Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon (do chua) is a versatile accompaniment that can be paired with many Vietnamese dishes. Keep a jar of this in your fridge and you’ll always be able to add vegetables, crunch and flavour to your meal. These pickles are made by shredding carrot and daikon, then adding it to a sugar, salt, water and vinegar mixture. Garlic can then be added for extra flavour.
I have always held out on making this on my own because it just looked like so much work. For years, I believed that making do chua was a long and tedious process of chopping up carrots and daikon. The thought of it always made me shudder with fear and then the very familiar general feeling of laziness would come over me. This was my belief until I saw the shredding cutting piece on my mother’s mandolin. I know what you’re probably thinking…. ahhhh DUH Scruff! But in my defence, I have never actually sat down and had a hard long think on ways to make vegetables easier to cut! Have you?
My family use these pickles in many of our dishes to add a bit of sourness. Especially with dishes that need some acidity to cut the saltiness like Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc mam cham), vermicelli rice and spring rolls (bun cha gio) and Vietnamese savoury crepes (banh xeo).
As well as providing flavour to a dish, these Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon also give really good texture. This is very important in dishes like Saigon rolls / Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi). The pickles used here tend to be thicker strands which give a nice crunch every time you take a bite. However, it all comes down to personal preference. Admittedly, the major factor for me is the prep. Thicker slices require knife work and take much longer to pickle. I generally do not bother unless it’s absolutely necessary!
So, I advise you to play around with the ratios of carrot to daikon and the thickness of your cuts to find your perfect balance. I also advise you to use a mandolin or some other gadget that makes life easier. If not, make sure you have a good sharp knife and the afternoon blocked out!
What to Serve Vietnamese Pickled Carrot With
- Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad Bowls (Bun Bo Xao)
- Spring Roll Noodle Bowls – Bun Cha Gio
- Crispy Roast Pork Belly in Air Fryer
- Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chops in Air Fryer
- Deep Fried Crispy Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)
You’ll Also Love…
- The Best Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham)
- Vietnamese Fermented Cabbage
- Pickled Bean Sprouts (Dua Gia)
- Pickled Chillies
– Scruff
Vietnamese Pickled Carrot and Daikon – Do Chua
Ingredients
- 300 gm carrots peeled and shredded
- 200 gm daikon peeled and shredded
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic optional
Instructions
- Wash the pickling jars with washing detergent.
- Add cold water and the washed jars to a big pot and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and allow to boil for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars and allow them to dry naturally or with paper towels.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the water, palm vinegar, sugar and salt.
- In sterilised jars, add the carrot, daikon and garlic.
- Pour in the vinegar solution into the jars to cover the vegetables.
- Place the jars in the fridge for roughly 45 minutes before serving (Note 1).
Notes
- Any cuts that are thicker than a shred will require longer to pickle. Always taste a few strands of pickle before serving to ensure that the flavour has developed.
Hi. I ate this all over Vietnam and I’m excited to be making it. I’ve used a very cheap (<$2) but effective mandolin i bought while over there. Kicks the arse off my $100 Japanese one! So now a have an enormous pile of carrot n diakon. How long will it keep pickled? Will it lose its crunch? Thanks in advance 😊
Hi Seb! Yep, it is a popular accompaniment with a lot of Vietnamese food. I hope the recipe goes well for you!
I used this recipe to accompany my grilled lemongrass pork tonight and it was just right. I didn’t have any palm vinegar but substituted with apple cider vinegar. It still worked out well! Thanks for the recipe 👍
You are welcome Stella!!!
What kind of jars do you use? Should post an amazon link for them =)
Hey there! We usually just repurpose a jar we already have at home, e.g. a coffee jar. Otherwise, just any glass jar with a tight fitting lid will do 🙂 And good idea about the amazon link!