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–+ servings

Japanese Pickled Daikon Radish (Bettarazuke)

Prep Time15 minutes
Pickling Time2 days
Total Time2 days 15 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 8 portions

Ingredients 
 

Day 1

  • 300 g daikon radish
  • 15 g salt 5% of the weight of the daikon, non-iodized sea salt

Day 2

  • 125 ml amazake (sweet fermented rice drink)
  • 10 g salt non-iodized sea salt
  • 20 g sugar
  • 1 dried red chili pepper
  • 5 g dried kelp (kombu) optional for added umami

Instructions 

Day 1

  • Peel 300 g daikon radish and cut in half lengthways. If the daikon is particularly thick, cut them in half again (long quarters).
    Daikon radish peeled and cut in half lengthways on a wooden chopping board
  • Place the pieces in a large sealable freezer bag and sprinkle in 15 g salt.
    daikon radish in a sealable freezer bag with salt
  • Massage the salt over the daikon, then push the air out of the bag, seal it and place it in the fridge overnight.
    daikon radish with salt in a sealable freezer bag in a mixing bowl
    • Store the bag in a bowl or container to catch accidental leaks.

Day 2

  • Remove the daikon from the bag and dry it thoroughly with kitchen paper. Pour the accumulated liquid out of the bag and rinse it thoroughly with cold water.
    daikon radish after salt treating
  • Cut the daikon into 0.5-1cm thick slices. (Approx 1/4 inch)
    daikon radish cut into half-moon slices
  • Deseed 1 dried red chili pepper and break it into small pieces, and use scissors to cut 5 g dried kelp (kombu) into thin strips. Place them in the bag along with the daikon slices and add 125 ml amazake (sweet fermented rice drink), 10 g salt and 20 g sugar.
    daikon radish in a sealable freezer bag with amazake, kombu, dried chili, sugar and salt.
  • Push the air out of the bag, seal it and massage the ingredients together for about one minute. Store in the fridge overnight.
    daikon radish in a sealable freezer bag with amazake, kombu, dried chili, sugar and salt.
  • Once you're happy with the flavor, drain the liquid and transfer the pickles to air tight container. Enjoy as a snack or side with a Japanese meal!
    bettarazuke sweet pickled daikon radish on a black plate topped with thin slices of kombu and dried red chili

Notes

Buy kome-koji amazake, not sake-kasu: Read the bottle. 甘酒 / kome-koji / rice malt is correct. 酒粕 / sake-kasu is alcohol-forward and gives you a different pickle entirely.
Weigh the salt at 5% of the daikon: Below 3% the osmotic pull stalls and the daikon stays watery. Above 6% over-salts. A digital kitchen scale ensures accuracy.
Refrigerate from Day 1, never the counter: Room-temperature lactobacillus outruns the koji amylase, the pickle goes sour in a day, and the sweetness collapses into acidity. Cold-chain pickle from the salt-press onward.
Do not freeze it: Daikon is more than 80% water. Ice crystals tear the cell walls apart.
Pat the daikon dry before pickling: Surface water dilutes the other ingredient and cuts the amazake concentration. Paper towels or a clean cloth, both sides, until the daikon stops feeling wet to the touch.
Discard the Day 1 brine, do not reuse it: That liquid is cell water plus dissolved salt. Pouring it back in dilutes the Day 2 pickling liquid and gives a weak and watery pickle by morning.