Takuan

For the Japanese Zen Buddhist, see Takuan Sōhō. For a volcanic complex in Papua New Guinea, see Takuan Group.

Traditional takuan

Takuan (沢庵), also known as takuwan or takuan-zuke, is a popular traditional Japanese preserved vegetable. This pickle is made from daikon radish. In addition to being served alongside other types of tsukemono in traditional Japanese cuisine, takuan is also enjoyed at the end of meals as it is thought to aid digestion. In Korean it is known as danmuji (단무지) and is typically added to gimbap or served as a side dish in Korean Chinese cuisine.

Production

Traditional process of making takuan is firstly hanging a daikon radish in the sun for a few weeks until it becomes flexible. Next, the daikon is placed in a pickling crock and covered with a mix of salt, rice bran, optionally sugar, daikon greens, kombu, perhaps chilli pepper and/or dried persimmon peels. A weight is then placed on top of the crock, and the daikon is allowed to pickle for several months. The finished takuan is usually yellow in color. Although most mass-produced takuan is using salt or syrup for dehydrating process to cut process time, and rely on food coloring for that effect. Iburi-gakko(lit.smoked takuan) is eaten in Akita Prefecture. It uses smoking process instead of sun-drying before pickling.

History

Takuan Sōhō is credited with concocting this yellow pickle, which now bears his name.

Usage

Usually, takuan is washed the excess bran and sliced thinly before serving. It is eaten as a side dish in meals, and eaten as a snack at teatime. Strip-cut takuan is often used for bento. Traditional takuan--using sun-dried daikon raddish and pickled in rice bran bed-- is sometimes stir fried or braised which are getting older and sour. Some sushi rolls use strip-cut takuan for ingredients such as shinkomaki (takuan only), torotaku-maki (fatty tuna and takuan).