Daikon and Carrot Pickle {Bahn Mi Sandwich}

Woo. Going to a low country boil tomorrow. Filling my belly with some mud crawlers crawfish. I had a Vietnamese friend who loved crawfish and introduced it to me. But, I still think they taste a little like mud. She can pull off their heads so quickly, it's pretty amazing. Hmm... I just realized that there are so many crawfish places that seem to have Vietnamese owners...is that a thing?

Anyhoo, we're going to one in Virginia, and the Southern-ness (whole 4 years I've lived in Texas) is excited to be eating andouille sausages, corn and maybe some crawfish :D

Factoid: Sleeping Too Little Gives you a Heart Attack
At the SLEEP convention this month, researchers from the University of Alabama surveyed first stroke symptoms and how much they slept. They amassed a study of 5,666 people and followed their sleeping pattern for 3 years. Sleeping less than six hours increased the risk of stroke symptoms! And that's not just fat, old prone adults. Man, I really need to sleep more...

Not only for strokes, too little snooze time is a risk factor for many other disasters. So skip the exercise and sleep more. Haha kidding.

Daikon and Carrot Pickle - Do Chua (Vietnamese)
Makes about 1 huge jar

Pickles are the best sandwich accessory

Ingredients
1 large carrot peeled
2 inch block daikon peeled
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup warm water




Cut and peel your carrot and daikon into matchsticks. Maybe 2 inches in length.








Sprinkle it with the salt and knead them for about 3 minutes.

They'll soften and lose some water. Rinse them under cold water and drain/press in a colander to get rid of the extra water.

To make the brine...in a medium bowl heat up the 3/4 cup water in the microwave so that it is pretty warm. Dissolve the sugar and stir in the vinegar.









Put the daikon and carrots into a jar, pour the brine over it and close it up. You want to pickle them overnight in the fridge before you eat them. They'll keep for up to 4 weeks!

Assembling the Banh Mi with meatballs I made on Tuesday. Get a nice piece of crusty french baguette, spread the Sriracha mayo (look at meatball link). Add some fresh cilantro and sliced jalapeno or thai chilies (extra hot factor). Add in the pickles and.... take a huge huge bite!