Minimalist Japanese Recipe: DAIKON DASHI TSUKEMONO (JAPANESE RADISH PICKLES)

Tsukemono (lit. “pickled things”) are a staple in Japanese cuisine and are almost always found as a side dish or garnish to any Japanese meal. Their bright colors and wide ranging seasonal ingredients add flavor and texture while cleansing one’s palate and aiding in digestion. We use daikon for this dish but encourage you to use any local, seasonal vegetable.

Prep time: 1 hour before; 3+ hours after | Cook time: 5 mins | Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 200g daikon (Japanese radish) (chopped)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp vinegar
• Handful katsuobushi
• Palm size konbu

Instructions

1. Combine the chopped daikon with salt and let sit for about an hour to remove any water.
2. Wash with water to roughly remove the salt and squeeze by hand to remove any excess water. 
3. Separately dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and mix with the katsuobushi, konbu and daikon from step 2. Let sit for more than 3 hours in the fridge to pickle. Remove the konbu and enjoy.

OPTIONS

• Instead of daikon, use turnip, napa cabbage, cucumber, red peppers, or any of your favorite pickling vegetables. 
• Add chili peppers, shichimi togarashi (seven spice blend), citrus zest, yuzu kosho or sansho pepper for additional flavor. 
• Use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar.