Recipe: Takuan (Yellow Pickled Daikon) - Asians pickle giant white radishes (daikon) all the time

I've never seen pickled red radishes, but Asians pickle giant white radish (daikon) all the time, so I don't see why not.

Simplest pickle to make is a salt pickle: wash the radishes, slice, place in a large plastic bag and add 4% of the radishes' weight in salt. (The bag should be large enough for the brine that will accumulate.) Work the salt through the radishes, then seal the bag and weight it down with something heavy (such as canned goods). Refrigerate 3 to 5 days to pickle.

Another simple pickle adds soy sauce and lemon rind. Wash and slice the radishes and place in one or two layers in a shallow plastic container that has a lid. Slice the pel of 1 lemon into thin strips and sprinkle over the radishes, then add enough soy sauce to fill the container about 1/4 of the way up the radishes. Seal the container, give it a good shake, and refrigerate overnight. (A lot of liquid will drain from the radishes.) Serve chilled. Keep refrigerated a few days.

Finally, here's a recipe for Takuan (Yellow Pickled Daikon):

about 3 pounds daikon radish, peeled and sliced
1 cup water
1/4 cup salt (not iodized)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
1 small dried chili pepper, chopped (optional)

Place daikon in clean canning jars. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and boil to dissolve the sugar. Cool the liquid. Pour over the sliced daikon, seal the jars, and place in the refrigerator. Shake the jars occasionally. The pickles will be ready to eat in about 2 days.

Susan, Hawaii