Sweet & tangy quick pickled daikon radish recipe with a crisp crunch! Quick & easy to make and requires no heat, just a refrigerator!
Table of Contents
- What is Pickled Daikon?
- Variations and Few Ways to Use Quick Pickled Daikon
- Ingredients for Quick Pickled Daikon
- Joyce's Daikon Radish Tips
- How to Make Pickled Daikon Radishes (Chicken Mu)
- How To Remove the Bitterness Out of Daikon Radishes
- How Long Can You Store These Quick Pickled Daikon Radishes?
- More Easy Snacks You May Like
- Recipe Card
- More Korean Recipes You May Like
What is Pickled Daikon?
Pickled Daikon radish is a simple pickled radish dish that doesn't require any heat. They are quick and easy to make and can be ready in a few hours after it has been refrigerated, but tastes best after it has sat for 24 hours. They are sweet, and have a amazing crunch to them.
Almost every Asian culture has their own version of quick pickled daikon recipe. Koreans call it Chicken Mu, because it is a great side dish with fried chicken, Japanese have one made with sake and rice vinegar called Takuan which are dyed yellow and used in sushi, and Vietnamese have thinly sliced ones made with garlic called Do Chua! All are delicious!
There's something so satisfying about snacking on crispy sweet and sour veggies. My fridge is so full with jars of pickles and condiments, I honestly wonder how I ever have room for anything else in there.
Another delicious pickle recipe I can't get enough of is this Authentic Italian Giardiniera Recipe which makes use of fresh peppers and an assortment of veggies and is delicious on charcuterie boards.
This quick and easy pickled daikon radish recipe was inspired by the ones I love eating with Korean food. They are typically served as banchan (little Korean side dishes).
Pickles are not limited to just snacking though, I find them very versatile, here are a few different ways you can use them!
Variations and Few Ways to Use Quick Pickled Daikon
- Add carrots to make them Vietnamese style (Do Chua) - You can add finely julienne carrots and daikon to this recipe to make it a Vietnamese style (Do Chua). They are fantastic on banh mi, banh xeo, sandwiches, hotdogs, and burgers. Just make sure you squeeze out all the liquid before using it.
- Cut them into cubes and use Korean radish to make them into Korean pickled radish (Chicken Mu) - Cut them into small cubes so that they are crunchy and serve them with heavy foods like Korean fried chicken, kalbi (Grilled Korean Short Ribs) or use it as a banchan (Korean side dish). Using a Korean radish, instead of daikon would also give it a crunchier texture.
- Use rice vinegar and a bit of sake and make it Japanese pickled daikon (Tsukemono) - Adding a bit of sake and rice vinegar and chili will make it slightly spicier. I like to have it as a palate cleanser with some sushi or sashimi.
- Use Cucumbers instead - You can use cucumbers if you enjoy the fresh crunch of them!
- I like to serve this tossed in salads or noodles, I even have a watermelon feta salad that uses this pickled daikon which I find adds a nice sweet and tart flavor that balances the saltiness and sweetness from the watermelon and feta.
- You can also add quick pickled daikon radish to charcuterie platters, tacos, or fresh rice spring rolls.
- Chop it up and mix them into creamy salads (potatoes salads, tuna salads) to break up the heaviness
- Eat them as-is right out of the jar.
Ingredients for Quick Pickled Daikon
Daikon Radish - For this pickled daikon recipe, I like to use daikon radishes which I find at the Asian grocery store. That being said, I have also seen daikon radishes being sold at my local grocery stores as well. When you are shopping for daikon radishes make sure they are very firm. I like to give it a squeeze, it shouldn't be soft or bendy. The harder it is, the fresher it is. It should also be white in color, and not yellow or brown.
Sugar - Any type of sugar will work with this pickled radish recipe. I use cane sugar at home, so this is my go-to to sweeten this pickling liquid, but you can use white sugar as well. I try to stay away from brown sugars, only because it will turn the pickle brine brown.
Vinegar - I like to use white vinegar for this recipe because it's easy to find and doesn't have any extra flavors in it besides being tart, but you can also use rice vinegar as well but the pickling liquid will be slightly yellow.
Red Chilies (Optional) - If you like garlicky pickles smash a clove and put it in! If you like spicy pickles add a few chilies in! I left them whole but you can slice them up as well for a more even distribution.
Joyce's Daikon Radish Tips
- Add a slice of beet for pink-colored pickles! A little beet goes a long way, a small slice of it will be more than enough.
- If you like garlicky pickles smash a clove and put it in!
- If you like spicy pickles add a few chillis in! I left them whole but you can slice them up as well for more even distribution of heat.
- You can also use this same recipe and add some thinly shredded carrots to it to make it a Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon dish (Do Chua).
How to Make Pickled Daikon Radishes (Chicken Mu)
1.) Cut Them Into The Shapes & Sizes You Like
The general rule of thumb is, the thinner you cut your ingredients the faster it will pickle. However, if you plan to keep it overnight anyways then it doesn't really matter how fast it pickles!
I like to cut my daikon into long thicker rectangular shapes for pickling partially because of versatility and it's easy. You can always go from large to small but you can't go backwards.
With the thicker rectangular strips, I can choose to cut these daikon radish pickles into thin slivers for sandwiches when I'm ready to use them or I can cut them into cubes for salads or snacking. If I choose to just eat them straight out of the jar a thicker rectangular cut has a bit more crunch to it as well.
2. )Make The Pickle Brine and Add the Daikon Radish Into It
In a separate bowl, mix together all the brine ingredients (detailed ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.) Taste the vinegar solution to see if it is sweet or tart enough for your preference.
Peel and smash 1 clove of garlic to flatten it and release the juices and put it in the brine.
Then add in the chopped daikon radish into the brine.
3.) Refrigerate For a Minimum of 4 Hours
It takes about 4 hours for the brine to penetrate the daikon radish, but it vary depending on how thick you cut the shapes. It will tastes best if you can leave it overnight.
How To Remove the Bitterness Out of Daikon Radishes
I salt my radish before I pickle it to remove the bitterness from the daikon radish.
I have noticed that depending on how fresh the white daikon is, you might produce bitter daikon pickles. The more soft and bendy (not fresh) daikon you use, the more bitter your pickles will turn out.
To work around this, since not everyone can control how fresh their daikon are, I have added a salting step to draw out the bitter water out of the daikon before we start pickling it. This extra step is definitely worth it and will give us perfect pickles every time.
How Long Can You Store These Quick Pickled Daikon Radishes?
They can be stored for about 2 months, but they taste best within a month.
More Easy Snacks You May Like
- Toasted Sesame Guacamole
- Lotus Root Chips
- Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Salsa
- Charred Lemon Garlic Edamame
- Roasted Okra
- Miso Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) with Black Garlic
- Curtido (Salvadoran Pickled Cabbage Slaw)
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Recipe Card
Quick and Easy Pickled Daikon Radish
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- Add a slice of beet for pink coloured pickles! A little beet goes a long way, a small slice of it will be more than enough.
- You can also add carrots in addition to the daikon radish to this recipe as well.
- If you need more pickle juice, double the pickle juice portion of the recipe
- You can store these for up to 2 months, but they taste best within a month
Ingredients
- 1 small daikon radish (or Korean radish for more crunchiness)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 clove garlic (Optional)
- 1-2 birdseye chili (Optional)
Vinegar Brine
- ½ cup white vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
Preparing the Daikon Radish
- Wash and peel the daikon radish
- Cut the daikon radish to the shape you prefer. (thin match sticks, thick sticks or cubes). and put it in a large bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt and massage it into the freshly cut radish. Let the radish sit for 15 minutes while it draws out the bitter water.1 tablespoon salt
- Once 15 minutes is up, rinse the daikon well with cold water and set aside
Making the Brine
- In a separate bowl, mix together all the ingredients under the 'Vinegar Brine' and set aside. Taste the vinegar solution to see if it is sweet or tart enough for your preference.½ cup white vinegar, ½ cup + 2 tablespoons hot water, ½ cup sugar
- (Optional) Peel and smash 1 clove of garlic to flatten it and release the juices and put it in the brine1 clove garlic
Putting it Together
- Add the daikon radish into glass jars and cover with vinegar brine until the daikon is fully submerged in it.
- (Optional) If you want it garlicky or spicy, add in the optional smashed garlic and whole chili peppers into the jars as well.1-2 birdseye chili
- Seal well and let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably 24 hours.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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More Korean Recipes You May Like
- Easy Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles Stir Fry)
- Tuna Mayo Deopbap (Korean Tuna Rice Bowl)
- Easy Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)
- Easy Soondubu Jjigae Recipe (Spicy Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
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jesse says
you are missing the most important step? how do I do step 2?
Joyce Lee says
Hi Jesse,
I adjusted the post to include the steps in Step 2 within the post. Thank you for pointing this out.
The full recipe is within the recipe card at the bottom of the post. It will also include the ingredients amounts too.
Ann says
Delicious easy and well explained how to do it.
Thank you
Joyce Lee says
Hi Ann!
I'm so happy you liked it! It really makes me happy when I can explain it easily to help make things easier. Thanks for making my day!
Izzy Langhauser says
How long will these last in the fridge? I have a lot lol
Joyce Lee says
Hi Izzy!
I keep these for up to 2 months in the fridge, but they taste best within a month. Hope this helps, and hope you like them! 🙂
Dong Il Kim says
We Koreans don't call it daikon, we call it mu..
Japanese radish is different from Korean radish, and you cannot make chicken radish with Japanese radish.
This is because it is not as crunchy as Korean mu(radish).
Joyce Lee says
Thanks Dong!! 🙂
Although the recipe card states daikon, I do mention that Korean pickles (mu) uses Korean radishes because they are sweeter and crunchier.
Sadly Korean radishes are not always easy to find but I will update the recipe card to reflect that Korean radishes can be used as well to everyone the option 🙂
Judy says
I just returned from 2 weeks in Korea, and I was happy to find this recipe. 🙂 I loved the simple and delicious banchan dishes served with every meal and determined that these simply picked vegetables are an easy, healthy way to add something nice, fresh, flavorful, and crunchy to any meal, and that once I was back in the states I would put some cabbage, some daikon radish, some cucumber, etc and this simple brine into jars in the fridge so they will be handy for any meal!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Judy!
I am so happy you found this recipe! I hope you enjoyed it!
Banchan is definitely one of my favorite things to eat, I end up eating more banchan than my main meals haha 🙂
Great idea to add the extra veggies! It really makes for a more fun dish too!
Hope you had a fantastic trip while you were in Korea and had lots of good eats!
A says
I've now made this recipe twice, and both times it has turned out wonderfully - I'd never eaten daikon before, and it's delicious pickled like this. Thank you!
Joyce Lee says
Hi!
Yay! I'm so happy you liked it! I'm very happy to share 🙂
Sheryl says
I’m making this. I love the taste of ginger and garlic together. Will adding ginger be OL? Also, my daikon radishes are very fresh. I just bought them yesterday. They are super fresh and they taste rather sweet. Should I skip the salt step?
Thanks for sharing all these amazing recipes. I keeps flipping over to new ones want to try them all ha ha ha 😇
Joyce Lee says
Hi Sheryl!
Hmmm that's a very interesting idea. I'm not sure how ginger would be in this...it might overpower the pickles but it also might turn out like the Japanese thinly sliced gingered pickles.
Definitely don't skip the salt step. You'll need the salt to balance out the sweet and sour. I found that whenever I forget the salt, the pickles were always missing that balanced sweet and tangy flavor.
If you love ginger and garlic, you can try my Ginger Scallion sauce (https://pupswithchopsticks.com/ginger-scallion-sauce/) it's amazing on everything, especially plain rice! It doesn't have garlic but you definitely can add a little finely chopped garlic to it as well! 🙂
I'm very happy to share the recipes, and I'm so happy you are excited too! 🙂