Back in high school, when my taste in foods was just barely starting to broaden, my friend Kim N. fed me and our friends Vietnamese salad rolls (gỏi cuốn) and spring rolls (chả giò) after school. Ever since then I’ve loved that cuisine! I recently got back in touch with Kim, and during one of our get togethers she taught me how to make simple, quick pickles with daikon and carrots (dưa chua). It was easy, and I’ve applied a similar method for the ruby-red Japanese Long Scarlet radishes we had planted in our garden last year.
Yes, I reused a jar from a commercial brand of pickles. 😉
Ingredients
- a bunch of mild radishes, tops removed, scrubbed and sliced into thin discs; start with 1/2 a pound and go from there 🙂
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup vinegar: try apple cider, rice, or even a mix of plain distilled with sherry vinegar
- 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar, brown or white
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt
- optional spices: some slices of ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, garlic, etc.
Method
- Clean and dry a 1-pint jar and lid.
- Stuff as many radish slices into the jar as you could manage, but leave about 1 inch of space at the top. If using, add the spices randomly within the radish slices.
- Mix together the boiling water, vinegar, sugar and salt until the solids have dissolved.
- Pour as much of the vinegar solution into the radish jar as can fit.
- Lightly cap and allow to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Tighten the lid and pop into the fridge, if not consuming immediately. Gently shake about once a day for a few days, to mix the flavors. Even though the pickles are edible after making them, their flavor will improve over time. Eat within 2 to 4 weeks.
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