Japanese Takuan Recipe (Pickled Yellow Radish)
Takuan, also referred to as takuan-zuke, is a pickled Japanese daikon radish. It is bright yellow, cut into thick strips, and often served alongside other types of tsukemono (Japanese-style pickles) as part of traditional Japanese cuisine.
Ingredients
- Daikon radish – 1
- Salt – 1 tbsp
- Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Rice wine vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Ground turmeric – 1 tsp
- Water – 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Begin by peeling the radish. Once done, then slice it thinly as preferred. Keep in mind that some recipes tend to keep the entire radish as is and only cut it after it’s been fermented for a long time.
- Next, add some salt and keep it aside for 2 hours. This will help drain all the moisture.
- Now, take a saucepan and add salt, sugar, vinegar, water and turmeric to it. Bring it all to a boil.
- Here, turmeric is added to give the dish its typical golden colour. Traditionally, the radish tends to turn yellow in colour naturally after it’s been allowed to pickle for a long time. But today, in order to make things quicker, turmeric is used in the recipe.
- Make sure you keep stirring the pickling mixture and wait for the salt and sugar to dissolve completely. Keep it away for some time and allow it to cool down.
- Remove any excess moisture from the radish and place it in a sterile, airtight storage container.
- Transfer the pickling liquid to the container containing the radish, and check that all sides of the radish are completely covered.
- Now, keep it aside for at least 2 days and wait. If possible, wait for around 1 month. This will ensure that the ingredients soak in all the flavours and enhance the pickle’s taste even more.
- Once prepared, you can serve it along with a bowl of rice or miso soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 6gSodium: 352mgSugar: 5g
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