Pickled daikon and cucumber is cool, crunchy, and refreshing, and it pairs perfectly with heavier dishes. Crisp, sweet, and sour, it also makes a nice snack and is not only delicious, the chunks are satisfying to munch on!
If you have ever had Korean fried chicken, you might be familiar with the pickled radish that is often served with it.
And if you are fan of Vietnamese food, you might be familiar with pickled julienne daikon and carrots, a condiment that is often served on banh mi sandwiches.
And of course, we can't forget the basic pickle -- cucumbers cooked in a pickling brine and the ultimate topper to a sandwich.
This is my take that combines a bit of all those dishes into once delicious recipe!
Ingredients
- Daikon or Korean radish
- Cucumber
- White vinegar or rice vinegar
- Water
- Sugar
- Salt
Optional Ingredients:
- Dried chili flakes
- Fresh Thai chili peppers
What is the difference between daikon and Korean radish?
Korean radish is what is used for the pickled side dish that is served with Korean fried chicken. The radish is often fatter and shorter than daikon and is a bit green on the top, and it also has a stronger flavor than daikon.
That being said this recipe calls for daikon because I find it is more easily found. However, daikon and Korean radish can be used interchangeably with this recipe.
How To Make the Pickles
Daikon: Peel the daikon (or clean the skin well if not peeling it off) and trim off the ends. Cut the daikon into bite-sized pieces, about ½-inch chunks.
Cucumber: Cut the cucumber into bite-sized pieces, about ½-inch chunks.
Pickling liquid: Stir the sugar and salt into hot water until they are completely dissolved and then add the vinegar.
Add the daikon and cucumber chunks into a container or jar and pour in the vinegar liquid. The daikon and cucumber should be completely submerged. If they are not, simply add equal parts water and vinegar to top it up.
Cover the container or jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator overnight before serving. That's it!
Commonly Asked Questions
If you like your pickles to be more sour, increase the proportion of vinegar to water, making sure to keep the total amount of liquid the same. If you use rice vinegar, the flavor will also be slightly different than if you use white vinegar, so be sure to taste test before adding it to the jar.
While you can adjust the amount of sugar to your desired level of sweetness, I would not omit the sugar completely from this recipe. To get a more satisfying, more well-rounded flavor to the daikon and cucumber, you need to have some sweetness to balance the sourness. The same goes for the pinch of salt...it helps offer some depth to the flavor.
Store it in a sealed jar or container in the fridge, and consume within 1-2 weeks.
If you like spice, add a teaspoon of dried chili flakes or halve1-2 fresh Thai chili peppers lengthwise and add them to the jar. Keep in mind that Thai chili peppers are very spicy, so one pepper will go a long way.
How To Serve Pickled Daikon
I love eating a few chunks as a refreshing snack, but it also makes a great side dish for balancing heavier savory dishes. Check out these recipe ideas:
And if you're looking for similar but different type of pickled daikon recipe, be sure to check out my Simple Pickled Daikon and Carrots. This makes a great condiment for salads, sandwiches, or lettuce wraps.
If you love pickles, you'll probably like this pickled daikon and cucumber. Chunky bites that are satisfying to munch on and with a delightful sour sweet taste...and it's so easy to make that there's no reason not to try it!
~ Lisa.
Recipe
Chunky Pickled Daikon and Cucumber
Ingredients
- ½ lb. daikon (or Korean radish)
- ¼ lb. cucumber
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ cup white vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- Pinch sea salt
Optional:
- 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- 1-2 fresh Thai chili peppers, cut lengthwise
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the sugar and salt to the hot water and stir to dissolve completely. Add the vinegar and set aside.
- Peel and cut the daikon into ½-inch chunks.
- Cut the cucumber into ½-inch chunks.
- Transfer the daikon and cucumber chunks to a clean jar or food container.
- Pour the vinegar solution into the jar. Gently shake the jar to help the chunks settle.
- If the daikon and cucumber are not completely submerged, top off either more vinegar, water, or equal parts of both.
- Seal the jar or container and store in the refrigerator, waiting until at least overnight before eating.
Notes
- Korean radish, if you can find it, can be used interchangeably with the daikon in this recipe.
- Adjust the proportion of vinegar to water depending on how sour you like the pickled daikon.
- Keep the total amount of liquid the same.
- Adjust the amount of sugar depending on desired sweetness, but I would not suggest omitting it completely.
- I like saving the Atlas Mason jars from buying Classico pasta sauces and use one of these jars for storing the pickled daikon and cucumbers. However, any food container or jar will work.
- Liquid should completely cover the vegetables in the jar. Add more water or vinegar (or both) to top off the liquid if necessary.
- Allow the daikon and cucumber to sit in the pickled liquid overnight before serving.
- For spice, add dried chili flakes or a fresh Thai chili pepper (halved lengthwise) to the jar.
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this dish or any of my other recipes, I would love it if you could take the time to comment and rate it below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Christi Nguyen says
Can you can this recipe also?
Thanks for the question, Christi! I have never tried, but I can't see why you can't. If you give it a try, please report back!
afra says
Super nice - made it two days in a row and will certainly make it again
Thank you, Afra! So glad you liked it!
Karen says
I love this recipe and had to go to your website.
Thank you for visiting!