After sharing Soy Sauce Broiled Dango Balls, Salty Tea Snacks recipe by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
I continue exploring her book Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Fall 2012) and its flavors with what might be considered a side dish.
Sweet-Vinegared Daikon and Carrots
Namasu
Serves 4 to 6
Often served at New Year, namasu is a bright and crunchy dish that acts as a refreshing digestive during the holidays when there are guests and we tend to overeat. The sugar-to-vinegar ratio is one of taste, but I prefer these a bit astringent, with not too much sugar, since daikon and carrots are especially sweet in the winter. Namasu keeps for about a week and is a pretty splash of color on the table with almost any meal. The carrots are a dominant color that can overwhelm the dish, so keep the balance of daikon to carrot at roughly 2 : 1 (or 70 percent daikon and 30 percent carrots). This dish is best made in winter from freshly picked daikon and carrots at their peak of flavor.
1 cup (250 cc) organic rice vinegar
3 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
3 cups (700 cc) julienned daikon (1¾-inch/4-cm thin matchsticks)
1¼ cups (300 cc) julienned carrots (1¾-inch/4-cm thin matchsticks)
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Zest from 2 small yuzu or 1 large Meyer lemon, cut into fine slivers
Heat the vinegar and sugar together in a small saucepan over low heat to melt the sugar. Cool to room temperature before using.
Keep the daikon and carrots in two separate bowls. Sprinkle the daikon with 1 teaspoon salt and the carrots with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Massage the salt in gently and let sit for 10 minutes before squeezing out the excess water and dropping into a clean medium-sized mixing bowl. Toss the daikon and carrots with the slivered yuzu peel and cooled sweet vinegar. Chill for 1 day before serving cold.
(* Recipe from Japanese Farm Food-Fall 2012- by Nancy Singleton Hachisu reproduced with permission of publisher Andrews McMeel, photographs by Kenji Miura, all rights reserved)