Whenever we order fried chicken in Korea, this pickled radish comes along with it. Usually the amount they give isn’t enough. So it is great to make extra picked radish at home, or if you make Korean fried chicken at home, you can make this picked radish too. It can’t be any easier or simpler than this. Try it someday. 🙂
Yield: 6 Cups
Short Korean Lesson
- SinBu (신부) = Bride
- SinRang (신랑) = Groom
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 5 Cups Korean Radish (About 1½ lb)
- ⅓ Cup White Vinegar
- ⅓ Cup Water
- ⅓ Cup White Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
Directions
Peel the Korean radish.
Slice the radish into ½ inch slices.
Cut the radish into ½ inch cubes.
Mix ⅓ cup of white vinegar, ⅓ cup of water, and ⅓ cup of white sugar, and 1 tsp of salt in a mixing bowl until the sugar dissolves. It is important to use white vinegar. Flavored vinegar will change the taste. You can add more sugar or vinegar; however, with my experimentation, a 1:1:1 ratio for the vinegar, water, and sugar tastes the most delicious.
Mix in the radish.
Put it in wide bottomed container and leave it at room temperature overnight. Then place it in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days before serving.
It not only tastes good with Korean fried chicken, but it tastes great with other greasy food as well. I will post the Korean fried chicken recipe soon. 🙂 Enjoy! Tonight for supper, we ate KFC popcorn chicken with this pickled radish. It was delicious. 🙂 If you feel lazy to make fried chicken, eat this with KFC chicken instead. 😉 You will love it. hehe
Thank you! i have been looking for this recipe for awhile!
Thanks Aeris! I sometimes put jalapeno in mine to make it spicier. 🙂
Hi Dexter,
Oh.. jalapeno in it.. sounds interesting.. ^^ it must be good that way too..hehe thanks
Aeri! I love your website, thanks for great recipes and beautiful pics. Wow, I haven’t had these pickled radish for years. Thanks for reminding me of these. I will make these right away as I have some 무 in my fridge! 😉
I just bought a radish and was looking for this recipe. Thanks! Also, it’s good to know the ratio of water/vinegar/sugar. My mom makes this but she always did it by tasting. It was never the same each time!
I was wondering, is there a particular reason for a wide bottom container? Is it okay to store it in a jar?
hi Jessica,
You want the radish soak into the liquid (vinegar water and sugar..) if it’s small narrow jar… the liquid might be up to top..but if it’s not.. there is chance.. the liquid is in the bottom..and some of the radish will not be soaked in the liquid.. so can’t get flavor from it.. that’s why I told wide bottom container.. so it will be thinly layered..and get the liquid.. oops.. sorry I used many strange English expressions to explain. i hope you can understand what i mean.. thanks
Thanks for answering Aeri! Yes, after I entered the question, I realized that is true, but I couldn’t delete it. Anyways, I made it already and it’s very delicious. Thank you for your recipes! I love them. All the ones I made turned out beautifully!
I really love those pickle radish! I always ask for refills at restaurants. So embarrasing. Thank you for sharing.
I LOVE this pickled radish! They serve it at BonChon chicken restaurants, and you’re right – they never give you enough! 🙂
hi Justeen @ Blissful Baking,
haha.. that’s so true… I want to eat the pickled radish for every single bite of the chicken with.. lol
Hi! Terrific instructional videos, I love to watch & learn. I would love to make the pickled radish. I wondered how long is the pickled radish good for once made? Since it is just for myself, I was wondering if I should make a big batch that will keep for a while or just a little at a time. Thanks. Please keep posting vegetarian recipes, you do a great job!. Tina
hi Tina,
I think.. you can make it and keep for at least 2 weeks.. ^^ if it’s too much for yourself.. cut the recipe in half.. thanks..
It was a big hit!! I been requested to make a big batch for our church-wide spring cleaning day lunch. Thank you so much.
hi Serena,
Wow, that’s an exciting news.. Thanks 🙂
I wish I can find white vinegar I look everywhere even When I go to a vacation in Italy ,so I cant find any in turkey or Italy just White vine vinegar so I cant do this recipe 😥
hi sevim,
Can you get Korean radish then? If you can, why not try this recipe with other vinegar you have. It’s not too difficult to make, so it is worth to try, even it’s fail. If you still like the pickled radish with other vinegar flavor (we never know), you can make it for your future. 🙂
I just found this recipe! 😯 So excited! If I leave it overnight is it alright to eat it the next day? I wanted to make it for when I make yangnyum tongdak the next day. Thank you!
hi Min,
To eat sooner, I tried your method too. Actually I left out my pickled radish for a day instead of overnight.. then mine still didn’t quite fermented (pickled) yet, so I had to keep it in the refrigerator for some more time before eating. So taste your radish, if it doesn’t have bitter raw radish taste anymore, you can eat. Thanks
Hi Aeri,
My husband & I love this pickled radish.
Could u pls tell me brand name of the white vinegar to be used. I think there are different kinds of vinegar here in Korea. I’m happy to find this recipe. Thank you…
hi Christine,
I don’t know what you are living in now.. I’m in USA now..and I bought a white vinegar from a normal American grocery store. Any kind of white vinegar will work. 🙂 Point is.. the vinegar doesn’t have extra flavor.. like fruit.. something else.. thanks
I love the way you share the god words through this site. I can’t thank you enough…
bless bless!!
i want to know how to make white danmugi radish for making kim kimbop, 🙂 as 1 of very important ingredients for recipe…
hi thots,
I will add it to my list and post it someday.. thanks 🙂
Aloha 😀 I stumbled on to your website and LOVE IT! I was wondering to speed up the fermenting process, instead of cubes, can the radish be sliced instead of cubes. The dish looks refreshing and delicious. Oh, love the God’s written word shared.
hi Leina,
Yes you can slice the radish also ^^
Hi Aeri,
first i want to thank you for your excellent recipes, they are very delicious. I tryed the Gimbap, the SoGalbi, fried chicken and now i will try to make the pickled radish (i will use the daikon radish)
I just wanted to ask you how much ml. is one cup of yours, because here we have different cups 🙂
Thank you and happy holydays 🙂
hi Ariadna Sinclair,
mine is.. 1 cup = 250 ml ^^ thanks
Hi!!! Thank you for all these recipes! I love your youtube channel also, and they’re really helpful because while I’m away studying, my mom can’t make all the korean food that I love anymore.
Is it ok to use rice vinegar?
hi Jisoo,
Yes you can use it. thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri!
I am new to your website & wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU for all the thought, effort & heart you’ve put into this! I’ve sampled & enjoyed many Korean dishes & have enjoyed much of the culture, now I would like to learn Korean cuisine & language.
I have many questions, but I’ll start w/ this: we live in South Florida & it’s quite difficult to buy many of the vegetables. I read that I can substitute daikon for Korean radishes. I found some at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday & have made both the “pickled radish” & “radish chojeolim” sides. My pickled radishes are currently fermenting at room temperature & the radish chojeolim is in the fridge. But what can I do about the odor? It’s driving my family crazy 😮 I did not notice the odor while preparing the dishes, but it is very strong. Did I do something wrong? Thanks again Aeri!
Many Blessings,
Jessy 🙂
hi Jessy Beauvais,
Nice to meet you. Oh.. smell bad ?? interesting. If you say..you made radish kimchi and it smells bad..I can understand..but the pickled radish and radish chojeolim are not bad.. it made your house smell bad.. or refrigerator smell bad ?? or when you just open the container to eat..it smell bad ?? (oops.. too many question..) Since I don’t think.. the smell is that bad.. can’t tell the right answer.. sorry ^^:;
Hello Aeri!
Not many questions at all. I think the smell is associated w/ this type of vegetable (cruciferous). But b/c everyone enjoyed the taste so much, we will learn to accept the smell as well.
I look forward to trying the other recipes on your site.
Many Blessings,
Jessy 😀
Hi Aeri,
Thank you for the great recipe! This is so easy to make and it’s really effortless. I was wondering if you know how to make Mu Mallaengi Muchim (무우말랭이무침)? I’ve tried to find the recipe on the web for weeks and there aren’t any that come close to the Korean restaurant that serves it.
So far I know there are the following:
Fish sauce, garlic, onions (green), chili paste and sugar or rice flour. I’ve tried it without rice four and sub sugar and vice versa. It’s still not working. Please post one up soon! Thank you!!
hi Aylee,
I will add your request to my list. thanks 🙂
Hi, aeri I love all your recipes! I tried a few and they worked out great!
Btw I got a question. How long can these pickled radish last in the fridge for. I made some two or 3 mths ago. Totally forgotten Abt them. Took one out to try still taste good. Is it ok to keep them for
Months? And still edible?
Thanks
Hope to hear from you soon
hi Michelle,
wow.. 3 months ago..and it still tasted goo? then you can eat..^^ I usually eat for 2 weeks.. hehe.. thanks
Hi Aeri,
I went shopping for ingredients today and finally made a batch of this pickled radish. I can’t wait to eat it! Looks so good 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, I accidently watched your Youtube video for Rice cake and ended up here.
What a great job you’ve made!!
I love this pickled radish..
I should try tomorrow…
Thank you for your fantastic recipe.
I can make it but forgot the retio 🙁
BTW if anyone wants to use a jar or a bottle,
maybe cover the top with cling rap(or tide up with whatever use) than upside down for a day or 12 hours.
I think that will do!
Hi Aeri,
I was so excited to find this recipe! Can I use turnip instead of radish? Because I have lots of it. And also it tastes almost the same and the texture is close… Thanks you for the recipe! 🙂
hi Carlson,
If you think your turnip tastes (and texture) almost same with a korean radish.. yes you can try it.. thanks 🙂
Hi Aeri,
I used to order korean fried chicken with pickled radish from Big Mama Restaurant. Too bad the restaurant closed, so my search for pickled radish recipe brought me to your wonderful site.
Thank you for sharing. Hope you can also post the Korean Fried Chicken recipe, so I can start trying them soon.
hi Lou,
Nice to meet you. I have a recipe for fried chicken too.. here is a link for you. 🙂
http://aeriskitchen.com/2011/04/sweet-and-spicy-tongdak/
Only with fried chicken? I thoroughly enjoyed it with yaki mandu while stationed in Korea (twice). Maybe I’m wrong but I heard it had two names “tan moo gee” and “tah kwa”. I understand “moo” is the Korean word for the white radish. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks 😀
Thank you for your reciepie. I love it!
Hello ! Thanks for the recipes !! Since im in Korea I wanted to try to cook some Korean food. I love the side dishes and this radish pickle is so nice. Someone already asked you but I don’t find white vinegar in Korea. My boyfriend thinks that the used one is white with lemon taste. Will it be OK ?
Again thanks for the recipes ill try to do some of them ^^
Actually I searched white vinegar in Korea for my sister who lives in Korea.. in online you can buy American brand white vinegar.. here is a link for you. http://shopping.naver.com/search/all_search.nhn?query=%ED%95%98%EC%9D%B8%EC%A6%88%20%EC%8B%9D%EC%B4%88&cat_id=40004434&nv_mid=5772330937&frm=NVSCPRO
HI Aeri!
THnk you for this recipe! can I use regular U.S> radish instead of Korean radish? Thnks!cant wait to try your recipe!
hi Cristy,
Sorry, I didn’t try it with regular us radish, so can’t tell the result. You can try it though. If you do, please let me know how it turned out. 🙂 thanks
Hi. I’ve made this before and came out great. Do you think I could also add pickles and jalapeños like they have in some Korean restaurants?
hi Jin,
oh.. hot pepper.. sounds good.. it’s up to you. Try it. 🙂
Hey, I was wondering how long this will keep? I’ve got quite a bit of white radish that I need to do something with.
hi M,
I will eat this for a week or two weeks. Thanks 🙂
Hai aeri. Can i use china white radish? Since i couldn’t find korean radish here in my country.
hi masayumi,
The taste and texture seem a little different… between country for their radish..but if that’s only your option..I will say.. try it. ^^ Thanks.
Hi! Thank you for the recipe! I made this the other day. And it taste delicious!!
hi ly,
That is a great news to hear. 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipe. ^^
How long do I leave overnight? 12 hours or 24 hours?
hi 이선영,
yes.. over night.. around 12 hours..and then keep it in the refrigerator for several days (about 3-4 days) before you eat. Thanks
Can I use rice vinegar instead of white vinegar? Is there a difference?
Thank you.
hi Tina,
White vinegar doesn’t have extra flavor to it.. so that makes the pickled radish to match for the friend chicken the best..but if you can not have it.. you can use rice vinegar also. thanks
Hi,
I had already made this pickle but I stored it in the fridge right away. Is it alright to do that? Will the pickle turn out the same as those given by the fried chicken stores? Thanks
hi Qyshia,
Yes, you need to wait for at least 2 – 3 days.. to get right flavor into the radish.. and the result is pretty close to the store ones. Yep.. you can put them in the refrigerator right away..^^ thanks
Hi,
My family and I lived in South Korea (we come from Australia) for a couple of years and loved the pickled radish. I found some black radish and used your pickle recipe. It tasted great. I was wondering if you can re-use the liquid or do you have to make the liquid again?
Thanks Helen
hi Helen,
I think you can re use.. Thanks for your comment. ^^
Hi can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar cos a friend give me a big bottle of apple cider vinegar & I dun know what to use it for . Thks
hi Carol,
Apple cider vinegar has it’s own flavor.. so the result for this recipe can be changed.. if you still like the different flavor.. that’s fine though.. aha..I have a good pickled egg recipe on my western food section. It asks for big portion of apple cider vinegar. try that recipe then.. Here is a link for you. ^^ http://aeriskitchen.com/2009/01/pickled-eggs/
Hi,
This amount of pickled radish for how many of pieces of chicken?
Thanks by advance
hi Dehas,
Since it’s side dish for your fried chicken, it really depends on how much you eat each time. As the recipe says, it makes 6 cups of pickled radish.. so you can get an idea from it. Thanks ^^ p.s In my opinion.. 1 cup can be 1 serving.. like a person can eat that amount for eating fried chicken once.
thanks for the recipe 🙂
can i use honey instead of sugar?
hi jean,
If you don’t mind (I mean..if it’s okay for you) honey flavor in your savory dish.. you can try it. ^^ thanks
Hi Aeri, I think I’m the newbie here. I bought some Korean Fried Chicken from a carry-out Chicken Cafe 3 weeks ago and was given a small container of picled radishes. I didn’t know what kind they were and began to search for answers because (1) it was so delicious, and (2) it had quite a cleansing effect on me. Well I discovered they were Daikon radishes and finally found 1 recipe on the Internet of how to prepare them. It was comprised of Rice Vinegar, Kosher Salt, Tumeric and of course Sugar and involved cooking the mixture. Although I didn’t believe this was quite the same as what I’d gotten from the Korean cafe, I couldn’t find any other recipe so out of desperation made it. It turned out good but involved lots of work.
I said all of that to say that I am THRILLED to find your recipe and discover your website! Having learned of the amazing health benefits (including weight loss) of Daikon Radishes I intend to make them a staple of my diet and having an amazingly easy recipe of how to prepare them is so wonderful.
hi Janice Warren,
^^ I enjoyed reading your comment very much. Thank you. I can see you care of your health. Yes, the pickled radish they gave with the korean fried chicken will be the same thing in this recipe. 🙂 This pickled radish is healthy. The yellow pickled radish (with tumeric) you described on your comment is.. actually not that healthy… because that artificial sweetener they use to make the pickled radish sweet can cause a cancer. ..and food coloring for the yellow color… Most store bought brand can be similar except very few brands make specially without some bad ingredients in it. So it can be nice to make it at home.. but as you think it is not that simple and quick to make. I just wanted to share my info with you. 🙂
Hi Aeri,
Thank you for your lovely recipe!
Question: In the last step, should I keep the lid of the container on at all time?
Thank you!!
Yiru
hi Yiru,
It’s okay if you cover the lid in the last step. Thanks 😉
Love this recipe! Best appetizer and so good with spicy chicken. But is the pungent odor norma?
hi Jeffrey,
Yes, the radish has own bitter and earthy smell..and the vinegar can give that smell too.. so it’s okay. thanks
Hi Aeri
I am from India and started exploring Korean dishes… This picked radish sounded tempting and I want to give a try
Planning to do Gimbap this weekend and I guess this will be a perfect one ..
Love,
Rekha Pragadish
hi M.Rekha
Nice to meet you. I have several very sweet Indian friends, so I have very good feeling toward India. I wonder if you enjoyed your kimbap.. I hope you did. Thanks 🙂
Hi! I really love the simple side dishes in korean cuisine. I tasted something this weekend – I believe it was a variation of pickled radish as well? The liquid was slightly amber/sepia. The taste was similar to the white radish kimchi recipe you mentioned above but with a hint of soy sauce and pepper. It was a traditional korean restaurant with a granny serving so I wasn’t really able to ask properly. Would you know what this side dish is called?
Thank you!
hi Sheena,
When you said.. pepper.. you mean red hot pepper powder ?? or you mean.. normal black pepper?? sorry I tried to guess what you are talking about but can not do it well .. if you have a picture of it.I will know it better though.. thanks
I think she is talking about jangajji with mu and jalapenos! 🙂
I’ve been searching for that recipe too, but I’ve only found it made with onions. I assume the process will be the same for any veggie but I haven’t tried making it yet.
hi Jennifer,
Aha, I got it. Yes, basically the soy sauce mix for the pickling the vegetables will be the same. You can make many different kinds with it. 🙂
Hi Aeri!
I just found your channel and website and I love it! keep up the good work! Just wondering… can I use daikon in this?
hi Emily,
Happy to meet you. 🙂 I prefer to use Korean radish for this since the texture and flavor are slightly different. However, daikon is only option you have, you can try it. Some people told me, they used it and it was good too. thanks
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’ve been craving 파닭 and 치킨무 ever since moving back to the US last year!
Do you think it is all right if I use rice wine vinegar instead of white vinegar? I just bought some radish and can’t wait to try!
hi Tokki,
I’m afraid to say “yes” for your question..because.. I don’t know how your rice wine vinegar tastes like. It is just vinegar flavor ?? not any alcoholic flavor in it? When the vinegar has some extra flavor other than vinegar… it doesn’t get the right result you tried from 치킨무.. so.. if you think it is close enough to pure vinegar flavor.. you can try it. Otherwise, I recommend you to use white vinegar. Let me know if you try this. thanks 🙂
hi
i have leave the radish in the fridge for 3 days.
Within how many days do i need to clear?
hi Chai Yan,
It can be slightly different depends on your refrigerator temperature.. after 3 days, try it and see if it’s good for you to eat. Thanks
Hi Aeri,
What can I substitute for white sugar? Will brown sugar do?
Thanks!
p.s. love your cooking blog!
hi Jane,
Brown sugar has it’s own strong flavor so that can change it’s authentic flavor for the pickled radish..and of course the color too.. You can still try it though if you want.. thanks if you do, please let me know how you like it.
Hi can i used heinz vinegar in eyelow radish pickle
hi kathy,
Yes, you can. 🙂
I recently discovered this delight whilst on a trip to Seoul. Once pickled, how long will it last?
hi Julie Page,
I will eat it for about 1 or 2 weeks. 🙂 thanks
the vinegar mixture does not cover all the radish cubes…is that correct? Or should I make more of the vinegar mixture?
hi Mary,
You are right. Just follow the recipe, then it will come out beautifully. Just stir and mix the radish with the liquid sometimes while it’s pickling… that way the radish will get the flavor evenly.. Thanks.
do i need to keep the vinegar mixture with the radish the whole time until i finish eating it all
hi lutz,
Yes, that’s how it’s served in Korea..whenever you deliver the fried pizza.. they give this pickled radish in the vinegar broth. 🙂
Hi. What is the reason for leaving it out for the overnight?
Hi Tracey, it helps for a faster pickling process for this than you keep it in the refrigerator right away. 🙂
Hi Aeri. Nice to get to know you. Thank you for this recipe. I have made it today and will be waiting for the result tomorrow.
I add some sliced green chilli to make it a bit spicy and to add some color to it. Take care and God bless
hi Ermin Fei,
Please share your food picture with me on instagram or facebook.. (#aeriskitchen).. hehe thanks
I tried making this pickled radish using someone else’s recipe and I want to know, is it suppose to have a strong not so pleasant smell ? I put ingredients together and put it in the fridge and 1 day later I opened the container and it had a very harsh not so pleasant smell. Is this normal when you make pickled radishes.
hi Jennifer,
I got similar comments from people who tried my recipe for it. Yes, it is normal to have that unpleasant smell, especially if you think that vinegar is stinky as I do. However, the taste will be good.. so don’t worry and wait until it’s ready to eat. Thanks