Vietnamese Pickled Carrot and Daikon Recipe (Do Chua)

Pickled carrots and radishes are a very common condiment in Vietnamese cuisine. In Vietnamese, they’re called ”đô chua”, which literally translates to ”pickled stuff”. The vegetables are soaked in a sweet and savory mixture made of white vinegar and sugar.

You’ve probably seen the popular condiment in bánh mì sandwiches (I’ll post the recipe tomorrow), gơi gà (Vietnamese chicken salad) or spring rolls. Carrots and daikon are a must; today, I also added white onions, but you could combine any other root vegetables.

This recipe doesn’t require any particular skill. All you need are basic ingredients and a little patience. Our family loves đô chua. So I always make sure we have some on hand. I prepare the vegetable pickles in advance, transfer them to a jar and store it in the refrigerator. You can keep the pickled veggies for up  to 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.

1. Info for Vietnamese Pickled Carrot and Daikon Recipe (Do Chua)

• Cook Time: unavailable
• Total Time: unavailable
• Servings: 34
• Calories: unavailable

2. Ingredients for Vietnamese Pickled Carrot and Daikon Recipe (Do Chua)

• 2 small carrots
• 1 large daikon radish
• 1 white onion, peeled, halved and sliced
• 1-½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ to 3/4 cup white vinegar, to taste
• 1-½ teaspoons Kosher salt

3. Directions:

1. Place the sliced onions in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit for about 1 hour. Press out and drain all the liquid. Rinse in a water bath, then drain the liquid and pat dry.
2. Dissolve the remaining salt in vinegar.
3. Peel the carrots and daikon and shred them. If you use the Messermeister tool (see tips), you’ll get long threads of carrot and daikon pieces. Cut into about 3-inch pieces.
4. You could also slice the vegetables with a mandoline, then julienne them using a sharp knife but I wouldn’t recommend using a grater blade on a food processor as the vegetables will become a bit soggy and mushy.
5. Place the carrots and daikon in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar. Drizzle with the vinegar. Toss well. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Add the onions and mix well. Drain the vegetables, reserving as much liquid as possible.
6. Fill the Mason jars with the pickled vegetables. Divide the vinegar equally among the 3 jars. Fill with water. Place the lid of the jar and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
7. For optimal flavor, allow about 4 days before opening the jar.
8. Voilà!