Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots (Do Chua)

First of all, I have to thank my dear friend Diane, who shared this recipe with me.  Her Do Chua is the best I have ever had (so I must share this with you), and the easiest recipe to remember!  (1:1:1).  With a little extra effort of salting and rinsing the vegetables first, you are left with flavorful, crisp, and pungent Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots that are a must for Vietnamese Sandwiches (stay tuned for that recipe).


Eat HappiLee!

Pickled Carrots (Do Chua)

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 daikon radish

1-2 carrots (enough to have almost a 1:1 ratio to the daikon)

salt

Hardware:
vegetable peeler

colander

mandolin

salad spinner

Directions:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin from the daikon and carrots.
• Using a mandolin (or julienne slicer), shred the vegetables and place in a colander.
• Sprinkle shredded vegetables lightly with salt. Fold and mix with your hands and sprinkle more salt to ensure everything is thoroughly lightly salted. This will help leach out moisture from the vegetables and add flavor.
• Meanwhile, as vegetables are marinating, pour 1 cup water, 1 cup white sugar, and 1 cup vinegar into a large jar to dissolve sugar. (I like to reuse a jar of Costco size marinated artichokes, which they no longer sell that size anymore, but you get the picture)
• While sugar is dissolving, by now much of the liquid from the shredded vegetables should be leaching.  Rinse the vegetables in thoroughly in cold water and drain.
• Squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands and/or use a salad spinner lined with a cheesecloth or paper towels to get the majority of the liquid out.
• By now the brine should be completely uniform, if not give it a few shakes to evenly distribute solution.
• Place drained vegetables in jar of brine and ensure the vegetables are all submerged in brine.
• The pickled carrots are ready to use in as little as a few hours and can be kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks. 
• They are commonly added to Vietnamese Sandwiches to add a pungent bite. They are also great as a side with Vietnamese Cold Rice Noodle Salads, or Rice Plates.