Dec 23, 2013 51 Comments

Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad) 紅白なます

Name: Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 inch daikon ((4" = 10 cm) (cut in half)); 2 inch carrot ((2" = 5 cm)); 1 tsp Kosher salt; 1-2 strips yuzu zest ((optional)); 1 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar; 1½ Tbsp rice vinegar; 1 Tbsp water; ¼ tsp Kosher salt

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Merry Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve in the U.S. I wish you are having a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family and I’d like to send you my warmest greetings to you and loved ones.

Namasu (紅白なます) is a daikon and carrot salad lightly pickled in sweetened vinegar. This dish was introduced to Japan from China around 700s (Nara period) and it is especially enjoyed during the New Years in Japan. Red and white are considered celebratory colors in Japan and these colors are often used in many traditional ceremonies.

Namasu is extremely easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time. If you like lightly pickled salad, you will enjoy this dish as an appetizer or on the side. In Japan, this dish is also called Kohaku (red & white) Namasu. Besides daikon and carrot, you can also include cucumbers for this delightful dish.

The key to this dish is to make sure to squeeze out all the liquid from the veggie, it creates optimal crunchiness.

In Japan, there are usually a few strips of yuzu zest on top but I omitted because I couldn’t find fresh yuzu locally. When added, the fragrance is quite refreshing so I hope you are able to find fresh yuzu in your area (unfortunately it won’t be easy to find outside of Japan).

I made a video to show you how easy it is to make Namasu. And please follow my YouTube channel if you haven’t. 🙂

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Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad)

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 inch daikon (4" = 10 cm) (cut in half)
2 inch carrot (2" = 5 cm)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1-2 strips yuzu zest (optional)

Seasonings:

1 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar
1½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp water
¼ tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

Gather all the ingredients.
Peel the daikon and carrot.
Thinly slice the daikon and carrot lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slabs (3 mm thickness). Stack a few slabs at a time and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick strips.
Put daikon and carrot julienned strips in a bowl and sprinkle salt. Give a gentle massage and set aside for 5-10 minutes
Meanwhile combine all the ingredients for the seasonings in a small bowl and whisk well together.
Squeeze water out of daikon and carrot and put in a new bowl.
Pour the seasonings and mix well togther. Garnish with thin strips of yuzu and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Recipe Notes

The ratio of carrot to daikon should be 1 to 5.

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: carrot, daikon, japan, rice vinegar, yuzuRecipe type: 30 Minutes or Less, Appetizer, Easy, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Japanese New Year, Make Ahead, Salad, Salads, Side Dish, Uncooked, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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