1 or 2 dried Thai chili peppers or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Brine:
½ cup rice vinegar or white vinegar
½ cup + 2 Tbsp hot water
½ cup sugar
Instructions
Wash the daikon radish. Cut it into the shape of your choosing. You may wish to cut it in half lengthwise and thinly slice it, but you could also spiralize it, cut it into matchsticks, thick sticks, shred it or cube it. Adapt the cut to your intended use.
Put the prepared daikon into a bowl and add 1 Tbsp of salt. Massage the salt into the freshly cut radish. Let the radish sit for 15 minutes as it draws out the bitter water.
Once 15 minutes is up, rinse the daikon well with cold water and set aside.
In a separate bowl or a 2-cup glass measuring cup, prepare the brine. Mix together the vinegar, hot water and sugar. Stir well until all of the sugar is dissolved.
If you wish to add garlic to your pickled daikon, peel and smash a clove of garlic and add it to the brine now.
Put the daikon radish into a clean pint canning jar. If you slice it thinly and pack it tightly it will likely all fit into one jar. If you use a larger cut you may need to put the daikon into two pint jars. If you are using the dried chili peppers, add them to the jar along with the daikon.
Pour the vinegar brine over the daikon until the liquid covers the daikon and is nearly to the top of the jar. Put a lid on the jar and close it tightly. Put it in the refrigerator and let it set for a minimum of 2 hours, but preferably 24 hours.
