By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 4
130 cal · 90 min
Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot Pickles (Do Chua)
Recipe GLPR0a076eed2f2ff3
Crisp, tangy Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrot strips with a delicate balance of sweet and sour flavors. This traditional condiment is light, refreshing, and perfect as a side dish or accompaniment to banh mi sandwiches and rice bowls. The vegetables soften slightly while maintaining their snap, developing complex flavors as they marinate.
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Ingredients
1 lb Fresh daikon radish, peeled and cut into 3×¼-inch strips
2 Medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3×⅛-inch strips
1 tsp Fine sea salt
½ cup plus 2 tsp Sugar, divided
1¼ cup Distilled white vinegar
Directions
Place the cut daikon and carrot strips in a clean bowl or glass jar. Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the vegetables and toss gently to distribute. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the vegetables to begin releasing their moisture.
In a separate small bowl, combine the vinegar with ½ cup of the sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Set the pickling liquid aside to cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
After 10 minutes, gently squeeze the daikon and carrot mixture with your hands to release excess liquid. Drain away the accumulated liquid from the bowl.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar over the drained vegetables and toss gently to coat.
Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Stir gently to ensure all pieces are evenly submerged in the pickling liquid.
Cover the bowl or jar and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The pickles will develop deeper flavor as they sit longer. They keep well refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Comments
This is a genuine five-ingredient condiment that wilts and flavors in under two hours active time, with daikon and carrots widely stocked at any Charlotte chain—Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and ALDI all carry them year-round at modest cost. The real work is slicing (which the stated time glosses over), and the actual hands-on is closer to 15 minutes plus three hours passive brining, not 90 minutes of continuous work. Cost per serving runs roughly $0.75 with bulk daikon doing the heavy lifting. The pickles reheat beautifully and work equally well as a fresh condiment for banh mi, fried rice, or pho, which makes this genuinely useful for a week's worth of lunches. Seasonality is irrelevant here since both roots store well year-round in the South.
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