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Chef Chris Cho making Soy Sauce Pickled Radish — This is how you make Soy Sauce Pickled Radish!

Soy Sauce Pickled Radish is one of the easiest side dishes you can make. It’s sweet, salty, and tangy, which will surely brighten up your meals!

In Korea, we love preserving vegetables to prolong their shelf life. This was a culture that began to ensure that there would be food even during the harsh winter seasons. Aside from the labor-heavy kimchi-making process, we also use the easy and less time-consuming pickling method.

I’ve shared my water kimchi recipe before, and here I’m going to share the opposite—Soy Sauce Pickled Radish. This contains crisp and refreshing radish, onion, and peppers in an umami-filled brine. But while this is in a soy sauce brine, the radish releases its own juice as it pickles, so everything balances out perfectly.

I love having this ready in the fridge anytime to easily add zest and balance to my meals. The radish is low-carb and nutrient-rich, giving every dish a quick health boost with minimal effort. Imagine, I just need to chop the veggies, make the brine, and combine it all together. Now I have a delicious side dish for days!

Ingredients for Korean Soy Sauce Pickles

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Korean Radish – This is oval-shaped—short and stout, then white and green in color. It looks very much like a chunky daikon. It’s usually available in Asian supermarkets, especially H Mart.
Onion – For aromatics, adding freshness and balance to the brine.
Jalapeño – This is optional, but highly recommended for the extra kick.
Soy Sauce – For the savor and umami; Use regular soy sauce.
Apple Vinegar – For the acidity; Use any sweet vinegar.
Allulose or Sugar – For the sweetness to balance everything out; Use regular sugar or substitutes you prefer.
Water – This also helps bring balance to the brine, but we’re only using a small amount since the radish will also release its own juices.

How to Make Soy Sauce Pickled Radish

Peel the radish and slice it into 1-inch-thick discs. Slice each disc vertically into 3-4 parts, then chop it horizontally into thin pieces. Now you have thin radish squares.

Place the peppers in a strainer and shake to remove seeds

Slice the jalapeños and place them in a strainer, then lightly shake them to remove the seeds to lessen the spice. Chop the onion into cubes as well.

NOTE: Be careful in handling peppers as the string can remain even after washing your hands. Use gloves and/or wash thoroughly afterwards, then avoid touching your eyes, sensitive parts of your body, or your kids for the meantime.

Place radish, peppers, and onion in a bowl then add soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener, and water

In a bowl, combine radish, jalapeño, and onion. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener, and water. Lightly mix this until the brine ingredients and veggies are well combined.

Transfer the pickled radish to an airtight container and make sure nearly all the pieces are well submerged, then leave in the fridge to pickle.

How to Successfully Pickle Radish

Store pickled radish in the fridge for 24 hours, and it will be ready for consumption. In 2-3 days, it will taste even better as the flavors meld together.
I love the balance in the current recipe, but feel free to adjust according to the flavor you want it to lean on, whether a bit more salty, sweet, or sour/tangy.
Since pickling is food preservation, ensure that your container is clean to prolong its shelf life.
Use a big container or multiple containers and leave space since the radish will also release its own juice, so the brining liquid may increase over time.
This will store well for up to one month. Feel free to add another round of veggies when you run out within that span of time.

Serving Soy Sauce Pickled Radish

Poached chicken served with pickled radish — Enjoying pickled radish with poached chicken!

These pickles will go with just about any dish, but more so with meat! I love eating it with poached chicken, spicy BBQ chicken, soybean paste pork belly, bulgogi, or galbi tang. It’s a great way to add brightness to your meals and to balance out the fat.

Not only that, but the brine is also a great sauce for seafood pancake, dumplings, and most especially in Korean BBQ!!

Other banchan side dishes you might like:

Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!

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