Introduction

Jangajji (장아찌) are Korean pickled vegetables preserved in soy sauce, vinegar, or fermented pastes like doenjang and gochujang. Long before refrigerators, Korean households used jangajji to keep seasonal vegetables for months. Today the most common style is a sweet-salty-sour soy sauce pickle of onions, chilies, garlic or perilla leaves, served as a crunchy banchan, especially with grilled meat, noodles and fried foods.

Jangajji at a Glance

Quick facts

• What it is: vegetables pickled in soy sauce brine, vinegar or jang
• Main ingredients: vegetables plus soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water (for the common style)
• Taste: salty, sweet, tangy and crunchy
• Main uses: banchan with rice, Korean BBQ, fried foods, noodles

What is Jangajji Made Of?

Almost any firm vegetable can become jangajji. For soy sauce jangajji, a brine of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water is boiled and poured over the vegetables. Traditional versions instead bury vegetables in doenjang or gochujang for weeks. Unlike kimchi, jangajji does not use chili-garlic seasoning paste and relies on the brine for flavor.

Types of jangajji

• Yangpa jangajji: onion pickles, the most popular at Korean restaurants.
• Gochu jangajji: green chili pickles.
• Kkaennip jangajji: perilla leaves layered with soy brine or seasoning.
• Maneul jangajji: whole garlic or garlic scapes pickled in soy and vinegar.
• Doenjang or gochujang jangajji: radish, cucumber or chilies aged in paste.

What Does Jangajji Taste Like?

Soy sauce jangajji is salty and savory up front, then sweet and sour, with a crisp crunch. The vegetables keep a bit of their own character: onions turn mellow and juicy, chilies stay bright with mild heat. It works like a palate cleanser next to rich, fatty meats.

Popular Korean Dishes That Use Jangajji

Korean BBQ

Onion jangajji and its brine are served with samgyeopsal and grilled beef.

Donkatsu and fried foods

The tangy pickles cut through crispy fried pork cutlet and dumplings.

Rice and lunchboxes

Perilla leaf jangajji wrapped around a spoonful of rice is a classic simple meal.

Gimbap and noodles

Chopped jangajji adds crunch like danmuji does.

Easy Onion Jangajji Recipe (Makes about 1 quart / 1 liter jar)

Ingredients

• 3 medium onions, cut into bite-size squares
• 4–5 green chilies or jalapeños, sliced into rings

Brine

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Wash a glass jar and lid in hot soapy water, rinse and dry completely (or sterilize it with boiling water).
2. Pack the onion and chilies into the jar.
3. Bring the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
4. Carefully pour the hot brine over the vegetables until they are covered. Leave to cool with the lid off.
5. Close the lid and refrigerate. The pickles are good to eat after 1–2 days and best after 3–4 days.

Tip: For crunchier pickles that last longer, drain the brine after 3 days, boil it again, let it cool and pour it back over the vegetables.

Where to Buy Jangajji

United States

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Amazon
Search Korean jangajji pickles on Amazon

H-Mart
Search pickled side dishes on H-Mart

Canada

Search Korean pickled vegetables on Amazon.ca

Europe

Search Korean pickled vegetables on Amazon.co.uk

How to Store Jangajji

Keep soy sauce jangajji in the refrigerator, fully submerged in brine, and always use clean utensils. Homemade quick pickles like the recipe above are best within about 1 month. Store-bought jangajji should be refrigerated after opening and eaten by the label date. Discard any batch that smells off or grows mold.

Jangajji FAQ

What is the difference between jangajji and kimchi?

Kimchi is salted vegetables fermented with a chili, garlic and fish sauce seasoning. Jangajji is preserved in soy sauce, vinegar or jang and is usually not spicy.

Can I reuse jangajji brine?

Many cooks use leftover brine as a dipping sauce for meat or dumplings within a few days. For a new batch of pickles, it is safest to make fresh brine.

What is the soy sauce onion pickle at Korean BBQ?

That is yangpa jangajji: onions and chilies pickled in a sweet-sour soy sauce brine, exactly like the recipe above.

Conclusion

Jangajji is the easiest Korean pickle to start with: boil a simple soy-vinegar brine, pour it over onions and chilies, and you have a crunchy side dish ready in two days. Serve it with grilled meat, rice or noodles. For more Korean pickles and ferments, see our guides to danmuji and kimchi.