To make this sweet, salty, spicy, satisfyingly crisp bite o' banchan, we were inspired by elements from both of these two recipes from one of our favorite Korean food blogs, Evil Jungle Prince.
Serve it alongside a meal with rice and several other dishes, or use it as an element in cooking something new and creative.
Cubed Radish Kimchi
1 daikon radish (weighing approximately 1 1/2 lbs.)
Water and kosher salt for brining
2 tsp Korean fine chili pepper powder
1/2 bulb of garlic, finely grated
1 1/2" fresh ginger, finely grated
4 tsp Korean anchovy sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 tsp Korean coarse chili pepper flakes
4 scallions, green parts only, sliced into 1" lengths
1 1/2 tsp rice flour
3/8 C water
Fill a big non-reactive bowl (this means no metal!) with cool water and stir in a handful of kosher salt. Peel the radish and cut into 1" cubes. Put the radish cubes into the brine and leave them there to soak for 20 minutes.
Make rice porridge by mixing the rice flour into the 3/8 C water and bringing it to a boil, at which point it will thicken, then removing it from the heat and setting it aside to cool to room temperature.
Sterilize a jar. (Yeah, this seems kinda silly, but all the recipes I've read suggest it, so why not?)
When the radish cubes are done brining, rinse them off with cool water. Mix in the Korean fine chili pepper powder.
Mix all the other ingredients into a paste, then mix them into the radish cubes, making sure that all the cubes are basically smeared all over with this stuff. This is tons of fun to do with bare hands.
Put the whole mess into a jar and screw on the lid. Leave it out at room temperature for about 40 hours, at which point it is ready for eating and should be kept in the fridge henceforth.
Shopping Guide
The most convenient place we've found to buy any and all Korean pantry staples you may need is Han Ah Reum, 25 West 32nd St. between 5th Ave. and Broadway in Manhattan.
