My easy Pickled Daikon is a delicious accompaniment to so many dishes. Its crisp, mild texture is perfectly complemented by the tangy and slightly sweet pickling liquid.
Why we love this recipe:
If you’re new to pickled vegetables, this recipe is ideal for you. The pickles are incredibly easy to make.
Pickles such as these are traditionally served in many Asian countries with meals. Their flavour is tangy and yet slightly sweet with a deliciously crunchy texture.
They are quickly and easily prepared and they are versatile in the ways in which they can be served.
Although I enjoy the traditional way in which these pickles are eaten, I have discovered they lend themselves to being used in other ways.
For instance, at a drinks party, a plate of these served with other nibbles will disappear very quickly. As well, they lend themselves to being served with an Asian inspired rice bowl or added to a pulled pork sandwich.
What is a daikon?
Daikon is a radish. It is a member of the brassica family along with cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and turnips. You may also know it as Japanese radish, Chinese radish and winter radish.
Daikon is a root vegetable that resembles a large, white carrot. It can be cooked, eaten raw or, as here, pickled.
Their flavour is slightly sweet but they are mild, without the pepperiness of the red radish varieties.
You may have seen them in Japanese restaurants served finely shredded alongside sushi or sashimi.
How to select a Daikon:
Although available year-round, like other root vegetables they are at their best in winter.
When purchasing daikon, select those that feel heavy for their size and have smooth, unblemished skin. The skin should be as white as possible. Avoid those with spots, bruises or wrinkles.
They can be eaten raw in salads, cooked by boiling, baking or stir-frying, or use them in quick pickles.
Really, you can use them any way that you would use a carrot.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Daikon – use the freshest produce you can find when preparing pickles and preserves. The Daikon is a type of radish, and has a delicious crunchy texture.
Rice Wine Vinegar – a delicately flavoured, slightly sweet vinegar, perfect for pickling, especially in Asian preparations.
Water – it is essential to use filtered/un-chlorinated water when pickling or preserving. (You don’t want the bad taste of the water to affect the final product!)
Sugar – I have used regular white sugar in this recipe. You could also use caster/superfine sugar.
Salt – ensure you use cooking salt or sea salt, as regular table salt may contain caking agents and is much stronger.
Long Red Chilli – this is optional but adds an extra depth of flavour to the pickling liquid.
Step by Step instructions:
Start by sterilising your jar or jars (see how to do this below).
- Peel your daikon.
- Thinly slice.
- Prepare your pickling brine.
- Add the daikon slices, and allow to sit for five minutes before putting in a jar.
Tips for success and FAQs:
When making your own pickles and preserves, always ensure you are sterilising the jars you will store them in. This is very simple to do:
- Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well.
- Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts.
- Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and leave the jars for 15-20 minutes.
It will last in the fridge for up to two weeks. Ensure that the liquid is always covering the daikon.
Absolutely – this recipe can be adapted to make a smaller or larger batch, depending on the quantity you require
My preference is for rice wine vinegar, but it does also work fine with white wine or apple cider vinegar.
These pickles are great companions to fried foods, such as spring rolls or deep-fried chicken. Also, they are good additions to hot dogs, hamburgers and barbecued ribs. I also like to serve them alongside my Thai Chicken Meatballs and Mushroom San Choy Bow.
No, like the carrot, just give it a good scrub and the peel can be left on if you prefer. However, for the pickles, I have removed the peel.
After cutting the daikon, you can store the remainder in the fridge, wrapped in cling-wrap, for 2–3 weeks.
More delicious preserve recipes for you to try:
Once you start making your own preserves and pickles, it is hard to go back to store-bought!
Try these recipes also for more inspiration:
- Preserved Chillies in Oil
- Japanese Pickled Ginger (Gari)
- Dill Pickled Cucumbers
- Apricot Jam
- Plum Jam
- Fresh Peach Chutney
- Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Balsamic Glaze
- Homemade Jalapenos
- Beetroot Pickled Turnips
I hope you’ll love this Pickled Daikon recipe. If you try it, or have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!
Alex xx
Pickled Daikon
Equipment
- 1 x 27 ounce/800 ml Jar
Ingredients
- 500 g daikon See Note 1
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar See Note 2
- 1 cup water See Note 3
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt See Notes 4 and 5
- 1 long red chilli optional
Recipe Measurements:
For accuracy, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results.
Instructions
To Sterilise the Jars:
- Sterilise the jar or jars you'll be using to store the daikon.Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts. Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and place the jars in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
For the Daikon:
- Peel the daikon, and thinly slice.
- Combine the water, sugar, vinegar, salt and chilli in a non-reactive saucepan.
- Over a medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and add the daikon.Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Using tongs, place the daikon pieces into your prepare jar, and pour over the brine.
- Allow to cool on your kitchen bench for 30 minutes, and then refrigerate.
Notes
- Daikon can be found in Asian grocery stores and through some fruit and vegetable specialists/markets.
- I have used rice wine vinegar in this recipe, however, you can also use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- It is essential to use filtered/un-chlorinated water when pickling or preserving. (You don’t want the bad taste of the water to affect the final product!)
- Ensure you use cooking salt or sea salt, as regular table salt may contain caking agents and is much stronger.
- The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In most other countries the tablespoon is 15ml or 3 teaspoons.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on the entire jar, and you will not be consuming the brine.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Yvonne
I had never tried, not really had an interest in trying picked daikon (or any radishes in general) since I always assumed they’d be too ‘hot’ for my palate, but then I had some in a soup at a restaurant. Very next shopping trip I picked up some daikon and just found your recipe. It sounds great and I will be giving it a try today! Thank you, and I’ll try to remember to keep you posted on the results!
Alexandra Cook
Hello Yvonne,
Oh, I do hope you enjoy making your own pickled daikon 🙂 We just love having these on hand – they go so well with so many things!
Would love to hear how you get on! Thanks, Alex
Yvonne Hugli
It turned out so well! I should have asked how long should I leave it to actually pickle before eating them? I couldn’t wait and opened it up the next day, then had a friend berate me for not leaving it 6 weeks to actually get done. Also, what’s the shelf life once opened? Refrigerated, of course.
Alexandra Cook
Thrilled to hear this!
They’re absolutely fine to eat the next day 🙂 I usually leave them 24-48 hours for the best flavour. For this recipe, I prefer to consume them in about 2-3 weeks, so not as long as a traditional pickle, but I find the flavour is best and I also prefer the nice crisp texture of the daikon. After that time, the flavour does dull a bit and the daikon softens. We answer a few FAQs regarding this in the “Tips for Success” section of the blog post.
Thanks for trying the recipe, Yvonne!
Enjoy! 🙂
Samantha
Having made several batches of your Gari, I decided to also make the daikon. So good. Love the crunch and how simple it is. Will always have this on hand. Trying your spicy cucumber recipe next!
Alexandra
Hi Samantha, thank you for your lovely feedback on the Pickled Daikon. I am so pleased that you enjoy it and will be trying the Spicy Cucumber Pickles next. I appreciate that you took the time to let me know. 🙂