PICKLED DAIKON AND DAIKON CAKES

It's been a very busy summer.  Summer weather is quite different then any other year.  Hotter and dry.   Some of the fruits in my garden are like in stunned mode.  Luckily in some part of California, weather has been great for crops.  These DAIKON were beautifully grown by community down in Salinas.  What to do with large DAIKON?   I didn't know what to do.  I just start cutting them into pieces or shredded them.  Julienned Daikons were used for MISO Soup; shredded Daikons were used to make radish cake - ROBO' GAO that we enjoy at the Dim Sum house on weekend;  large chunks and sticks ... well, I decided to pickle them.   I just placed them in a sanitized jars, filled all the way to the top with Japanese rice vinegar, chili pepper flakes... and also mixed some sugar with rice vinegar to add some sweetness.  Clean jar's neck clean to keep bacteria from forming.  Tighten the lid on; then, refrigerate.  After two months... oh my gosh, they are fantastic!  refreshing pickled Daikons that go well with rice dishes.

 For Rice Cakes

 For Pickles

 For MISO Soup

 For Pickles

 For radish cakes

 Rice flour for radish cake.... I think mixing some Tapioca flour would have been even better??

 Shorten the shredded Daikons into shorter threads.

 Pickling in recycled bottle after sanitized

 Refrigerate for 1-2 months; Then, enjoy!   *a reminder - always use a clean utensil to transfer pickles out from the jar to a serving plate.  Never reuse the utensil that has been used for other purpose to avoid contamination of the pickles.