Vietnamese Pickled Carrots & Daikon (Đồ Chua)

A kitchen staple everyone must know and try is Vietnamese Pickles! Picture this – crunchy carrots and radishes doing a happy dance in a pool of sweet, sour, and savoury goodness. It’s like a flavour explosion you didn’t know you needed until now. These pickles, also known as “do chua,” are a staple in Vietnamese cuisine, bringing a perfect balance of crunch and tang.

While I was travelling around Vietnam, a variation of this dynamic duo would always be served on the side of my meal. Whether in banh mi, a noodle bowl, or broken rice, these pickles were seriously the real deal and added a burst of flavour.

Think of them as your kitchen’s secret weapon!

It’s a great way to elevate your dishes and add that extra zing.

What makes them extra special is their versatility. They’re not just condiments; they’re flavour boosters. Toss them in a sandwich, throw them in a salad, or munch on them as a snack— endless possibilities. Plus, they’re ridiculously easy to make at home, so you can have that authentic Vietnamese touch whenever the craving strikes. You can make them in bulk which is exactly what this recipe is! I made a massive jar when I moved into my new London base before making any other condiment.

Easily Customisable

Just like many of my recipes, this recipe is easily customisable. I like my Vietnamese pickles on the sweeter side, by just a tad! So if you prefer it on the intense, sour side, add more vinegar. I sometimes like adding whole garlic cloves to add extra flavour but it’s not necessary.

I also prefer a 50/50 ratio of carrots and daikon. I know some people prefer more carrots than daikon, so this is completely up to you! Same with the thickness, I usually use a mandolin to get thin, consistent slices but I know not everyone has one so in this recipe, I hand-cut the vegetables as thinly as possible but you can choose your thickness.

It is one of my favourite things to prepare and have ready in the fridge. You can make these in bulk as you can get a lot out of 1 daikon! My local grocer sells massive ones, sometimes I don’t have the space to store daikon or can’t use it up in this recipe, so I’ll save it and pop it in when making homemade chicken stock or kimchi radish. Daikon is quite a sweet root vegetable it works well in Vietnamese Soup (Canh). 

Questions you may have?

• Can I remove the sugar? To be completely honest, no. Like I said before, one of the best things about this recipe is how the sweetness balances the tanginess. If you want, you can use less sugar to pickle it but it may sit towards the sour end of the spectrum. You can also try diluting the mixture with more water.
• What mandolin do I use? I purchased a vegetable mandolin when I moved into my second London flat, I wanted to make these pickles because it was London ‘Summer’ and we were eating Bun cha Gio during the week often and it was missing this! I recommend purchasing something like this if this is your first mandolin because it’s very user-friendly with the holder and compact which is handy if you lack storage space. The mandolin I grew up using was the Japanese mandolin. It is super duper sharp so if you’re not used to using a mandolin, perhaps opt for the first option.  
• How long can I store this for? I usually make a big jar and store it in the fridge for up to 1 month. Anything beyond this time, I usually check the bottom and rim of the jar to make sure there is no mould growing. The longer you keep the pickling, the more intense the flavour. There will be bits of carrot and daikon floating around which is normal and is part of the fermentation process.

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Ingredients:

Makes 2 cups

• 1 medium-sized carrot, julienned
• 1/4 of a large daikon, julienned

Pickling liquid

• 3 tbl vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbl white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt + extra for salting

Steps:

1. Lightly salt carrots and radishes, massage thoroughly and set aside for 15 minutes while you combine the pickling mixture. Adjust your pickling liquid according to your taste as I like mine sweeter than sour.
2. Sterilise your jar/s.
3. Rinse veggies, squeeze excess liquid with hands, pat dry as much as you can, add to the jar and top up with picking liquid (add room temp water to the jar if you run short of pickling liquid).
4. Store in the fridge for up to a month, you can have these pickles within the hour, but the longer they pickle the tastier.

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