Sweet-and-sour Shredded Daikon (糖醋蘿蔔絲)

Shredded daikon is often served in its raw and unflavored form in Japanese restaurants.  As part of the Chinese cuisine, it's often used to make a cold dish and used as an appetizer.  It's super easy to make, and quite tasty and refreshing to boot.

1. Rinse, peel, and shred (with a julienne slicer) a large daikon (1.5-2 lbs) into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Rinse, peel, and shred (with a julienne slicer) 1-2 carrots.
2. Add 1/2 tsp of salt into the mixing bowl,  mix thoroughly, and set aside in the fridge for 2-3 hours.  
3. Drain water from the mixing bowl.  Taste to see if the shredded daikon is too salty for your taste.  If it is, add 1/2 cup of water into the bowl, mix thoroughly, and drain the water again (to wash off the salt).
4. Season to taste, by starting with 2 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of apple vinegar, and 1/4 tsp of salt (then, 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of vinegar a time).  Chill in the fridge, and serve as a cold dish.  Note- Alternatively, season with 2 tsp of Hot Pepper Oil (辣椒油) and 1 tsp of Sichuan Peppercorn Oil (花椒油), to make a spicy hot and numbing version of this dish (麻辣蘿蔔絲). Here is the outcome from our kitchen.