Sweet-and-Sour Radishes (Tang Cu Xiao Luo Bo)

Adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Land of Fish and Rice, which we reviewed in August 2020. Dunlop writes in the headnote that she enjoyed this appetizer at lunch at a friend’s flat in Shanghai, where they were served with steamed hairy crabs, eels with wild rice stem and alfalfa sprouts. Small radishes are preferred for the dish, but large ones — as shown in our photo — work fine as well. They make an addictive snack with cocktails.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 bunches small red radishes (about 14 ounces/400 g after topping and tailing)

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons superfine or caster sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar

3/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Top and tail the radishes. Place them in a sturdy zipperbag or fold them in a clean tea towel and smack them with the flat side of a Chinese cleaver or a rolling pin to crack them all open, without smashing them to smithereens. Put the radishes in a bowl, add the salt and mix well. Set aside for at least two hours.

2. Rinse the radishes, then squeeze out as much water as possible, either by pressing them in a colander or wrapping them in a clean tea towel and squeezing it out. Put the radishes in a serving bowl, add the sugar and mix well. Set aside for a few minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve, then stir in the vinegar. Just before serving, stir in the sesame oil.