Dried and spiced preserved daikon radish

Wash the radish with a soft sponge without peeling; keep the stems and rinse out the dirt between them.

Cut off the top, halve, stand each half up and cut into slabs with a cleaver, then turn 90 degrees and cut into thick sticks.

Dehydrate in a dehydrator, an oven or in the sun for a few days.

Dehydrator: line the sticks on the racks and dry at 120F for 13 hours.

Oven: line trays with parchment, set the oven to its lowest (150F here), prop the door open for steam, and dry 10 to 15 hours, on the middle rack; an overloaded oven left some wet and burned others.

Rehydrate the dried radish in boiling hot water about 20 minutes so the seasoning can soak in.

Meanwhile dice the scallions, ginger, garlic and optional Thai bird eye chilies, by hand or in a food processor.

Drain the radish completely, press firmly to squeeze out the water, and dice into bite-sized pieces.

In a big pot combine the radish, aromatics, hot and mild chili powders, Sichuan peppercorn powder, sugar and salt.

Heat the oil until smoking hot and pour over in batches, stirring; mix thoroughly. Season saltier for a large batch.

Eat right away or let sit a couple of weeks; store in clean sealed containers 6 months at room temperature or 12 months in the fridge.