Japanese inspired side dish - Pickled Daikon with carrot and Pickled Garlic Cucumber in Ponzu

We live in on a tropical island and sometimes the heat just makes it hard to stomach a meal. So I love to make Japanese type of pickled vegetables to go with my meals as something sour invigorates the tastebuds and gives me better appetite.

From a TCM perspective, Daikon, helps to relieve food stagnation which is also indigestion. It's a versatile vegetable that can be transform into many yummy dishes, like radish cake or radish carrot soup. If you suffer from a sluggish system, this dish helps to remove toxins in your body.

I love pickled Daikon with Carrots and another favourite is pickled cucumber in Ponzu. These are very easy make ahead sides that you can keep for a few days and are very handy to add variety to any meal.

Daikon with Carrot

Pickled daikon and carrot with Yuzu Honey citron

Ingredients:

• Japanese or Korean daikon or radish (use a quarter if it's a long one, short ones, half) - sliced
• one carrot - sliced
• half teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon of korean Yuzu honey citron
• 4 tablespoon of Japanese rice vinegar

Procedure:

• in a clean and sterilized container, you can boil it in hot water to sterilize it, throw in the Daikon, juliened carrot and Celtic Sea Salt. 
• Close the lid and shake the container hard to let the salt toss in the mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes. 
• Open the lid and carefully drain the liquid from the container, I use the cover to make the opening smaller so the contents doesn't drop out. 
• When fully drained, add vinegar and honey yuzu citron to the contents, close the lid and shake the container again to allow it to coat the vegetables. Keep refrigerated until serving time. 

Pickled cucumber with garlic and Ponzu

Cucumber is not only refreshing for a hot summers day, it's also a powerful food that helps to nourish the digestive system and cool it. 

You can make more than 3 types of side dish from here

Ingredients：

• 1 Cucumber - sliced (peeling is optional)
• Half teaspoon of Celtic sea salt
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of Ponzu

Procedure:

•  in a clean and sterilized container, you can boil it in hot water to sterilize it, throw in the sliced cucumber and Celtic Sea Salt. 
• Close the lid and shake the container hard to let the salt toss in the mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes. 
• Open the lid and carefully drain the liquid from the container, I use the cover to make the opening smaller so the contents doesn't drop out. 
• after draining the liquid from the cucumber, you now have Shio pickled cucumber, which can be another side dish.
• When the liquid is drained, add in minced garlic and Ponzu 
• Close the lid and shake the container again to allow the ponzu to coat the cucumber
• Refrigerate for an hour before serving so the garlic can permeate the cucumber

Variations:

With this as the based, you can also add (pick and choose)

• cooked black fungus
• chopped coriander
• chili oil
• roasted peanuts
• sesame oil
• sliced red onions

Alternatives:

• substitute Japanese rice vinegar with chinese black vinegar for a more potential hit of sourness
• Any kind of salt can be used if you can't find Celtic sea salt

Nutritional value:

Daikon: Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and folate

Carrots: Vitamin A, Biotin, Vitamin K1, Potassium, Vitamin B6

Cucumber: Vitamin C, vitamin K, Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese

Feel free to make adjustments to the recipe to suit your taste, if you would like to reference this recipe on your own site, do link this to your blog.