Easy Korean Yellow Pickled Radish (Danmuji)

This easy recipe for Korean Yellow Pickled Radish (Danmuji) is easy to make and naturally colored. It's commonly served as a Korean side dish or snack.

What is danmuji?

Danmuji is a Korean yellow pickled daikon radish, commonly eaten as a side dish (banchan) [similar to kimchi] with meals.

The bright yellow coloring in danmuji is traditionally from cape jasmine seeds or gardenia fruit (chija), however, many packaged yellow pickled radish contain artificial food coloring, preservatives and chemicals.

The radish is uncooked/raw and can be sliced in half rounds (for eating) or long rectangular strips (used in gimbap).

You can find danmuji in the refrigerated section in Korean grocery stores or Asian supermarkets.

The store packaged ones have a bright yellow color (using artificial coloring). However, I have started to see versions without yellow coloring available.

What does Korean radish taste like?

Danmuji has a crunchy, crisp texture with a sweet and tangy flavor.

Why you'll love this recipe

Adapted from Vietnamese-style do chua (pickled daikon and carrot), this pickle recipe is easy to prepare with ingredients you may already have in your pantry.

Easy to make: this is a quick pickle, so it can be prepared and served in a short time frame.

Minimal ingredients: only requires a few ingredients to make the danmuji pickle from scratch.

All-natural: to color the radish yellow, I used both turmeric and golden berry powder.

If you don't like the taste of turmeric, which can be bitter in large amounts, golden berry powder is tangy and tart, which is perfect for pickles.

Ingredients you'll need

• water
• sea salt
• white vinegar or rice vinegar
• granulated sugar: adds sweetness; you can reduce the amount of sugar if you prefer a less sweet pickle
• bay leaves: optional
• golden berry powder: (also known as cape berry) are small bright orange fruits, similar to tomatillos, but smaller than cherry tomatoes; they have a fruity flavor; you can find golden berry powder online or in specialty health food stores
• turmeric powder: is a yellow-orange colored powder that is used in Indian cuisine; and has a slight bitter taste
• daikon radish: peeled and cut into long rectangular sticks; or half circle; you can find daikon in Asian grocery stores and large supermarkets

Note: Danmuji is made with Korean radish, which is shorter and rounder than daikon, and has a greener top, whereas daikon is mostly white from top to bottom. Korean radish has a slightly more denser texture. It can be difficult to find Korean radish, so for convenience, you can use daikon radish.

How to make Korean danmuji at home

Prepare the daikon radish:

Cut the daikon into long rectangular strips (or slice into half circles), depending on how you want to use them.

Place the daikon radish into a clean, sterile jar.

Make the brine solution:

In a medium saucepan, combine salt, sugar, golden berry powder, turmeric powder, white vinegar, water. If you wish, you can add in bay leaves. Give everything a stir.

Bring the mixture up to a boil over medium heat and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.

Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat and carefully pour over the daikon radish, ensuring that the radish is submerged in the liquid.

Place a piece of parchment paper over the top before securing with a lid.

Cool to room temperature before placing the jar into the fridge.

Note: the radish may float -- that's OK, every once in a while, just give the container a flip upside down to redistribute.

How to serve

You can enjoy the Korean pickles after 2 hours, however they will taste better the next day.

Serve Korean pickled radish as part of banchan (side dishes) along with steamed rice, Korean purple rice, Korean mixed rice (bibimbap), or Korean noodles in black bean sauce (jjajangmyeon). 

Cut in strips, the pickled daikon is used in Korean seaweed rice rolls (gimbap/kimbap).

Pair with other side dishes such as spicy bean sprouts, spicy cucumber salad, Korean fried chicken, japchae, or gochujang meatballs.

How to store

Store homemade danmuji radish pickles in a sterile, airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Since these are quick pickles (and have not gone through the traditional canning process), it's best to enjoy them within a short period of time, about 1 week.

Optional additions

Add garlic cloves, black peppercorns to the brine solution for extra flavor.

Notes

On observation, most store-bought danmuji pickles are made with daikon radish, sweetener, salt and acetic acid with artificial coloring and preservatives.

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