Come try my Korean Pickled Vegetables recipe, also known as Jangajji, a delightful side dish that combines the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and salty flavors. These pickles are a cherished part of Korean cuisine, often enjoyed as traditional banchan alongside your main course. What makes them even more appealing is their versatility, as they’re a favorite at Korean BBQ restaurants, and the pickling brine can even double as a dipping sauce!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
My easy and simple-to-make Korean Pickled Vegetables are a flavorful representation of Korean cuisine, featuring cucumbers, jalapenos, radish, and more, marinated in a sweet and tangy brine inspired by the flavors found in my Korean BBQ Dipping Sauce! This dish is a versatile side that adds an explosion of flavors to your dining experience. It’s the ideal accompaniment to Korean BBQ-style dishes just like my Korean Pickled Garlic recipe, enhancing their taste with its sweet and tangy profile.
I crafted this recipe with just four straightforward ingredients for the pickle brine, requiring less than 5 minutes of preparation and highly customizable to pickled the vegetables you like! Much my Asian Pickled Vegetables and Japanese Soy Sauce Pickled Garlic, it’s a delightful addition that’s easy to make. Prepare to enhance your meals with the explosion of flavors delivered by my Korean Pickled Vegetables recipe!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- White Vinegar – distilled white vinegar.
- Soy Sauce – low-sodium Soy Sauce preferred. Can also use tamari for gluten-free.
- Sweetener – use your preferred sweetener.
- Water – filtered water.
- Jalapeno – fresh and sliced.
- Cucumber – Persian, Japanese or baby cucumbers work best.
- Korean Radish – A plump, round radish variety typically available at Asian grocery stores.
- Onion – yellow, red, or brown onion.
- Garlic– freshly sliced garlic.
Additional Vegetable Add Ins
You can add Carrots, Celery, Cabbage, and Daikon Japanese Radish to this pickling brine for a flavorful twist. Feel free to customize with your preferred veggies for a unique batch.
Essential Kitchen Equipment
Directions
Step 1 In a stove-top pot, combine water, white vinegar, sweetener, and soy sauce. Bring it to a boil, then remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. This step ensures the sweetener dissolves completely in the brine.
🌡️ Brine Temperature Pro Tip
For the best crunch in your pickled vegetables, it’s advisable to wait until the brine cools to Room Temperature before adding them. While some may add the vegetables while the brine is still hot, my testing has shown that cooling the brine results in crunchier vegetables.
Step 2 In a pickling jar, place sliced cucumbers, jalapeno, radish, onion, and freshly sliced garlic.
Step 3 Pour the cooled pickling brine over the vegetables until they are fully submerged. Cover the jar and let them marinate for at least 24 hours in the fridge.
📄 Recipe Notes
For the best flavor, it’s recommended to wait at least 48 Hours or 2 Days before enjoying the pickled vegetables.
Paring Recommendations
These pickles pair excellently with various Korean BBQ-style dishes, enhancing their flavors with their sweet and tangy profile. Consider serving them alongside dishes like Korean BBQ Garlic Pork Belly, Grilled Pork Belly, or Short Ribs Marinade. Additionally, you can use the pickling juice as a dipping sauce for Pan Seared Brisket, Beef Brisket Stir Fry, or my Korean BBQ Pork Jowl dishes adding an extra layer of taste to your meal!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a specific type of vinegar I should use for the brine?
You can use distilled white vinegar for the brine. It's readily available and works well in this recipe.
Can I adjust the level of spiciness in these pickles?
Certainly! You can control the spice level by adjusting the amount of jalapeno you use. Removing the seeds can make them milder.
Are these pickles served cold or at room temperature?
These pickles are typically served cold directly from the refrigerator to preserve their crispness.
Storage Tips
To store leftovers, simply place them in a pickling jar with the lid closed and store it in the fridge. They will stay fresh for 4-6 weeks.
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Korean Spinach Salad
- Korean BBQ Marinated Chicken
- Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade
- Korean BBQ Soy Salad Dressing
Watch How To Make It
Korean Pickled Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 3 tbsp White Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Sweetener your preferred sweetener
- 1 Jalapeno
- 3 Cucumbers Persian, Japanese or baby cucumbers
- 3 Inch Korean Radish can sub with Japanese radish daikon
- 1/4 Onion
- 5-8 Garlic
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a stovetop pot, add water, white vinegar, sweetener, soy sauce, and bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
- Prepare all the vegetables by slicing them into bite size pieces. Note - you can de-seed jalapeno if you prefer less spicy.
- Transfer prepared vegetables to a glass pickling jar (doesn't have to be packed) and pour in cooled pickling liquid from step 2).
- Transfer to a refrigerator and let it pickle at least 24 hours. Note - for optimal flavors, wait 2 days.
Nutrition
*Values Based Per Serving
I wonder how hard boiled eggs would taste with this brine? 🤔 Sounds yummy with the vegees or eggs, I’m going to give it a try.
Hello Jeanette! I’m not entirely sure how eggs would taste with this brine as it is sour. I tend to prefer marinated eggs with a savory and sweet profile, similar to the ones used in ramen. If you’re interested, here’s the recipe https://lcarecipes.com/japanese-ramen-eggs/