Kkakdugi (Korean Cubed Radish Kimchi)

Name: Kkakdugi (Korean Cubed Radish Kimchi)
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1kg mooli; 2 tbsp coarse sea salt; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tbsp glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour; 150ml water; 4 tbsp gochugaru, Korean chilli flakes, or use 3 tbsp mild chilli flakes plus 1 tsp paprika; 4 garlic cloves, grated; 15g fresh root ginger, grated; 2 tbsp gluten free fish sauce; 4 spring onions, sliced into 2 cm pieces

Crunchy cubes of mooli in a fiery, garlicky chilli paste that turns sour and juicy in a few days. A great partner for rice and stews.

Time45 min plus 2 to 5 days fermenting
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.38 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

Estimated nutrition per serving

64kcal
12.4gcarbs
5.7gof which sugars
0.5gfat
0gsaturates
2.9gprotein
3.5gfibre
4.2gsalt

A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.

10 servings

Ingredients

Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.

1 kgmooli
2 tbspcoarse sea salt
1 tbspcaster sugar
1 tbspglutinous rice flouralso called sweet rice flour
150 mlwater
4 tbspgochugaruKorean chilli flakes, or use 3 tbsp mild chilli flakes plus 1 tsp paprika
4garlic clovesgrated
15 gfresh root gingergrated
2 tbspgluten free fish sauce
4spring onionssliced into 2 cm pieces

Method

1
Toss the mooli cubes with the salt and sugar in a large bowl. Leave for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until a good amount of liquid has come out.
30 min
2
Meanwhile, whisk the rice flour into the water in a small pan. Heat gently, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens to a thin, glossy paste. Cool completely.
3
Drain the mooli, keeping about 3 tbsp of the liquid. Do not rinse the mooli, as the salt is part of the flavour.
4
Stir the cooled paste with the chilli flakes, garlic, ginger and fish sauce to make a thick red paste. Wear gloves for the next step if your hands are sensitive to chilli.
5
Mix the paste, spring onions and mooli together well, until every cube is coated. Pack tightly into a clean 1 litre jar, pressing down. Pour the saved liquid over. Leave 3 cm of space at the top.
6
Close the lid loosely and leave at room temperature for 2 to 5 days, pressing down once a day and opening the lid briefly to release gas. It is ready when it tastes pleasantly sour and fizzy.
7
Store in the fridge and eat within 4 weeks. Keep the mooli under the liquid, and throw it away if you see fuzzy mould or smell anything rotten.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.