Daikon Star Anise pickles
Makes about 1 pint of pickles
Tangy, sweet and heady with star anise, I love this easy Southeast Asian style pickle mix of daikon, carrot and hot green chiles. Perfect for bahn mi sandwiches, but equally at home on tacos, salad or make funky tofu pups topped with sweet Asian chile sauce, shredded cabbage and these munchy sweet pickles.
½ pound daikon radish
1/4 pound carrots
4-6 jalapeño or serrano chiles
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
4 star anise
1. Scrape the daikon and carrots and slice into thin long matchsticks no thicker than 1/4 inch: I use a mandolin for this but you can take your time and use a chef’s knife. Slice the the chiles in half, remove the seeds (or keep them in for really hot pickles), and slice into very thin slivers. Toss everything together and pack into a clean, dry 1 pint Mason jar.
2. In a small saucepan bring to a gentle boil the vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns and star anise. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt, then pour over the vegetables in the jar. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before using. To eat, use a fork to scoop vegetable shreds out of the liquid; keep tightly covered and chilled when not using.
