Pickled Radish, Cucumber and Carrot

This is an Asian pickled.  This pickle is pretty common in Asian cuisine.  Most countries have their own version but cooking method is similar, 1:1 ratio of white vinegar:sugar.  It can be served as a Korean banchan too.  I tried to use less sugar and the result was less satisfactory as it leans toward sourish.

This is great as an appetizer as the vinegar really increases your appetite.  Not to say vinegar is good for us too.  It said to control high blood pressure, improving digestive system, reduce urinary tract infections and diseases, strengthening bone, etc.  You can do a search on the Web to read more benefits of vinegar.  With this pickle, I finally found a delicious way to have a little vinegar everyday.  Not to say cucumber, radish and carrot are good for us too.  But got to warm you though, this has quite a lot of sugar in it, so if you are watching your sugar intake, be aware.  Also, eat in moderation, a little bit in a day, not the whole thing in a day no matter how tempting it is.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Korean radish, cut into round, then cut into 4 section, then thinly slice each section
• 1 carrot, julienne
• 1/2 English cucumber, seeded, thinly slice
• Some kosher salt

Vinegar Mixture:

• 1 cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup of granulated cane sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Dashes of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

Method:

1.  Add the cut radish in a bowl, sprinkle with some kosher salt and let it sweat.  Add the sliced cucumber in another bowl, sprinkle with some kosher salt and let it sweat too.  At least 30 minutes each.  Then, strain and squeeze it dry.  This step ensure crunchy cucumber and radish.

2.  Add the radish, cucumber and carrot in a glass jar or glass container (I used Glasslock), mix well.

3.  In a small saucepan, add the vinegar mixture and let it boil in medium heat.  Stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Once it boil, take it off immediately and pour into the radish, cucumber and carrot mixture.  Cover and let it mature at room temperature for 1-2 days.  Then keep it refrigerated indefinitely (it won't last that long anyway!). 

Note:  You can reuse the vinegar mixture for the next batch, just reheat it and pour into the radish, cucumber mixture as mentioned in step 3.