Kohaku Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Pickle Salad)
Lucky red-and-white New Year salad: fine threads of daikon and carrot in a sweet rice vinegar dressing with citrus zest.
Ingredients
- 350 g Daikon radish
- 60 g Carrot
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp water or kombu dashi
- 2 slices strips of yuzu or lemon zest, finely shredded (optional)
Method
- Peel the daikon and carrot and cut them into very fine 5 cm matchsticks, keeping the carrot a little thinner than the daikon.
- Toss them with the salt in a bowl and leave for 10–15 min until limp. Squeeze firmly by the handful to remove as much liquid as you can.
- Warm the vinegar, sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool.
- Toss the vegetables with the dressing and citrus zest, then chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the best flavour.
- Serve cold with a little of the dressing. It keeps for about a week in the fridge.
Tips
- Red and white are celebratory colours in Japan, which is why namasu is part of every osechi New Year box.
- A julienne peeler or mandoline makes the fine threads much faster.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Kohaku Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Pickle Salad) in Nouns Cooking