Korean Pickled Radishes & Jalapeños

While reviewing past recipes and the write-up before the recipes, I’ve realized that my blog entries follow a very sad outline:

1. Kris used to think ________ was icky! What a travesty.
2. (soul-searching paragraph)
3. And now she doesn’t. Yay ________!

Today, we are tackling pickles–which I also disliked for a long time. But since I seem to have disliked everything when I was growing up (ha), I’m going to skip over that fact and talk about how amazing Korean food is instead!

My first and dearest experience with Korean food was at a little joint called San Chang in Colorado Springs when I moved there in 1999. I had tried “Korean” food before at Pan-Asian restaurants around Delaware as a child, but not like San Chang. What were these funny grills doing in the middle of the table? Why were there so many vents? And why were there so many versions of pickled vegetables in tiny plates?

It wasn’t until I befriended Korean-American classmates at college that I learned the magical name of these vegetable dishes–banchan. But I loved banchan from the start, and often stuffed myself on it before the main course arrived at the table. My favorite banchan involved radishes in various forms: julienned, cubed, sliced, and so on, pickled in so many delicious ways. I loved the cool, crisp crunch of the radish and the subsequent explosion of pickling juice that would follow with each bite. They were a sharp, effective palate cleanser to the salty savoriness of galbi or the sweetness of bulgogi. Ever since that first magical visit, I’ve been a fan of Korean food and flavors… and most importantly, pickles!

James linked this pickled radish & jalapeño recipe to me while I was in the Philippines, so I gave it a go when I came back to LA and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make. I tweaked the ratio of sugar and jalapeños because we prefer our pickles a little spicier and less sweet, but feel free to play with the ratio according to your preferences. I also chopped the radish rather coarsely because we are radish fiends–but you can make smaller slices if you wish, especially if you’re using the pickling juice as a sauce for meat. Either way, I hope you give this very simple recipe a try–whether you’re a banchan fan like me or looking to spice up the condiments at your dinner table. You won’t be disappointed!

Print Recipe

Korean Pickled Radishes & Jalapeños

Author: Kris Cooking Method: Pickling Cuisine: Korean Courses: Side Dish

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 5 min Rest Time 12 hour Total Time 12 hrs 15 mins Servings: 12 Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Description

Savory, spicy, and sweet: these pickles are a great side dish for any Korean meal (and taste pretty fantastic as a snack).

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 pound Korean or Japanese radish, sliced into 1/8-in. thick strips
• 3 large jalapeños, sliced (and de-seeded if you don’t like too much heat)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup soju (can sub with rice wine or sake)
• 1 cup white sugar

Instructions

1. Loosely pack the container you're using with the radish slices, jalapeño slices, and diced onions.

   For reference, I used 4 12-oz. mason jars, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

2. Combine the soy sauce, white vinegar, soju and white sugar into a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves. Heat the saucepan on high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Remove the pan from heat.

3. Immediately pour the mixture over your vegetables.

4. The vegetables will rise to the top of the liquid. In order to ensure that they stay submerged, weigh the vegetables down with something (I used heavy ceramic spoons, for example).

5. Allow the jars to come to room temperature, then remove the heavy object and cover. Let the pickles sit overnight at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge where they can be stored for up to 6 months.

6. Pickles will taste better after at least 2-3 days of pickling and will continue to develop a rich flavor in the weeks afterward!

Keywords: Asian, budget, gluten-free, healthy, Korean, low carb, pickles, radishes, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian