Root Veggie Carpaccio
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Intro
I’ve always loved pickles of all kinds. Growing up in LA or visiting the famous NY delis (Nate n Als, Katz, etc.), I’d finish a full bucket of half sours before our main dishes even showed up; I usually have a jar of half sours in the fridge at all times nowadays. Of course, growing up Taiwanese (and Japanese adjacent), all sorts of pickled veggies were common parts of meals as sides, flavoring soups, in braised dishes…
As you can tell, a lot of my dishes and recipes are pretty rich — pickled veggies are typical sides I make (plus generally super easy to prepare!). This is one I’ve been making all winter with a lovely blend of beets, carrots, and winter radishes. It’s only two ingredients — salt and water — and a very “light” pickle; it borrows from the basic concept for the Japanese shiozuke pickling style. The light brine works well with radishes especially because it slightly mellows the bite and spice of radishes — not too much, but just enough.
You can make this “carpaccio” with other veggies like celery and cucumbers, but I’d do this with the heartier roots like radishes, watermelon radish, turnip, etc. if possible. I’ve also made this with the chicory veggies, like raddichio, which has a similar taste profile as radishes. I’ll list the other veggies I’ve tried or would recommend that aren’t pictured in the photos below!
What You'll Need
Enough to be a side dish for 3 - 4 people; need about 3 hours for the brine to settle~
Veggies pictured in the photos on this page:
3 medium watermelon radishes
1 large purple top turnip
2 - 3 small yellow beets
1 bunch red & purple radish
2½ cups water
3½ tsp Himalayan pink salt (or sea salt)
Other veggies I’ve used/that would go well:
Tart apples (e.g. Granny Smith, Gold Rush)
Chicories (e.g. radicchio)
Kohlrabi
English hothouse cucumber
Rainbow carrots
Instructions
Prepare your root veggies:
In a large enough container, combine the salt and water and stir, put aside to let the salt fully dissolve; as you prepare your veggies give it an occasional stir to help it
Peel your veggies if needed (e.g. you don’t need to peel regular radishes, obviously)
Slice your root veggies as thinly as possible — I use a mandolin but BE CAREFUL…I almost sliced off my thumb; if you’re uncomfortable using a mandolin just slice with a knife
Brine the veggies:
When the salt has fully dissolved in the water, add your sliced veggies into the brine; mix well
Let brine in the fridge for at least 3 hours; if only using hard root veggies, you can keep them in this brine until ready to serve up to 1 week (which I’d recommend otherwise they’ll dry out); if using soft and watery veggies (e.g. cucumbers), I’d remove from the water after the 3 hours
That’s it!
I wouldn’t use red beets because the color bleeds everywhere, plus yellow beets have a less earthy and sweeter taste
How to Enjoy!
These mildly spicy pickled veggies pair well with Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, Miso Cod recipe (coming soon), or any other richer meat dish. I usually just make a big batch if I’m making these and snack on any leftovers throughout the week (:
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