radish amazuzuke
simple, sweet, and beautifully pink
Kenji Morimoto is a London-based Japanese American food writer and content creator who specializes in fermentation. He draws from his cultural heritage to teach, write, and share culinary knowledge through various platforms, including his popular Instagram @kenjcooks and his upcoming book "Ferment."
Kenji Morimoto•
October 7, 2025
Let's transform the humble radish into one of my favourite (and one of the easiest) pickles, a form of amazuzuke or sweet vinegar pickle. This radish amazuzuke is quite striking in colour but also fun in size, and is similar to my easy at home method for making takuan (the yellow daikon sweet vinegar pickles many of you are familiar with).
The brine is fairly universal (and customisable - feel free to add other aromatics) and can be used for other vegetables, but there's something so perfect about a whole pickled small radish: beautiful on a pickle platter or in a bento box, and just the perfect size.
Ingredients (7)
Ingredients (7)
Instructions
In a bowl, mix the radishes and measured salt (based on the weight of the radishes you're pickling). Mix this occasionally over the next 2-3 hours after which there should be a fair amount of brine gathering at the bottom of the bowl. You can also leave this overnight if needed. Do not discard the brine; You will want to keep ~1/4 cup (60ml) of brine from the radishes.
Make the brine by mixing together the remaining ingredients. You can heat this if you wish (however just do this till the sugar dissolves). To this, add the salted brine extracted from the radishes (roughly 1/4 cup or 60ml). Pour the combined brine over the radishes and move to the fridge. They’re best eaten after 24 hours (however depends on radish size) and can last indefinitely, although the flavour may change as more water is extracted from the radishes.
Notes
Notes
This recipe can easily be scaled - just note the percentage of salt needed for the initial step. The amount of brine needed may vary based on the container you're using - you want to ensure that the radishes are submerged in the final brine.
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