Do Chua, aka quick pickled carrots and daikon radish, are sweet, sour, and the signature accoutrement to the banh mi (recipe here!) and Vietnamese vermicelli bowls. But they’ll add a little bit of brightness to anything they touch! The sweetness of carrots paired with the earthy complexity of daikon pair up to create a little piece of heaven, all soaked in a rice vinegar brine.
Recipe Notes
That’s a lotta Do Chua!
Yes, this recipe makes a lot of pickles. But, it’s easy to make a smaller batch– just halve the serving amount on the recipe card and the math will be done for you!
Do I have to heat the brine?
Well, yes and no.
Technically you don’t have to heat the brine– you can throw all the ingredients together in a jar and call it a day. But, I like to heat the brine for a number of reasons:
First, only warm liquid can soak up and dissolve that much salt and sugar. Cold liquid will not dissolve it all, leaving you with a salt/sugar sludge (new band name, called it) at the bottom of your pickle jar.
Second, warm brine will infuse the veggies with flavor more easily than cold brine will, meaning you can eat flavorful pickles minutes after making them.
Last note, a ladle and a canning funnel aren’t required, but they will make your pickling life easier!
Vietnamese Pickled Veggies Recipe
Do Chua
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup rice vinegar
- 1.5 cup water
- 2.5 tbsp salt
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 16 oz carrots peeled and julienned
- 16 oz daikon radish peeled and julienned
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, water, salt, and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat.
- Pack the carrots and radish into jars and pour the hot brine over the top. Seal and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks.
Got pickling fever? See the full guide to pickling here!
