00:00Ever wonder how they make that deliciously crunchy, sweet and vibrant yellow pickled
00:04daikon?
00:05Traditionally, it takes weeks of drying and months of fermenting, but this shortcut version
00:10of takuan is ready in just 3 days.
00:12For a printable version of this recipe, visit my website, just google takuan space statue
00:17to find me.
00:18So here I have 450 grams of daikon radish that I've already washed, and I'm just going
00:24to peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler.
00:27Once that's done, cut in half length weights, and then cut thick half moons.
00:32The thickness depends on your preference, but I like them pretty thick and crunchy.
00:38Half moon is the most common shape for takuan, but if you plan to use this for sushi rolls,
00:43you can cut into sticks instead.
00:46The traditional method starts by hanging the whole daikon out in the sand for a few weeks
00:51to dehydrate, but we're speeding things up by cutting it up and drawing out the moisture
00:57with salt.
00:58Okay, once it's all cut, place it in a sealable bag and add salt about 2-3% of the
01:05original
01:06weight of the daikon.
01:07For 450 grams of daikon, that's between 9 and 13.5 grams, which is about 1.5 teaspoon
01:15to 2 teaspoons of salt.
01:17The salt helps draw out the moisture and intensify the flavor of the daikon.
01:22Massage until the pieces are evenly covered, then push the air out.
01:26Seal it and place in a flat container with a 1kg weight on top.
01:32I'm using a bag of flour, which is good for evenly distributing the weight.
01:36We're going to place that in the fridge for at least 3 hours, overnight if you have time.
01:43Okay, it's been 24 hours, and if you look here, you can see that liquid has accumulated
01:48at the bottom of the bag.
01:50We want to get rid of that, so grab a mixing bowl and place a sieve or colander over the
01:56top.
01:56Pour the contents of the bag straight in to drain the liquid and give the daikon a good shake
02:02to remove as much moisture as possible.
02:08Once that's done, place the daikon pieces back in the bag and add 65 grams of light brown sugar
02:14and 4 teaspoons of rice vinegar.
02:17Give it a good massage to help cover all those daikon pieces evenly.
02:22If you prefer to use white sugar, that's absolutely fine.
02:25If you can't get rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar work too,
02:30just keep in mind it will alter the flavour a bit.
02:34Next, I have a 3g piece of kombu, one dried red chilli, and a dried gardenia pot.
02:42Traditional takuan that has been pickled for months naturally turn quite yellow,
02:47but in this shortcut recipe, this little pot is what is going to give my takuan the vibrant yellow colour
02:54in a short time.
02:56So, pierce it all over with a fork to help extract the colour quickly.
03:00Place the kombu, chilli, and gardenia pot in the bag and push all the air out before sealing it up.
03:06We want as little air as possible so that sugar and vinegar can pour around the daikon,
03:13always making contact with the surface.
03:15If you can't get dried gardenia pots, then no worries.
03:19In this recipe, it's purely for the aesthetic and you can simply leave it out or even use yellow food
03:26colouring instead.
03:27That's what supermarkets often do too.
03:29Place it back in a flat container to prevent any leaks and put it back in the fridge for 1
03:35-2 days.
03:35As time goes on, the colour from the gardenia pot will seep out and stain the daikon.
03:41But you will need to flip the bag over from time to time to ensure even colouring.
03:46I usually flip it whenever I grab something from the fridge for breakfast or dinner.
03:51Okay, it's been about a day and a half and this is the final result.
03:56So, I'm going to drain the liquid and remove the kombu, gardenia pot, and chilli.
04:01I also like to rinse it with some fresh water to wash away any sliminess produced from the kombu.
04:08Give them a good shake and then transfer them to an airtight container.
04:13Since they're quick pickles, they don't last as long as traditional takuan and should be eaten
04:18in about a week, but that's fine by me.
04:22Vibrant, sweet, and perfectly crunchy shortcut takuan without months of pickling
04:28is the perfect snack or side dish to serve with a Japanese meal.
04:33Want even more delicious recipes?
04:35Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
04:39Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time, and if you're ready to cook,
04:43grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up
04:48on your screen. Here we go, the link to the full recipe is on the screen for you now,
04:52and if you want to watch more similar videos, don't miss my pickled sushi ginger video popping up on
04:57your screen as well. Thanks so much for watching and I hope to see you in the next one. Bye!
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