Salted Radish Banchan

This Salted Radish Banchan is Korean Side Dish featuring strips of Preserved Radish in a hot, tangy sauce made with Gochujang Chili Paste.

This Korean Banchan, or Side Dish, is of the Bokkeum type, similar to my Octopus Banchan, except, of course, that instead of Octopus, the central ingredient is the Chinese style Salted Preserved Radish. I am not sure if this actually is ever used in Korea for this type of dish, but the basic culinary theme is preserved and the umami rich Radish goes nicely with the slightly sweet Gochujang Sauce.

Ingredient Notes

If you are not familiar with Salted Radish, you may with to read my Introduction to Preserved Radish. You can generally find it in Asian grocery Stores. You may wish to soak your radish strips for about 20 to 30 minutes to remove some of the saltiness. The Korean Chili Paste, Gochujang, also called for in the Recipe Card below, can often be quite salty as well so taste both products to see whether (or how much) soaking you need with the Radish strips.

Also, Gochujang can be quite sweet, but some are not. This dish should have a little sweetness so, if your Chili Paste isn’t all that sweet, you can add a teaspoon or two of Sugar during the final stage of cooking.

The Method

First, mix together the Gochujang with the rice wine and vinegar. Set this aside for now.

Now, heat a little oil in a pan over high heat and sweat the onions until they begin to soften.

When the onions are done, add the radish along with the sauce mix and let the whole bubble and seethe until the sauce is reduced to a syrupy glaze. Remove from heat and let cool before garnishing with the sesame seeds for service.

I served some of this batch of Salted Radish Banchan with Korean-style Grilled Flanken-Cut Ribs and another Banchan of my Homemade Cabbage Kimchi.

Your Recipe Card:

Print Recipe

Salted Radish Banchan

This Salted Radish Banchan is Korean Side Dish featuring strips of Preserved Radish in a sweetened sauce made with the Gochujang Chili Paste.

Course: Accompaniment, Banchan, Side Dish

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Gochujang, Rice Vinegar, Rice Wine, Preserved Radish

Author: John Thompson

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Salted Radish sliced into slivers;
• ½ a medium Onion sliced into thin slivers;
• 1 ½ Tbsp. Gochujang;
• 4 Tbsp. each of White Vinegar and Rice Wine;
• Sesame Seeds for garnish.

Instructions

• If necessary, soak the Preserved Radish strips in fresh water to remove excess saltiness.
• Mix the Gochujang with the Rice Wine and Vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
• Fry the onions in a little oil until softened.
• Add the Salted Radish and the Sauce Mix and reduce the sauce to a syrup consistency.
• Let cool and garnish with Sesame Seeds before service.