A Tasty 5-Ingredient, No Cook Radish Side Dish You'll Make Again and Again
(Photo: Kimberly Wang)
In quarantine, making sure that we’re eating balanced meals with a side of vegetables can bed something of a challenge. We get groceries only once every two weeks, and so a lot of the fresh vegetables I get are of the root variety, because they tend to have a longer shelf life. Also, I’m a fan of making something in bulk, so that I only have to do realcooking two or three times a week. This dish has been seriously a life-saver in quarantine because it requires no cooking at all, and just five simple ingredients so that we always have something fresh to go with our meals. (I have to give a shout out to my best friend, since I adapted this recipe from her own radish dish).
(Photo: Kimberly Wang)
Ingredients
3 bushels of radishes, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced into quarters
1/4 cup of white vinegar (optional)
3 tablespoons of salt, for extracting water
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of salt, for seasoning
1 tablespoons of sugar
2 stalks of scallion, trimmed and sliced thinly
(Photo: Kimberly Wang)
Directions
1. This first step is optional, but do this if you want to give your radishes an extra thorough cleaning. Cut the stalk and root off of each radish while keeping your radishes whole. After washing your radishes in water, place them in a large bowl along with the white vinegar to soak for 30 minutes.
(Photo: Kimberly Wang)
2. Pour out the water, take your radishes, and slice them into 1/2” slices (approximately quarters for the average-sized radish). Next, place the sliced radishes into a large storage container and salt liberally. Use your hand to mix and ensure that every radish with well-coated. Cover the radishes and let them rest for 2-3 hours, allowing the salt to extract liquid from the vegetable.
(Photo: Kimberly Wang)
3. After 2-3 hours, pour out the extracted liquid and give your radishes a quick rinse under clean water to remove excess salt. Add your sesame oil, salt, sugar, and sliced scallions and mix well. (I like to pop the lid back on the storage container and give it a good shake.) Add additional salt and sugar to adjust the flavor to taste. Then, pop in the fridge and store it for up to 5 days.
(Photo: Kimberly Wang)