Pickled daikon - the Japanese radish that you marinate in thirty minutes to crunch all summer

A piece of daikon (the large Japanese white radish), a bit of salt, sugar, and rice vinegar: in half an hour, you have a crunchy, tangy, slightly sweet pickle - the little touch that wakes up a bowl of rice, a slightly fatty dish, or a simple salad.

The express pickle worth a thousand

There are long-fermented pickles - the real ones, left to ferment for weeks. And there are quick tsukemono, this family of small Japanese marinated vegetables that you prepare in the morning for the same evening. Those are the ones we're going to make today, with the king of radish from the archipelago: the daikon (大根, literally "big root").

Daikon is a sturdy cousin of our pink radishes, a bit firm, sweet, with that spicy note that reminds us of mustard. In Japan, it is available all year round - in markets, it is sold in sections, often as long as a forearm. In France, it can now be found organic and in Asian markets. Failing that, a black radish or a white turnip make a very similar pickle.

The recipe (a jar, to be left for 30 min to 12 h)

• 300 g of daikon (about 15 cm), peeled and cut into thin slices or sticks
• 1 tsp of fine salt
• 3 tbsp of rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp of sugar (brown cane or white)
• 1 pinch of dried chili (togarashi if you have it)
• 1 small piece of kombu (5 cm) - optional but delicious
• 1 tsp of white toasted sesame seeds

The gestures

1. Salt and let it drain: in a bowl, sprinkle the daikon slices with salt. Mix well, let it sit for 20 minutes. It will release its water: this is the key to crispiness.
2. Gently press with your hands to remove the water. Do not rinse.
3. Prepare the brine: dissolve the sugar in the rice vinegar (cold, while whisking). Add the chili, the kombu if you have it.
4. Put in a jar: pack the slices into a small clean jar, pour the brine. The liquid should just cover; complete with 1 tbsp of water if needed.
5. Let it rest in the fridge: minimum 30 minutes to crunch, 12 hours for a well-penetrated pickle. Keeps 10 days in the fridge.
6. At the time of serving, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Where to serve it

• Next to a bowl of Japanese rice with a bit of grilled tofu or a soft-boiled egg - it's the emergency meal that looks like a meal
• On a sandwich or a Vietnamese banh mi (the daikon pickle is its soul)
• With a noodle soup a bit fatty - the acidity cuts and lightens
• In a raw vegetable salad to bring the lively note
• As an appetizer, like small Japanese cornichons, to nibble

The right gesture

Do not cut too thick: 2-3 mm for the slices, in small thin sticks for the raw vegetables. The finer it is, the faster the pickle takes and crunches well.

A homemade pickle is thirty minutes of active patience - not a big deal. And once you've got the hang of it, you always keep a small jar somewhere in the fridge: it's the little detail that makes a simple meal look finished.