Yesterday was Steve's birthday luncheon. I made obscene amounts of food. I might be compelled to share the recipes for all the food some day, but there are no pictures to go with any of them, because we ate everything by the time I thought to take a picture. One dish that requires no picture (because it's so simple and no-fuss) was a daikon pickle that I made. It takes minutes to throw together.
The reason I wanted it is because I was making spicy food. I didn't want to cook the daikon, because it was so fresh and tasty. I couldn't serve it outright raw, because it's still got that radish-y sharpness to it. So I salted it. It was so delicious! People kept asking me what I did to it to get it to taste like that. I smiled, and said, "Salt!" They were all amazed, and kept munching on it as a snack.
My friend Frances said that it was (to her) like a healthier version of potato chips, because you get the saltiness, and mild starchiness, but none of the fat. And, since it was in little pieces, it was easy enough to pick up, and munch on.
1/2 daikon radish (about 500 g of daikon in total)
1 tsp salt
Take the daikon, and peel off the skin. Stand it upright, and take off one thin slice (vertically). This will help you have a stable base for the rest of your slices. Lay the daikon on its side, cut-side-down, and make thin (as thin as you can get it) rounds. Stack 5 - 10 of the rounds atop one another, and make thin slices to make little strips. Throw the strips into a bowl, and sprinkle generously with salt. Toss to combine, and let sit for 10 - 15 minutes in the fridge. Serve as a side dish to spicy food. It makes a very refreshing counterpoint to your spicy food, or a delicious low calorie snack.
