Takuwan -Japanese Pickled Daikon Recipe
By George Kahumoku Jr.
Today I harvested some Japanese White Daikon from my Garden in Watsonville, CA–on a full moon–and decided to make pickled Daikon or Takuwan .
Below is what I recall of a recipe shared by my Mother-in-Law , Kay Kamoku, when I first met her in 1969.
Ingredients
- Daikon radish: 1 -2# peeled and sliced Japanese White Daikon Radish
- Salt: 1 to 2 tablespoons (kosher or Hawaiian sea salt) to draw out moisture
- Rice or apple cider vinegar: 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup water
- Sugar: ½ cup (white or light brown sugar)
- Yellow coloring: 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Extras (optional): A small piece of dried kelp (kombu) or 1/4 tsp shredded nori dried seaweed ( for sea ocean flavor) , 1 crushed Hawaiian chili pepper ( seeds removed ) or 1/4 tsp dried or wet Kim Chee Seasoning for a little spice
1. Procedure:
- Scrape off roots and outer layer of daikon radish . Use knife sideways to scrape & peel off outer skin.
- Cut into Daikon into 1/4” thick rounds or half-rounds
- Place in a bowl or plastic bag. Salt mixture with 1 tablespoon salt
- Mix thoroughly and let sit and rest in plastic bag or covered bowl or container at least 1 hour room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator to take out access water and make radish flexible
- After resting, lightly rinse off the salt from the Daikon and pat dry
- In a saucepan Combine 1/2 cup Vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, and spices and seaweed seasoning. Heat til sugar is liquified. Set aside to cool
- After the sauce is cooled,Load the Dried off Daikon into a 32 Oz jar and fill with the cooled liquid sauce.
- Cover and place bottle upside down on a plate for at least an hour ( unrefrigerated ) to soak up the sauce into the daikon on the top portion of the jar.
- After 1 hour face the jar right side up and refrigerate for at least 2 -3 days before eating
- Bon Appetit! Eat with hot rice, meat, fish, pork, tofu or some other protein
2. Mix the Brine and Color
- Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and turmeric (or your gardenia pod) in a small saucepan
- Heat the mixture until it comes to a light boil and the sugar fully dissolves, then let it cool slightly.
3. Pickle and Store
- Pack the dried daikon slices into a clean glass jar or a sealable bag along with the optional kombu, nori seaweed, and chili pepper or Kim Chee Sauce
- Pour the warm pickling liquid over the radish until fully submerged.
- Refrigerate the container for at least 2 to 3 days before eating, shaking or flipping the container once a day to distribute the bright yellow color and flavor evenly.
