Recipe: Daikon and Carrot Pickle with Variations (Vietnamese)

DAIKON AND CARROT PICKLE
"If you only have one pickle for banh mi, this is it. Many banh mi shops opt to use only (or mostly) carrot for their do chua (literally "tart stuff"). In your kitchen, emphasize the slight radish funk for a sandwich with more character and cut the vegetables big enough to showcase their crunch; limp pickles get lost."


1 medium daikon, about 1 pound (450 g)*
1 large carrot, about 6 ounces (180 g)
1 teaspoon salt, fine sea salt preferred
2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup (3.5 oz / 105 g) sugar, divided use
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) distilled white vinegar
1 cup (240 ml) lukewarm water

Peel and cut the daikon into sticks about 3-inches (7.5 cm) long and 1⁄4-inch (6 mm) thick, the width of an average chopstick. Peel and cut the carrot to match the size of the daikon sticks but slightly skinnier.

Put the vegetables in a bowl. Toss with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Massage and knead the vegetables for 3 minutes, or until you can bend a piece of daikon and the tips touch without breaking. They will have lost about a quarter of their original volume.

Flush with running water, then drain in a mesh strainer or colander. Press or shake to expel excess water. Transfer to a 4-cup (1 l) jar.

For the brine, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup (105 g) sugar with the vinegar and 1 cup lukewarm water until dissolved. Pour into the jar to cover well. Discard any excess brine.

Use after 1 hour or refrigerate for up to a month. If the daikon gets stinky, open the jar and let it air out for 15 minutes before using. The pickle hasn't gone bad.

*Select daikon that's firm, relatively smooth, and no wider than 2-inches (5 cm). A batch of this pickle requires one that's about the length of a forearm. See variations below for worthy daikon substitutes.

VARIATIONS:
When daikon is unavailable, try another radish or similar kind of vegetable, such as red radishes, watermelon radishes (red meat radish), and purple top turnips. Pickles made with watermelon and red radishes are a striking pink-orange. The turnip will be stark white. Whatever you select, it should have bite. I usually choose red radishes a good 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide, and turnips and watermelon radishes weighing about 8 ounces (225 g) each. If using watermelon radishes or turnips, peel then cut them into sticks like you would the daikon. Treat the carrot as suggested in the main recipe. Leave red radishes unpeeled and cut them into rounds a generous 1/8-inch (8 mm) thick. Cut the carrot lengthwise, then thinly cut the halves on the bias. The shapes won't match, but carrot rounds take longer to pickle. After tossing the vegetables in salt and sugar, let them sit for about 10 minutes so they'll be easier to squeeze. Brine as usual.

Makes about 3 cups (750 ml)
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Ten Speed Press
Source: The Banh Mi Handbook by Andrea Nguyen