My friend Tomoe always has a treat to give me when I stop by now and then to deliver tomatoes or avocados from our garden. I never leave her home without a gift of her delicious mango bread, lilikoi jelly or in this case takuan. I have never thought of making takuan since I only eat it occasionally and it’s readily available in the markets here. After taking a jar of Tomoe’s homemade takuan home and tasting it, I decided it was about time to make my own. Her little yellow pickles were so tasty, crunchy, sweet and salty with just a hint of tartness (much superior to the commercial brands) and, oh so delicious with a bowl of steaming hot rice.
Daikon are not the most attractive vegetable. In fact, with their pale color and gangly shape, they are quite homely. However once you add a bit of seasoning to daikon, they transform into some of the best pickles you can imagine. A case in point is Vietnamese pickles (Do Chua). I adore these pickles piled high in a banh mi. Takuan pickles are delicious served as a side dish with rice and grilled fish, chicken or even tofu. In fact I enjoy just a bowl of hot rice and takuan.
After mixing the daikon with sugar, let it sit for an hour or two. You’ll end up with quite a bit of liquid in the bowl.
Though these pale radishes don’t need to be tinted a bright yellow, their color is actually part of their identity and what we grew up with. Tomoe goes to Japan every year and buys powdered coloring. I have no idea what the box says but it worked.
It takes about a week for the daikon to absorb the pretty yellow color and flavor of the brine. After 2 weeks the pickles are ready to eat.
Onigiri goes hand in hand with takuan pickles!
Homemade Takuan
Adapted from Tomoe’s recipe
Makes 2 quart jars
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds long daikon
2 cups + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup Hawaiian sea salt (kosher or other coarse salt if Hawaiian sea salt is not available)
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
yellow food coloring
Preparation
Peel daikon and cut into 2 inch length pieces about 1/3 inch thick. Place in a large bowl and toss with sugar. Let stand for 1 – 2 hours, tossing occasionally. Do not discard liquid.
Add Hawaiian salt and rice vinegar to the bowl of daikon. Toss to coat well. Add yellow food coloring being very careful not to add too much. You can always add more if the color is not what you expected. Cover bowl well, and refrigerate for 2 weeks, tossing pickles every few days. The amount of liquid from the daikon will vary. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer pickles to quart jars and cover tightly. Takuan pickles will last for months stored in the refrigerator.
I am glad that Tomoe’s delicious takuan convinced you to make your own… and share the recipe with us! What a wonderful friend… especially one that gives you mango bread and lilikoi jelly!
It’s a beautiful presentation of a most unique pickled vegetable. I agree, daikon are gorgeous on their own – but, wow, do they shine with a beautiful yellow color and fry-like cut. I bet you could put these on bahn mi, too, for a little fusion.
Yes thanks to Tomoe for her simple recipe. You just have to be patient for about 2 weeks while the daikon marinates in the sauce. These would be great in a banh mi!
Do you add the vinegar and salt, to the sugar mixture and do you at any stage boil the mixture?
Hi Geraldine! I add the vinegar and salt to the bowl of daikon and stir well after the 1 -2 hour rest when the daikon is mixed with the sugar. I do not boil the liquid. I updated the instructions a bit so hopefully it is clearer. Mahalo and good luck!
I love takuan – my Bachan used to live on a farm just outside of Vancouver (Canada) and she grew her own daikon and made takuan!
I now live in London (UK) and I miss eating good tsukemono… I have a tsukemonoki but have never tried to make my own takuan (I’ve made salted cabbage, but that’s not the same). Now that I’ve found this recipe, it’s given me inspiration to get my tsukemonoki out and try making a batch (my parents are coming to visit me next month, so if I started now, it would be ready for when they arrived)!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Greetings from Maui Katherine! I hope you give it a try. The one thing I noticed is that once you cut the daikon, well it is quite a powerful scent! I took care to cover my bowl really well when I stored it in the refrigerator….But, the end result was so much better than what you find at the grocery store. Lucky you, home grown daikon memories! Let me know if you make the takuan. Aloha!