When I was in the grocery this week I spotted some daikon radishes and picked one up. I was impressed that the young man who rang up my groceries recognized every item of produce in my cart, including the radish. He went on to tell me he collects fruit and vegetable seeds from around the world and attempts to grow new, interesting varieties in his own garden. Daikon, in Japanese, means “big root” and that’s just what it looks like. The greens had already been trimmed away but I understand they are also good eating. Unlike the red bulbous radishes we are all familiar with, these are white and their shape resembles a large carrot. They are high in potassium and vitamin C and very low in calories. My husband just read a book that talked about the health benefits of turmeric so good to know this recipe also calls for turmeric. There are countless recipes for both cooked and raw daikons but I wanted them for a salad. I used my spiralizer to make the salad but you can also thin slice the vegetables on a mandolin. Basically what you are doing is pickling the vegetables. It’s a refreshing salad with a nice crunch.
Vegetables:
1 daikon radish (12-16 oz)
1 English cucumber
1-2 carrots
Medium size sweet onion
1/4 cup pickling salt
Pickling Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp turmeric
Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, and turmeric in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until all of the sugar has dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool completely. While the pickling mixture cools prepare your vegetables.
Use a spiralizer or a mandolin to prepare your vegetables. The spiralizer is so much fun!
Once all of the vegetables are prepared put them in a mesh colander and sprinkle with the salt. Allow the vegetables to sit for about an hour, tossing occasionally.
Give them a couple of thorough rinses to remove the salt before putting them in a sterile glass jar.
Pour the cooled pickling liquid over the vegetables. The vegetables should all be submerged.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.
Now all you have to do is dish some up and enjoy. We each had a plate for lunch today.
NOTE: You can use more cucumber, red radishes, more carrot. Whatever appeals to you. I used half rice vinegar and half brown rice vinegar because that is what I had on hand. Be sure to allow the salt ample time to draw out the liquid in the vegetables so they have a nice crunch to them after brining.
The Finnish Dish 
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