Daikon Is What’s in the Market
What is it?
Looking to wake up your taste buds? Give daikon a try! Daikon is a type of radish with a peppery flavor that ranges from mild to a bit spicy. Daikon is crispy, usually white, and can be can be more than 18” in length. Daikon is available year-round, but is often harvested in late summer through fall. Daikon is a Japanese word that means “large root”. Daikon is also known as mooli (Hindi), Japanese radish, luobo, lobak, and lo pak. It is native to Asia, and is well-known in Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and northern Indian cuisines.
Buying and caring for it
You can buy daikon fresh, pickled, and dried (when dried and shredded, it is called kiri-boshi daikon). Purchase fresh daikon that is firm with no brown or soft spots. Daikon does not keep well for long. Store in the refrigerator vegetable bin, and you might get them to last up to two weeks. Don’t prep daikon in advance. Wait until you are ready to use it for best results. You can peel daikon, however if you give it a good scrub, peeling is not necessary.
Why eat it?
Daikon radish is very low in calories, with 1 cup of sliced daikon containing only 21 calories. Daikon has a bit of fiber and is an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that is important to help wounds heal and boost your immune system. Daikon is a great addition to a Healthy Culture!
Tasty Goodness!
Daikon is very versatile, and you can eat it raw, pickled, or cooked.
- Pickle daikon: Combine 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt sauce, ½ tsp minced fresh ginger, ½ tsp garlic chili sauce (like sriacha) in a medium non-metal bowl. Add 1 cup julienned daikon, and ½ cup each julienned English cucumber and carrot. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Try pickled daikon as a soup topper, a sandwich addition, or with salmon.
- Grate into salads for a nice, soft pepperiness. Kick your favorite coleslaw up a notch by adding grated daikon!
- Eat it raw as a dipper for hummus or your favorite bean dip.
- Dried daikon (kiri-boshi daikon) is usually soaked and braised as a side dish.
- Raw or pickled daikon is a great addition to a sandwich, and are often part of a Vietnamese banh mi.
- Mark Bittman suggests making a puree by steaming the daikon until very tender, then pureeing with a few drops of dark sesame oil, and sprinkling with some toasted sesame seeds.
- Yes, you can eat the daikon greens and sprouts! Both tend to have a stronger, more peppery flavor than the daikon root. The leaves and sprouts are a great last minute addition to soups and salads.
- Add julienned daikon to lo mein or other Asian noodle dishes.
