Description
Takuan is a traditional Japanese and Korean dish, often served at the end of the meal, as a topping or with sushi. You might know it takuwan, takuan-zuke and or danmuji (in Korean). Learn how to make this easy takuan recipe in just a few easy steps.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 daikon radish
- 15ml (1 tbsp) salt
- 125ml (1/2 cup) sugar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) rice wine vinegar
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground turmeric
- 125ml (1/2 cup) water
Instructions
- Peel the radish and then slice it thinly as desired (see notes).
- Sprinkle with salt and leave for 2 hours in order to draw out moisture.
- Place the salt, sugar, vinegar, water and turmeric in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Continue stirring the pickling mixture until all the salt and sugar have dissolved. Set aside to cool down.
- Squeeze the excess moisture out of the radish and place the vegetable in a sterilised, airtight storage container.
- Pour in the pickling liquid, ensure all surfaces of the radish are covered.
- Wait for at least 2 days, but preferably 1 month, for the flavours to develop.
- Serve with a bowl of rice or miso soup.
Notes
- Some methods entail keeping the whole radish intact and only slicing it after it's been fermented for a long period.
- Traditionally, takuan is cut into thin rounds or julienned. In this case, I used KitchenAid's vegetable cutter and created sheets. This makes room for creativity, e.g. slicing them in fettuccini-like strands to top rice with.
- Turmeric is used to lend the radish its golden colouring. Traditionally, the radish turns yellow naturally after long periods of pickling. These days, shortcuts are rampant, hence the use of turmeric.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pickling
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Japanese