Labu Sen

Ingredients

• 1⅓ lbDaikon radishpeeled, cut into thin slices or sticks
• 1 bunchRed radishessliced unpeeled, the skin tints the brine pink
• 3Chilliwhole or sliced into rings
• 2 tbspSaltto draw water from the radish and for the brine
• 1 cupRice vinegarwhite distilled vinegar works as a substitute
• 1½ cupsWaterfor the brine
• 2 tbspSugardissolve in the brine
• ⅔ ozGingerin thick slices
• 1 clovesGarlicthinly sliced (optional)
• 1 tspSichuan pepperTibetan emma, whole grains (optional)
• ½ tspBlack peppercornsadded whole to the brine (optional)
• 10½ ozCarrotshaved into fine strips, pickled together with the radish (optional)

Method

1. Peel the daikon and cut it into thin slices, sticks or strips. Slice the red radishes unpeeled — their skin is what gives the brine its pink colour later. If you want to add carrot, shave it into fine strips.
2. Toss the vegetables with part of the salt and leave them to draw water for at least 1 hour, or overnight if that suits you better.
3. Pour off the liquid that has collected and let the vegetables drain well, or rinse them briefly in cold water if you want a milder pickle.
4. Rinse a screw-top or preserving jar with hot water and layer in the vegetables with the chillies, the ginger, the garlic if using, and the Sichuan and black peppercorns.
5. For the brine, stir together the rice vinegar, water, the remaining salt and the sugar, or warm it briefly until the salt and sugar have fully dissolved.
6. Pour the brine over the vegetables until everything is completely covered. If slices float up, weigh them down with a small weight or a clean glass.
7. Close the jar and let it steep somewhere cool: after 24 hours the Labu Sen is ready to eat, after 2 to 3 days it is fully flavoured. Give the jar a gentle swirl now and then.
8. Keep it in the fridge, always with the vegetables fully submerged in liquid. It will hold for 2 to 3 weeks.

Tips and variations

There are several ways to handle the brine: cold, with vinegar and water in a 1:2 ratio, left to stand overnight in a cool place; poured over boiling hot; lukewarm after 30 minutes of cooling; or with no water at all, just rice vinegar and plenty of sugar tossed through the salted radish. Alongside or instead of carrot, try spring turnips, beetroot, celery or kohlrabi in the jar, and season it however your kitchen likes — kombu and mirin, bay, cloves and star anise, or mustard seeds. For a stronger pink, add a piece of beetroot or use pink radish, and if you like it fermented, leave the jar somewhere light and warm for a week before moving it to the cold. Scatter with toasted sesame and nigella seeds before serving.