Today, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite winter vegetables––the brilliant daikon radish, and an extremely easy and delicious recipe that Bill loves every time I make it, boiled daikon radish. (I’ve convinced the girls as well of how delicious it is!)
My Simplest Go-to Winter Side Dish
This boiled daikon requires no oil, no wok, and no extreme high heat.
Since I always have a daikon radish in the fridge, it’s my go-to side dish in the wintertime. I just cut it up, boil it with a few ingredients I always have in my pantry, and a healthy meal awaits!
The Health Benefits of Daikon Radish
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the food we eat has an enormous effect on our health (well, all of medicine can get behind that one, I guess!). The term 食疗 (shi liao) loosely translates to diet, but is more about using the foods you eat to improve your health.
Everyone is becoming more health conscious these days, especially when it comes to the food we eat. I think that might be why our Yam Leaf Stir-Fry made our Top 25 list of most popular recipes from 2018. In case you missed it, yam leaves are one of our new favorite superfoods!
As for daikon, it’s low in calories and high in fiber. Some reported dietary benefits include boosting your immune system, reducing inflammation, and flushing harmful toxins from your body. Daikon may also help bone strength, weight management, respiratory health, and improved digestion.
Boy, I knew daikon was good for me, but I did not know about all these health benefits until I did some research. A word of advice though, people with “cool” constitutions in Chinese medicine, should not eat too much of it. There’s a lot to say about whether your constitution is “too hot” or “too cold,” but I’ll have to save that for a rainy day!
Unless you’re a researcher, the health benefits of daikon are probably a bit of a mystery to most of us, and, at the end of the day, daikon simply tastes great and remains a staple vegetable in many Asian cultures.
We’ve published a handful of delicious recipes that feature my favorite wintry radish and really highlight the taste of Chinese home cooking: Easy Braised Turnip Rice Bowls, Chinese Braised Beef and Turnips, Braised Daikon with Salted Pork and Glass Noodles, and Oxtail Soup.
But this boiled daikon recipe is by far the easiest and very tasty, I might add. It offers the purest, most delicate taste of daikon radish without being bland, and goes great with pretty much any main dish as a healthy side. I hope you give this recipe a try and add daikon radish to your meal rotation. That would mean a job well done for me! ;)
Boiled Daikon Recipe Instructions
Cut the daikon into half-inch thick, bite-sized pieces.
In a pot, add 1 slice ginger, 1 cup water or stock (235ml), 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (16 g), ½ teaspoon salt (2 g), ¼ teaspoon sugar (1 g), ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (a large pinch), and stir to combine. Add the daikon.
Cover and bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 20 minutes until the daikon is fork tender, stirring occasionally.
Right before serving, add in the chopped scallion, and a few drops of sesame oil (optional).
Mix well and serve!
Boiled Daikon Radish: A Light, Healthy Side Dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound daikon radish (about 450 g)
- 1 slice ginger
- 1 cup water or stock (235 ml)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (16 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (about 2 g, or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar (about 1 g)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut the daikon into half-inch thick, bite-sized pieces. In a pot, add 1 slice ginger, 1 cup water or stock (235ml), 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (16 g), ½ teaspoon salt (2 g), ¼ teaspoon sugar (1 g), ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (a large pinch), and stir to combine. Add the daikon.
- Cover and bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 20 minutes until the daikon is fork tender, stirring occasionally.
- Right before serving, add in the chopped scallion, and a few drops of sesame oil (optional). Mix well and serve!
This was surprisingly delicious!!! I boiled the radish in some vegetable broth and added the ingredients from the recipe of course. I ate it as a soup as I didn’t want to waste the broth and then added the sesame oil and spring onions. Also added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Wow—so good and a no guilt meal…even the finicky husband liked it, albeit sans pepper…
Yayyyy! How wonderful is that :-)