Spicy Fermented Daikon Radish Threads
I love fermented daikon!
There…., I said it!
It never seems to fail me when I either include it in another ferment or ferment it on its own.
And it’s not just that I love fermented daikon radish, I get the sense that lactobacillus loves daikon too. It’s radishy, don’t get me wrong, but when daikon ferments, it gets a nice sourness to it which seems to fill out the normal bite of the radish.
While you can find daikon radishes in many markets across the US and around the world, it seems to be in Asia where there is a greater love affair with daikon. In some places, Daikon is referred to as Mooli. While wandering villages and neighborhoods in Nepal during daikon season, I quite commonly have found daikon radishes sliced up and drying in the sun. It turns out this is a preliminary step in the fermenting what the Nepali commonly refer to as achaar. While in Thailand not too long ago, I found a vendor of fermented goodness in the Thursday market up near the Myanmar border. You know you are more rural in Thailand when the markets are named after days of the week and the vendors make rounds from town to town on different days. Anyway, I purchased a delicious spicy fermented daikon there and I’ve done my best to recreate the fermented diakon radish recipe here. This may not be a fully faithful reproduction, but to my taste, but I actually like the tooth of this one better.
Since daikon has a high liquid to fiber ratio, it’s helpful, if you want to concentrate the flavor well, to partially dry it before beginning the fermentation process. You can prep your 
diakon any way you like, but I opted to use a “spiralizer,” a handy little kitchen tool which allows you to make long noodle-like threads from various vegetables. Pictured to the right is the spiralizer that I own and I am confident recommending it. It works well with daikon but also with zucchini, sweet potatoes and other firm vegetables. You can also get an electric spiralizer if you prefer. Spiralizers aren’t too expensive and simply give you another creative option when prepping veggies. If you haven’t tried it before, you can make zucchini “spaghetti” noodles with a spiralizer and toss them raw with a nice fresh pesto and yum!
OK, back to the fermented daikon radish recipe….. I made this ferment fairly simply, with daikon, salt and red chili pepper as the only ingredients. Daikon stands so well on it’s own once fermented that I didn’t want to deflect the taste too much by adding other ingredients. One of the main reasons this recipe does well fermented is that it seems to get better as it ages, at least for my taste, continually getting more sour, even after being placed in the refrigerator. That sourness is a delicious counterpoint to its “radishness.”
Spicy Daikon Radish Threads
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs Daikon Radish
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the Daikon Radish - The first step in this process involved cutting the daikon radish. As mentioned earlier, I used a spiralizer to turn the daikon into long threads. You are welcome to use a knife and cut into matchsticks or perhaps use a food processor or grater to shred the daikon.
- Partially dry the daikon - The next step, which is important, is to partially dry the prepared daikon. I lay mine on a cookie sheet and placed it in the sun for a total of about 8 hours over a couple of days. The point is to remove perhaps half or more of the moisture, but definitely don't dry it out. You're better off with too much moisture remaining that too little.
- Toss with salt - Once it's sufficiently dried, place the daikon in a bowl and toss with the sea salt and Korean red pepper flakes
- Place in fermentation vessel - Once the daikon begins to sweat, mix again to further distribute the salt and then place everything into your fermentation crock and cover. You can also use a quart mason jar with an airlock if you prefer.
- Compress - Compress with your fist or preferably with a compressor/pounder of your choice until you see liquid rising up to the surface. If it doesn't reach the top yet, just cover and let it sit for another a few hours or even over night and compress again. If you can't, through compression, get the liquid level to rise up over the surface, add some non-chlorinated water to the crock to cover the contents when under pressure. If you do add water, mix everything well to sufficiently distribute the salt.
- Wait impatiently - Allow to ferment for 10-14 days. Taste, and once you like it...
- Jar it up - place it in a jar and refrigerate.
Nutrition Facts
Spicy Daikon Radish Threads
Serves: 4 cups
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Amount Per Serving: 1/4 cup
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|---|---|---|
| Calories | 79.87 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 0.85 g | 0% | |
| Saturated Fat 0.21 g | 0% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium 929.13 mg | 38.7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 17.77 g | 5.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 7.07 g | 28% | |
| Sugars 10.2 g | ||
| Protein 2.7 g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Fermentation Recipes
Other Links of Interest
Why Everyone Should Ferment with an Airlock
What Equipment and Supplies Do I Need for Fermenting?
Measuring and Using Salt in Fermenting
Serving suggestions
If you’re a meat eater, or even a veggie burger loving guy like myself, this would go great as a topping for a burger or served with sausage, or on the side with a steak. It would also be delicious simply mixed into a salad, as part of a Chinese Chicken Salad or served alongside roasted veggies as I did the other night.
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Wonder why you would dry it first and then risk having to add tap water? I’d welcome having extra fermented radish water. Have you tried without drying first?
Hi Odile. Like some chefs will reduce a sauce to further concentrate flavor, by partially drying the daikon, I’m giving the daikon a chance to absorb more flavor through the fermentation. I’m sure you’d do just fine without partially drying it and you’re right, you’d end up with extra fermented radish water. Either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Thanks for writing.
Daikon radish offers several health benefits. It is low in calories and fat, high in dietary fiber, and a good source of vitamin C. It also contains antioxidants and minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Daikon Radish is believed to aid digestion, support the immune system, and promote detoxification.
Thanks Suzi for the helpful information.