Chinese Pickled Radish 中式醃蘿蔔

When talking about pickled radish, oftentimes the Japanese version will pop up in my head right away. Like the ones you get at a fine sushi place, the nearly pearl-colored lightly sourish taste radish. 

However, we are going to make the "Chinese" version this time. Still got that sourish element, but in a stronger and more dominant way. To counter that black vinegar aroma, soy sauce, chili, and Sichuan peppercorns were also used. So think of it as a more powerful kind of pickled radish.

Chinese pickled radish 中式醃蘿蔔 - 

Ingredients?

• 630 grams radish (I used two medium sized radish)
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Some salt
• 2 slices ginger (about 1mm thickness)
• 1 red chili
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 100ml soy sauce
• 60ml black vinegar

How?

Trim-off the very tips of radish, but no need to peel. Rub the radish with some salt, rinse-off and scrub till cleaned. Dry well, better further use a paper towel to wipe-off any water remained.

Cut the radish to about 1mm thickness slices, no more than 2mm. Add the radish slices to a big mixing container. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, massage in the sugar and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes. I actually let it sit for about 25 minutes.

After that, really use your force to squeeze dry the radish slices then transfer to the container you'll be using for the final storing process. Make sure the container is safe for some heated oil. By the way, after marinating with sugar, the radish slices will turn a bit softer so it shouldn't get torn easily when squeezing. But still be careful not to break all the perfectly round pieces though.

Scrape then slice the ginger, we'll need two 1mm thickness slices here. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Destem and slice the red chili to rings. Use not as spicy red chilies if you just want a kick instead of overly fiery note for the pickles.

Pour in 1/2 cup of olive to a medium pot. Switch to medium or medium low heat and wait till the oil gets warm, but not sizzling hot. Add in 1 tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorns. Swirl the pot a little, maybe lower the heat a bit too to prevent burning.

Add in 100ml soy sauce, 60ml black vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Swirl or mix till all the sugar has been melted.

Remove the pot from the heat and pour all over the radish slices. Scatter prepped ginger, garlic, and red chilies throughout. Give it a few mixes then cover with lid. Into the fridge and marinate for at least one hour.

The pictures I have here for the final pickled radish is the result of sitting in the fridge for one hour. Even with such short time, the flavors were mostly soaked in already, super delicious I would say. 

The pickled radish can sit in the fridge for like 10 days. It will further absorb the seasonings a little more, but surprisingly it won't turn overly salty for some reason. In fact, I especially like the ones with deeper soy sauce coloring. The Chinese version of pickled radish tastes so good, I can even munch on the pickles without any other dishes to eat along with.

Note that a layer of olive oil will gradually coagulate on top after storing in the fridge for some time, which is completely normal. Just remember to start eating the radish on the bottom, since they have already soaked up all the flavors.

You can also find a deeper container and store these pickled radish. That way when the oil thickens on top, it can actually act like a barrier, nicely keeping all the radish slices below fully soaked in the seasonings. 

Japanese version of pickled radish:

• Japanese pickled daikon 大根漬け

Miso Crunch Salad With Seared Salmon - Such a Colorful Meal

Such a colorful meal! I was taking pictures of this salad, and through the camera lens, all these colors looked so vivid and vibrant. In fact, the actual thing was just as showy. It's amazing how pretty a salad can been, all sorted and presented in a single plate.

Miso crunch salad with seared salmon - 

Ingredients (about two portions)?

Main:

• 100 grams kale
• 1/2 medium carrot
• 1 small chunk purple cabbage
• 1 small bundle parsley or cilantro
• 1 small pack/34 grams crispy ramen snack
• 1/2 cup/60 grams green peas 
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

Salmon:

• 250 grams salmon fillet
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons white sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon lime or green lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

How? 

Mix all the ingredients listed under the "dressing" section. Set aside for later use.

Peel-off the salmon skin if any. Also use your fingers and feel and flesh throughout, making sure there're no bones within. But of course we're going to slice the salmon to medium size cubes, which will also help in finding any hidden bones if any.

Coat the salmon chunks with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and black pepper. You can bake these salmon cubes in the oven, but I simply sear them using a pan instead. Either way works fine. Just make sure the salmon cubes are cooked-through. Once ready, remove from heat and set aside waiting for assembling in the end.

Now let's prep all other ingredients for the actual salad part. Have big container ready, roomy enough to mix the ingredients with dressing without worrying about spilling.

Use the leafy part of the kale only, give it few rough chops. Peel and julienne the carrot, or just use thin peels instead. Chop the parsley or cilantro. Thinly slice purple cabbage, which will roughly fill in one loosely packed cup. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Prepare a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Add in the green peas and cook for no more than a minute. Drain and let cool.

Add all that prepped ingredients to the big container, along with toasted white sesame seeds and a small pack of crispy ramen snack. Remember to crumble the noodles before pouring into the container.

Pour in the dressing too. Toss till combined. Taste and see if any more seasonings are needed. If unsure, I do suggest to use less salt in the beginning because the crispy ramen snack can be quite salty to begin with.

Once flavor checked, arrange on serving plates. 

This recipe should be good for two full servings, so two plates sounds like a good idea. Arrange cooked salmon throughout.

Such a healthy and delicious meal. Well, maybe except the crispy ramen snack part. But you know what, you can totally omit the ramen snack if don't feel like using it. However, if you still craving for a crunchy bite in the salad, perhaps use croutons instead, or some crumbled crackers.

Just remember to add in the croutons or crackers last minute, because they tend to get soft and soggy faster than the fried ramen noodle snacks.

Other salad recipes:

• Shabu pork salad in homemade miso dressing
• Chopped kale and chickpea salad with roasted chicken in red wine vinaigrette dressing
• White bean and tuna salad (insalata di tonno e fagioli)