Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables: Quick Do Chua Recipe

Vietnamese pickled vegetables, often called do chua, are crisp, tangy-sweet strips of carrot and daikon radish served with bánh mì, grilled meats, rice bowls, and noodle dishes. This quick refrigerator pickle uses a simple vinegar brine rather than fermentation; versions vary by household, and you can adjust the sweetness or add other crunchy vegetables.

Allow about 1 hour 40 minutes from start to serving, including a short salting rest and chilling time. You will need a clean jar or covered container, a sharp knife or julienne peeler, and refrigerator space. These are refrigerator pickles, not shelf-stable preserves, so keep them cold.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

1 lb daikon radish (454 g), peeled
2 medium carrots (about 7 oz / 200 g), peeled
1 tablespoon fine salt (18 g), for drawing moisture from the vegetables
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 g), for the vegetable rest
1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar (240 ml)
1 cup water (240 ml)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 g), for the brine
1 teaspoon fine salt (6 g), for the brine

Equipment

A clean 1-quart (about 1 L) glass jar or food-safe container with a lid
A small saucepan, measuring cup, knife, cutting board, and colander

Rice vinegar gives the pickle a mild, rounded acidity. Unseasoned white vinegar is an easy substitute, though it tastes sharper; avoid seasoned rice vinegar because it already contains salt and sugar. Daikon is traditional in this common version. If you cannot find it, use additional carrot or crisp white turnip; the flavor will be different, but the quick-pickle method still works.

Step-by-Step

Prepare the vegetables. Rinse and peel the daikon and carrots. Cut them into matchsticks about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) long. Try to keep the pieces similar in thickness so they soften and take up the brine evenly. A julienne peeler or mandoline can make the strips uniform; use a hand guard with a mandoline, and stop before the vegetable gets too small to hold securely.
Salt and rest the strips. Put the vegetables in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt (18 g) and 2 tablespoons sugar (25 g). Toss and gently squeeze the strips for about 1 minute, just until they begin to bend without snapping. Leave them for 15 minutes. This draws out some moisture and helps the finished pickles stay pleasantly crisp rather than watery.
Make the brine. While the vegetables rest, combine the rice vinegar, water, ½ cup sugar (100 g), and 1 teaspoon salt (6 g) in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve; do not boil it. You can also dissolve the mixture in a heat-safe measuring jug by stirring thoroughly. Let the brine cool until it is no longer hot to the touch. A warm brine is fine, but pouring boiling liquid over the strips can make them softer.
Rinse and drain. Transfer the vegetables to a colander and rinse briefly under cool running water to remove excess salt and sugar. Taste a strip. If it still tastes quite salty, rinse once more; do not soak it for a long time, which can dilute its flavor and remove too much seasoning. Shake the colander well, then pat the strips dry with a clean towel or paper towel. Removing excess water helps keep the brine balanced.
Pack the container. Put the drained vegetables into a clean 1-quart (about 1 L) jar or covered food-safe container. Pack them snugly without crushing them. Pour in the cooled brine until the strips are covered. If the vegetables float, press them down with a clean spoon or use a small, clean food-safe weight. Leave a little headspace so the brine does not spill when you put on the lid.
Chill before serving. Close the container and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before eating. The flavor will become more even after several hours, and the vegetables are often at their best the next day. Keep the jar refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or colder, and use a clean fork or spoon to remove portions. Serve the strips drained or with a little brine, depending on the dish.

Use do chua as a bright, crunchy counterpoint to rich or savory foods. Tuck a small handful into a bánh mì with cooked meat or tofu, spoon it onto rice with grilled chicken, or add it to vermicelli bowls with herbs. Its sweet-sour flavor also works beside roast pork, eggs cooked until the yolk and white are firm, or a simple bowl of noodles. For a sandwich, drain the strips first so the bread does not become soggy.

Common Mistakes

Cutting uneven strips: Thick chunks take longer to pickle, while very thin shreds can lose their crunch quickly. Aim for consistent matchsticks around ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
Skipping the rinse: The salt-and-sugar rest is useful, but leaving all of that seasoning on the vegetables can make the final pickle too salty. Rinse briefly, then drain well.
Using hot brine: Boiling brine can soften the vegetables. Dissolve the sugar and salt with gentle heat, then cool the mixture before pouring it over the strips.
Changing the vinegar-to-water balance: Do not replace the vinegar with extra water or reduce it substantially. The recipe is designed around that balance for flavor; it is not a tested canning formula and must remain refrigerated.
Leaving vegetables above the brine: Exposed strips can dry out and pickle unevenly. Pack the vegetables below the liquid and use a clean utensil to keep them submerged.
Expecting instant flavor: The vegetables will taste lightly pickled after an hour, but their flavor takes longer to reach the center. Give them several hours or overnight for a more rounded result.

Tips

Choose firm produce. Fresh, crisp carrots and a firm daikon make a noticeable difference. Avoid radishes or carrots that feel limp, spongy, or dried out.
Use a scale if you have one. Vegetable size varies, and weighing helps keep the proportions close to the recipe. If you use a cup measure instead, pack the cut strips loosely rather than compressing them.
Adjust sweetness gradually. The brine is intentionally sweet-sour to complement savory Vietnamese dishes. For a less-sweet pickle, reduce the brine sugar by 1 to 2 tablespoons (12 to 25 g), but keep the vinegar and water amounts unchanged.
Add optional aromatics carefully. A few thin slices of fresh ginger or a small peeled garlic clove can add fragrance. They are optional and change the flavor from the simple carrot-and-daikon profile. Keep all additions submerged and refrigerated.
Make the strips useful for serving. Shorter matchsticks fit sandwiches more easily; longer ones work well as a side for rice bowls. Decide how you plan to serve them before cutting.
Use clean storage equipment. Wash the jar and lid with hot, soapy water, rinse, and let them dry. This is ordinary refrigerator storage, not a method for preserving food at room temperature.

Troubleshooting

The vegetables taste too salty. Rinse them again briefly, drain thoroughly, and taste the brine. If the finished jar is already assembled and tastes too salty, drain off some brine and replace it with a freshly mixed portion using the same vinegar-to-water ratio but a little less salt. Keep the container chilled.

The pickle tastes too sharp or too sweet. A sharp flavor often mellows after several hours in the refrigerator. If it remains too acidic, add a small amount of sugar to the brine and stir until dissolved; do not add plain water as a quick fix. If it is too sweet, mix a small amount of rice vinegar into the brine, taste, and repeat cautiously.

The vegetables are soft. They may have been cut very thin, left in the salt mixture too long, or covered with boiling brine. For the next batch, use slightly thicker strips, keep the rest to 15 minutes, and cool the brine. A soft batch can still be served if it smells and looks normal, but it will not regain its crunch.

The brine does not cover everything. Press the strips down and rearrange them to remove air pockets. If liquid is still short, mix a little extra brine using equal parts vinegar and water, with sugar and salt dissolved to taste, and add only enough to cover. Do not top it up with plain water.

The flavor is weak after an hour. Chill it longer. The one-hour rest gives a quick, lightly pickled result; overnight chilling lets the flavor spread through the thicker pieces. If the vegetables are still bland the next day, check that the brine was measured correctly and that the strips were fully submerged.

You notice mold, an unusual rotten smell, or a slimy texture. Discard the contents rather than tasting them or trying to rescue the batch. Keep refrigerator pickles cold, remove portions with clean utensils, and refrigerate them within 2 hours of preparation. For best quality, use this batch within about 2 weeks; this is not a shelf-stable preserve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does do chua mean?
Do chua is commonly used for Vietnamese pickled vegetables, especially the sweet-sour carrot and daikon mixture served with bánh mì and other meals. The exact vegetables and seasoning can vary.

Can I make Vietnamese pickled vegetables without daikon?
Yes. Replace it with more carrot or crisp white turnip. Turnip has a somewhat different, sometimes sharper flavor, while an all-carrot batch will be sweeter and less peppery.

Can I make this without heating the brine?
Yes. Stir the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a heat-safe jug until fully dissolved. Heating gently can make the sugar dissolve faster, but boiling is unnecessary.

How long do the pickles need before they are ready?
They can be eaten after at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, when the flavor is mild. For a more developed taste, wait several hours or overnight.

How long do they keep?
Keep the vegetables covered and refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or colder, and aim to use them within about 2 weeks for best quality. Discard them if they develop mold, an off smell, or a slimy texture.

Can I preserve these in a sealed jar at room temperature?
No. This recipe is for refrigerator pickles only, not home canning or room-temperature storage. Keep the jar refrigerated and do not rely on the lid or vinegar alone to make it shelf-stable.

More recipes to cook

Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it (corrections policy).