Namasu / daikon radish and carrot in citrus vinegar marinade

Yuzu citrus makes this little dish very aromatic.

<Ingredients>

5 cm daikon radish (diagonal cut)
2 cm carrot (diagonal cut, or 5 cm length skinny part)
Salt

For marinade
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp mirin
1/2 tsp usukuchi soy sauce
Several red chili pepper slices (1/2 red chili pepper, seeded and sliced)
1 tbsp yuzu juice


<Directions>
1.

Place all ingredients for marinade, except for yuzu juice, and microwave for 10-20 seconds. Stir well and make sure sugar is dissolved.

Let cool.





2.

Julienne daikon radish and carrot.
Neither needs to be skinned if very fresh.








3.

Place daikon in a bowl, sprinkle a generous pinch of salt and gently squeeze.

Quickly put carrot in water, and add to daikon.

Mix and gently squeeze again.
Let it sit for 10 minutes, or until water comes out.








4.

Squeeze water.









5.

Put daikon and carrot in a clean bowl and pour the vinegar mix and yuzu juice, and mix.








<Notes>

• Diagonal cut is used to get a texture that is not too soft (sliced sideways) or hard (sliced lengthwise).
• If using lemon as a substitute for yuzu, use 1/2 of the specified amount and taste first before adding more juice. Lemon is much more sour and sharper than yuzu. 
• Alternatively, after Process 1, put yuzu juice in the vinegar mix (after the mix has cooled down), and put daikon and carrot after Process 5.
• Keeps in the fridge for several days.
• This is one of the New Year's Day dishes.