What should I do with this daikon?
January 13, 2024 2:06 PM Subscribe
I just impulsively bought a daikon radish (lo bok) for the first time and I'm a little intimidated by it. Do you have a recipe that you've personally made and liked? Bonus points if it also uses napa cabbage, which I also bought.
I'm leaning more towards cooked (maybe chicken-based soup?) than pickled or salads, but open to anything. No ingredient restrictions - I live close to a korean market and should be able to get most things.
I'm leaning more towards cooked (maybe chicken-based soup?) than pickled or salads, but open to anything. No ingredient restrictions - I live close to a korean market and should be able to get most things.
I often get daikon in my farm box, and I use it just like you would other types of radishes, in salads and slaws. I have also learned a few Korean dishes from a friend, and will use them in banchan-type preparations with vinegar, Korean pepper flakes, and gochujang, and also soup and tteokbokki. There's lots of online sources for Korean daikon recipes (1, 2, 3, ...) Vietnamese and Chinese too. Be aware that a whole daikon makes a large quantity of pickles, so you may want to divide the daikon into halves or thirds for different uses.
posted by amusebuche at 3:25 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
posted by amusebuche at 3:25 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
I impulsively planted a bunch of daikon last fall so I am collecting recipes for the incoming daikonalypse.
Last week we tried the braised daikon with spicy miso from Nancy Hachisu's Japan: The Cookbook, which was tasty... this recipe is close to it. Though we didn't make it as pretty as that... just chopped it up, braised it, and topped with some of the sauce and shichimi togarashi.
If you want more of a dim sum take, lo bak go is salty and chewy and good... we made it from this recipe.
posted by graphweaver at 3:28 PM on January 13 [2 favorites]
Last week we tried the braised daikon with spicy miso from Nancy Hachisu's Japan: The Cookbook, which was tasty... this recipe is close to it. Though we didn't make it as pretty as that... just chopped it up, braised it, and topped with some of the sauce and shichimi togarashi.
If you want more of a dim sum take, lo bak go is salty and chewy and good... we made it from this recipe.
posted by graphweaver at 3:28 PM on January 13 [2 favorites]
Last time this happened to me we quick pickled it, which does not involve fermentation and so is very easy. Here's a couple of recipes, but there's lots more out there, all relatively similar:
posted by advil at 3:28 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
- https://www.seriouseats.com/danmuji-korean-pickled-daikon-radish-recipe (this is the one I can vouch for)
- https://www.seriouseats.com/pickled-daikon-and-carrot-do-chua (Vietnamese style)
posted by advil at 3:28 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
Oh and cucumber and daikon sunomono is super-easy and very refreshing. It makes a good accompaniment to almost anything warm and savory.
posted by graphweaver at 3:30 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
posted by graphweaver at 3:30 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
Healthy vegetable rice bowl: the vegetables can all be changed, but daikon is really good in it, and I have used cabbage instead of kale many times because I don't usually buy kale. The rice and vegetables part is almost flavorless and more just a lovely texture/cramming as much vegetables in as possible thing, and then the sauce (and optional fried egg) makes it really delicious.
I also like daikon in jjajangmyeon: you just need that black bean paste from the Korean market. This is Maangchi's version which does include daikon but you can see the main difference is Aaron and Claire add more seasoning to the chunjang and Maangshi doesn't. Whatever chunjang I bought is not very flavorful on its own so I prefer Aaron and Claire's version, just with daikon.
Daikon mochi: this is super simple flavor-profile wise and you may need a dipping sauce, but I sometimes make this if I have awkward amounts of leftover daikon. If you've ever had Chinese turnip cake, this is like a quick, chewy version with nothing in it. And yet I could just sit there and mindlessly eat every single one if I'm not careful.
Simmered daikon, carrot, and pork: I usually do the version with eggs, just depends on whether I have meat ready to cook or not.
posted by automatic cabinet at 3:30 PM on January 13 [3 favorites]
I also like daikon in jjajangmyeon: you just need that black bean paste from the Korean market. This is Maangchi's version which does include daikon but you can see the main difference is Aaron and Claire add more seasoning to the chunjang and Maangshi doesn't. Whatever chunjang I bought is not very flavorful on its own so I prefer Aaron and Claire's version, just with daikon.
Daikon mochi: this is super simple flavor-profile wise and you may need a dipping sauce, but I sometimes make this if I have awkward amounts of leftover daikon. If you've ever had Chinese turnip cake, this is like a quick, chewy version with nothing in it. And yet I could just sit there and mindlessly eat every single one if I'm not careful.
Simmered daikon, carrot, and pork: I usually do the version with eggs, just depends on whether I have meat ready to cook or not.
posted by automatic cabinet at 3:30 PM on January 13 [3 favorites]
Jigae (Korean stew) or nabe (Japanese hot pot) are both perfect for daikon and napa cabbage. Cut the daikon lengthwise into quarters then slice thinly. Cut the napa cabbage up roughly (about 2 inch pieces). Dump them into a big pot with some water / whatever stock you want, I used powdered chinese style chicken stock. Add some mushrooms - enoki, shimeji or anything really, green onions, ginger and garlic, tofu, chunks of chicken (thigh is good), thinly sliced carrot, and whatever seasonings you want - soy sauce, sesame, kimchi, gochujang (sweet chili paste), miso anything really. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
posted by Sar at 4:45 PM on January 13
posted by Sar at 4:45 PM on January 13
People have lots of great ideas! Also just wanted to note that a daikon is very patient. It will happily sit in a plastic bag in your fridge for months!
posted by rockindata at 5:02 PM on January 13 [4 favorites]
posted by rockindata at 5:02 PM on January 13 [4 favorites]
If you have a spiralizer they make great soup noodles (for any noodles soup). Boil them in water for a minute or two and then dump that water and add the noodles to your soup. If you cook them in the soup the soup will get bitter.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:46 PM on January 13
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:46 PM on January 13
Chop it into thin strips and throw it into any stir fry, much like carrots.
Or you can slice and eat it raw, depending on your spiciness tolerance. That's the most common usage in my native India.
posted by splitpeasoup at 7:12 PM on January 13
Or you can slice and eat it raw, depending on your spiciness tolerance. That's the most common usage in my native India.
posted by splitpeasoup at 7:12 PM on January 13
Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot pickles (Do Chua) - recipe vs Andrea Nguyen, whom I adore.
These are really good and a classic accompaniment to a banh mi, but equally good topping some rice with a fried egg or as a side to a meat or tofu prep.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:20 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
These are really good and a classic accompaniment to a banh mi, but equally good topping some rice with a fried egg or as a side to a meat or tofu prep.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:20 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]
Make chicken-mu! It’s just a very simple pickled radish and it’s so delicious, very easy. You can reserve a chunk of your radish for other things and it will keep for a long time even cut open, just cover the cut side with plastic or wax wrap. You can eat chicken-mu with fried chicken as it traditional but I have enjoyed it with basically anything spicy and/or oily.
For your napa cabbage use the big leaves as wraps for spicy braised tofu, fish or meats. Buy some doenjang and gochujang and mix one spoonful of each together with toasted sesame oil to thin it out. Taste it and adjust the ratio - if you want saltier and nuttier, add more doenjang, and if you want spicier and smokier add more gochujang. Once you have a ratio you like add some minced garlic, scallions, and sesame seeds. This makes an incredible sauce for any kind of wrap! It will keep in your fridge for a week or so, too. Make or buy some tender proteins (tofu, shrimp, braised beef, shredded chicken) add the sauce and pickled radish, add any fresh herbs or other toppings you like (cucumber is pretty classic) wrap it all up in cabbage and chow down.
For the smaller inner parts of the cabbage and some of your radish I suggest making a mushroom stew with it. Look at the mushroom selection in your Korean grocery store and pick any of the ones that intrigue you. You can use a chicken stock base if you want, I like to tweak it with light soy and mirin because they are in my pantry but you can decide how much you wanna buy. I also add kombu and take it out when the stock has simmered for a few minutes. Add some ginger and garlic, then add veggies in order of density. So if you want pumpkin or potato or carrots or onions add those alongside the radish in bite sized pieces and simmer a few minutes. Then add leafy things and softer veggies, so add shredded cabbage and zucchini or eggplant or gai lan or okra or whatever, then add your mushrooms. Let it all simmer until the densest things are cooked through and tender. Then mix in a spoonful of doenjang if you enjoy that flavor, or a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, or gochujang if you want spicy, or adjust the saltiness, or add a splash of yuzu or whatever other citrus for a bright freshness, or any combination. Have with rice and hot tea and feel very warmed. You could add tofu or other proteins to this as well, but have them cooked and add them in to warm through at the end.
posted by Mizu at 12:25 AM on January 14
For your napa cabbage use the big leaves as wraps for spicy braised tofu, fish or meats. Buy some doenjang and gochujang and mix one spoonful of each together with toasted sesame oil to thin it out. Taste it and adjust the ratio - if you want saltier and nuttier, add more doenjang, and if you want spicier and smokier add more gochujang. Once you have a ratio you like add some minced garlic, scallions, and sesame seeds. This makes an incredible sauce for any kind of wrap! It will keep in your fridge for a week or so, too. Make or buy some tender proteins (tofu, shrimp, braised beef, shredded chicken) add the sauce and pickled radish, add any fresh herbs or other toppings you like (cucumber is pretty classic) wrap it all up in cabbage and chow down.
For the smaller inner parts of the cabbage and some of your radish I suggest making a mushroom stew with it. Look at the mushroom selection in your Korean grocery store and pick any of the ones that intrigue you. You can use a chicken stock base if you want, I like to tweak it with light soy and mirin because they are in my pantry but you can decide how much you wanna buy. I also add kombu and take it out when the stock has simmered for a few minutes. Add some ginger and garlic, then add veggies in order of density. So if you want pumpkin or potato or carrots or onions add those alongside the radish in bite sized pieces and simmer a few minutes. Then add leafy things and softer veggies, so add shredded cabbage and zucchini or eggplant or gai lan or okra or whatever, then add your mushrooms. Let it all simmer until the densest things are cooked through and tender. Then mix in a spoonful of doenjang if you enjoy that flavor, or a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, or gochujang if you want spicy, or adjust the saltiness, or add a splash of yuzu or whatever other citrus for a bright freshness, or any combination. Have with rice and hot tea and feel very warmed. You could add tofu or other proteins to this as well, but have them cooked and add them in to warm through at the end.
posted by Mizu at 12:25 AM on January 14
Going in the completely opposite direction, I love raw radish (I will eat all those radish roses that are used for decoration on platters). My favourite way to eat it is thinly sliced on a sandwich with any kind of fresh or brined white cheese (cream, cottage, quark, feta, ricotta, etc.) and a bit of salt (unless the cheese is already salty).
Red radishes are small and fiddly and hard to slice and need to be cleaned of root and stem debris individually, whereas a daikon is one giant cylindrical radish, which makes it much more convenient. So I use it as a non-traditional substitute. But I'm told that some people dislike raw radish, so YMMV.
posted by confluency at 1:26 AM on January 14 [1 favorite]
Red radishes are small and fiddly and hard to slice and need to be cleaned of root and stem debris individually, whereas a daikon is one giant cylindrical radish, which makes it much more convenient. So I use it as a non-traditional substitute. But I'm told that some people dislike raw radish, so YMMV.
posted by confluency at 1:26 AM on January 14 [1 favorite]
Korean beef and radish soup is a very simple comfort food that is somehow more than the sum of its few parts.
posted by drlith at 6:37 AM on January 14 [2 favorites]
posted by drlith at 6:37 AM on January 14 [2 favorites]
Daikon is a nice change of pace in any veggie stick sampler. It's fantastic in quarter inch slices and simmer in hotpot.
We had nabe/hotpot last night, and Mrs. Ghidorah used daikon she'd sliced and frozen beforehand. Freezing breaks down the daikon a little, which in turn makes it easier for it to take on the flavor of the soup you're using.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:30 PM on January 14
We had nabe/hotpot last night, and Mrs. Ghidorah used daikon she'd sliced and frozen beforehand. Freezing breaks down the daikon a little, which in turn makes it easier for it to take on the flavor of the soup you're using.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:30 PM on January 14
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posted by noloveforned at 2:15 PM on January 13 [7 favorites]