Not everything I make turns out good tasting but that doesn’t mean it goes straight into the garbage can. Instead, I see it as an opportunity to get creative and play with my food to see if I can transform it into something decent-tasting.
Picked daikon was one my most recent not-so-successful cooking adventure. I tried to pickle it using the ingredients and the method that I learned from making kimchi. I guess I was too heavy-handed with the seasoning because the daikon turned out too spicy to enjoy as a stand-alone side dish.
It wasn’t so spicy to the point where a single bite would make me tear up and cough, but the spicy aftertaste just lingered in my mouth a little too long. So I decided that in order to save it, I would need to add in a little something to tone down the spiciness.
I chose to add in sliced cucumber and it turned out to be the perfect addition! The cool, juicy cucumber just lightened the spicy kick of the daikon and infused a sense of freshness into the dish as well.
Adding in a single ingredient made such a difference. What I originally thought to be a culinary disaster transformed into a refreshing, light salad!
Spicy Daikon and Cucumber Salad
Makes 3-4 side dish servings.
Ingredients:
- Daikon, rinsed and peeled, about 2 cups julienned
- 2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 knob ginger, about the size of your thumbnail, minced
- 1 teaspoon Korean red chile flakes (adjust depending on your heat tolerance)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 0.5 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Cucumber, rinsed and peeled, about 2 cups julienned
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
To prepare the picked daikon:
- Place daikon in a colander and toss it well with 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit over a bowl for about 30 minutes. Rinse it and pat dry with paper towel or use clean heads to squeeze out the water.
- Combine the scallion, garlic, ginger, red chile flakes, sugar, soy sauce and rice vinegar in a large bowl. Add in the daikon and combine well. Let the daikon marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer if you wish. Just take note that the longer it marinates, the spicier it will get!)
To assemble the salad:
- While the daikon marinates, take care of the cucumber. Place it in a colander and mix well with 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit over a bowl for about 30 minutes. Rinse it and pat dry with paper towel or use clean heads to squeeze out the water.
- When ready to serve, spread a layer of cucumber slices on the bottom of a plate and place a handful of pickled daikon on top and garnish with a light sprinkle of sesame seeds. Mix up the veggies and enjoy!
P.S. I think this is a great example of just how fun cooking can be! It’s like art in which you can be as creative as you want and you never know what surprises will come your way. Plus the best part is that you get to eat it all afterward!
Did you ever have a similar experience where you felt you really messed up a recipe but then ended up creating something completely different?
Spicy Daikon and Cucumber Salad
Picked daikon was one my most recent not-so-successful cooking adventure. I tried to pickle it using the ingredients and the method that I learned from making kimchi. I guess I was too heavy-handed with the seasoning because the daikon turned out too spicy to enjoy as a stand-alone side dish.
It wasn’t so spicy to the point where a single bite would make me tear up and cough, but the spicy aftertaste just lingered in my mouth a little too long. So I decided that in order to save it, I would need to add in a little something to tone down the spiciness.
I chose to add in sliced cucumber and it turned out to be the perfect addition! The cool, juicy cucumber just lightened the spicy kick of the daikon and infused a sense of freshness into the dish as well.
Adding in a single ingredient made such a difference. What I originally thought to be a culinary disaster transformed into a refreshing, light salad!
Spicy Daikon and Cucumber Salad
Makes 3-4 side dish servings.
Ingredients:
To prepare the picked daikon:
To assemble the salad:
P.S. I think this is a great example of just how fun cooking can be! It’s like art in which you can be as creative as you want and you never know what surprises will come your way. Plus the best part is that you get to eat it all afterward!
Did you ever have a similar experience where you felt you really messed up a recipe but then ended up creating something completely different?