Daikon Radish

We have introduced daikon in many ways over the years, but maybe you have not tried them other than raw and pickled. A Japanese secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added (this keeps the daikon white and eliminates bitterness and sharpness)

Daikon Radish Miso Soup

Ingredients
1 Qt. water
8 Tbsp. miso paste
1/2 cup chopped Daikon radish
tofu, chopped into small cubes
2 strands of chopped green onions
Directions

Add Daikon radish to slow boiling water, let cook for another 10 minutes or until soft. You can cut the Daikon anyway you like but if you slice it relatively thin (1/4 inch) and then cut in half so that they are half-moon shaped, it will cook faster. Add miso paste. The best way is to take a small amount of the soup in a small bowl and mix the miso paste in there until it is evenly distributed, then pour the soup (with miso) back into the soup pot. Remove the soup from heat immediately after adding the miso paste. Add the tofu and green onions and serve! Makes around 6 servings.

Sauteed Daikon Radish on a Bed of Wilted Greens

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. garlic, peeled & finely minced (about 3 large garlic cloves)
1 Tbsp. shallot, peeled & finely minced (about 1 large shallot)
1 c. daikon radish, peeled & sliced crosswise into paper-thin rounds (about 1 large radish)
2 c. daikon greens, finely chopped crosswise into narrow strips
1/4 c. fresh sorrel, finely minced
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped crosswise into narrow strips
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (about 10 sprigs)
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. butter
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. low-fat sour cream
Parmesan cheese, grated (for garnish)

Directions: Saute garlic & shallot in olive oil on low heat, & cook until tender (about 30 seconds). Add all other ingredients, except the sour cream & Parmesan cheese, and cook until liquid has almost completely evaporated. Be sure to cook the ingredients on low-heat, as you want to blanch the greens, so that they retain their bright green color. Taste-test a radish (allow it to cool first so you don’t burn your mouth!); it should be pliable but still retain a bit of its crunch. When ready, remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit, mix in sour cream, stir thoroughly, garnish with Parmesan cheese, & serve.

Notes: Use a vegetable peeler to slice the radishes paper-thin; this is the best way to achieve this effect. It’s important that the radishes are very thin, because they need to cook at the same rate as the greens. Also, the texture is really nice.