fish sauce, salted shrimp, garlic, ginger and pear.
3. Wearing gloves, toss the radish with the paste until every cube is red. Fold in the spring onions.
4. Pack into a clean jar or box, pressing down to remove air pockets, and leave some headroom for the juices.
5. Leave at room temperature for 1–2 days, until it smells tangy and tiny bubbles appear, then move it to the fridge. It is lovely after a week and keeps for several weeks.

Tips

• Korean radish in late autumn and winter is sweetest; if yours tastes bitter, add a little more sugar.
• Saeujeot (salted shrimp) is a shellfish ingredient, so mention it to anyone with a shellfish allergy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang FutureDish