Salt & Sugar Quick Pickles
We often feature a Pickle Plate at Cafe Drake to accompany lunch or dinner.
The preparation here comes courtesy of chef David Chang of NYC's stellar Momofuku Ssam Bar, an East Village kitchen consistent in both novelty and excellence of taste. Japan has a centuries old tradition of "salt pickles", and Chang's variety is fresh, crisp and if desired, can be "pickled" and served within 30 minutes. At Cafe Drake we prefer to let the veggies sit for a couple of hours at room temperature before consuming; leftovers refrigerate well.
Mix 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. sugar together in a small bowl.
Slice 1 thin-ish daikon radish paper-thin. If you have trouble finding daikon, substitute a small bunch of red radishes.
Slice 2-3 small Kirby cukes in the same manner - very, very thin.
Place veggies in separate bowls and toss each with 1/2 t. of the salt/sugar mixture. Carefully rub the salt and sugar into all of the sliced veggies.
Let sit for 20-30 minutes or longer. Serve with virtually anything or add to sandwiches. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Small chunks of seedless watermelon also make fabulous pickles using this quick method.
Comments
Basically w/ these you just use salt and sugar, so they have a "unique" taste as pickles. But the salt really breaks down the veggies a little and changes texture and flavor etc. SOON I'm goign to post a recipe for more traditional and easy pickles. Hope you are well! xo, D