Carrot and Daikon Pickle (Do chua)

Ever since I worked at Lemongrass in college, I've had a love affair with this stuff.  Zesty, cool, refreshing, sweet and tangy, it goes wonderfully with a lot of things (including vermicelli noodle bowls, salads, banh mi... I'd even eat it on the side with some pho or pad thai).  It doesn't require any cooking and keeps in the fridge for probably even longer than a month, so you might as well make a big ol' batch of it.

Carrot and Daikon Pickle

adapted from Andrea Nguyen's Into the Vietnamese Kitchen

:: 3 small carrots

:: 1 pound daikon radish

:: 1 tsp salt

:: 2 tbsp sugar

brine

:: 1/2 cup sugar

:: 1 1/4 cup white vinegar

:: 1 cup water

Mix the carrots and radish with salt and 2 tbsp sugar.  This will draw some of the water out of the vegetables.  Stir, or get down and dirty using your hands to knead the vegetables!!  In 10-15 minutes, or after the vegetables have lost about 1/4 of their water, rinse in cold water and squeeze excess water off of the vegetables.

Meanwhile, make the brine by mixing the 3 ingredients together and letting the sugar dissolve.

Pour the brine over the carrot and radish.  Let brine for at least 1 hour.  Pickle will be good for up to 4 weeks.