Things to do with Radishes and Dates

. . . . but not together!

Spicy Pickled Radishes

I have a couple of recipes to share today, completely separate, disparate recipes. The only similarity is that they are both condiment types.

The first one is for quick Pickled Radishes. Radishes have never, ever, been a favorite of mine. Though, made just the right way, I can enjoy them. Those who sprinkle on some salt and crunch into them? Nope, not me. To date, and I say this from the vantage point of 70 years on this planet, there has been only one way I have eaten radishes and enjoyed them, and I discovered these at age 20, in Guatemala. I should say two ways, because the Guatemalan recipe for Picado de Rabano (Chopped Radish Salad) can also be used added in to chopped roast beef and a whole new dish is created, called Salpicon. I love both of these. I have made them a fair number of times over the intervening years. My husband will not eat these dishes, not even after 30 years together. Oh well.

So one day I was perusing the web and came upon this recipe for pickled radishes. The sound of it intrigued me, so I saved the site, waiting until I grocery shopped and came home with a single bunch of radishes. The recipe I found was on this site, and is called "Sweet and Spicy Pickled Radishes." When I came home with one single bunch of radishes, which, once I removed all the greens, weighed in at 5 ounces worth, and the recipe called for a pound of radishes, I had to do some quick recalculating to get the amounts to function. Plus, I added in some shallot and garlic, just because everything is better with garlic, and I love shallots. The amount of salt was too much for my taste, even cutting the amount by a third. So, with my own adjustments, I went ahead and made my own little 12 ounce jar of these and I have to say, they are really good!  So, here is my revised and smaller, version of the recipe:

Radish mixture packed in jar

Spicy Pickled Radishes

Makes one 12-ounce jar

5-ish ounces cleaned, de-stemmed radishes
½ - 1 Jalapeno or Serrano pepper
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, thinly sliced
⅓ - ½ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1½ teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

Once radishes are clean and trimmed, it is best to use a mandoline - very carefully! - to slice the radishes extremely thinly. The same should be done for the shallot and garlic, with even more care. The Serrano (or Jalapeno) pepper can be sliced leaving seeds in or removing seeds and slicing finely. Mix the sliced radishes, shallot, garlic, Serrano and cilantro together in a bowl, then pack the mixture tightly into a jar. I used a jar I'd washed and kept, which has a 12-ounce capacity.

In a small saucepan, heat to boiling the vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard seeds. Once boiling, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then pour over the radish mixture to cover (the vinegar mixture can be cooled more rapidly in the fridge if needed). Cap the jar tightly and let stand for 24 hours at room temperature before use. Store in the fridge and eat within a week or so.

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The next recipe is a variation on Imli / Tamarind Chutney in my Indian Recipes in the Recipe Index of this blog. Often this Tamarind Chutney has dates added, either as the main event or as half and half. The result, to my taste, is not all that different, but if you happen to have dates around that need to be used, then by all means try this recipe. I had some exceedingly soft Medjool dates given me and they were so very moist they started getting a fermented smell, so I used most of them in this chutney (the cooking time stopped the fermentation!) and refrigerated the remainder, which will soon go into Date Nut Bread!

I have a jar of tamarind concentrate which is like a thick sauce, that has already been strained and is completely smooth. If you have only fresh tamarind pods or a tamarind "block" (which usually has fibers and seeds embedded into it), you will need to take similar steps as with the dates - softening the tamarind in hot water and straining through a coarse strainer. See this blog for some info on Tamarind.

Khajur Imli Chutney

Khajur Imli Chutney or Date Tamarind Chutney

Made three 6-ounce jars

½ cup dates, preferably soft, de-seeded, rough chopped

Khajur Imli Chutney or Tamarind Chutney

1½ cups water
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½ cup tamarind paste or concentrate (pre-strained)
½ cup water
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1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon hot Indian chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon black salt or regular salt
½ cup brown sugar or jaggery

Cook the chopped dates with the 1½ cups water for about 15 minutes or longer, as needed to soften the dates enough to press through a larger sieve. Use the back of a spoon to get as much of the puree as possible. 

Combine the date puree with the tamarind concentrate and the ½-cup of water in the saucepan, adding in all the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce the mixture to simmer and cook for 15 minutes to meld flavors. Pour into a clean jar with tight fitting lid. Allow to cool, then store in the fridge for up to a month.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.