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!)
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!
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! ;)
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!
Nutrition
Jane says
Just made this and it was absolutely perfect for the wintry weather in Boston right now! I love how delicate the taste is and reminds me of home :)
Judy says
I think you used the absolutely right word for this dish, delicate! Thank you for your comment, Jane!
Susan Doyon says
perfect timing and tastes great I had a fridge full of these from the garden so as soon as I saw the recipe last night I made it ! ( you can grow Dakons in MA ! plant late so they mature in fall )
now how about some radish greens recipes? as I eat those also spring ,summer and fall!
Judy says
Hi Susan, I do have a recipe for radish greens: ; Also, the Chinese like to preserve radish greens with salt, but I don’t have a recipe for it yet :-[
Jade says
This is such a healthy side dish here in India, and we prepare it with barely any spices. Only basic seasoning!
Judy says
Yes, Jade, so is this recipe, very basic!
Emily says
This looks like a wonderful winter treat!!! It looks like it would pair perfectly with some rice and a hot beverage. Do you have a favorite protein you like to serve with this?
Judy says
Hi Emily, as it happens, I usually serve it with a stir-fried leafy green. Then again, any protein would do.
Helen says
Does daikon need to be peeled, or is its skin edible? Thanks!
Judy says
I do peel it, Helen. But the skin is definitely edible.
Carolyn Sloboda says
I love daikon radish. I’m an abc and my husband is Caucasian. I cooked my favorite dish, Tunip cake. It came out fantastic but the stinky radish smell lingered and lingered in the house for a week. Does this recipe as well as the braised Daikon radish have the same problem? Otherwise, I am banned cooking this unless I go outside.
Judy says
Hi Carolyn, not sure how to answer your question. It’s funny, the smell is never a problem for us or an issue that I notice. But I will say that the amount of daikon used here is much less than what you’d need for turnip cake. You also don’t have to grate it, which means less odor will probably get released. Once boiled, the radish doesn’t have too much of a smell, and it also cooks with the cover on for the majority of the time, so I think it should be fine!
Carolyn Sloboda says
Thank you for answering. If you refer to your turnip cake recipe, which is delicious, you said that everyone in the house will know you what you are cooking it. Guess, I’ll have to cook outside. Love your website. Keep it up!
Judy says
hahaha…thank you, Carolyn.
Magda Narima says
Can I use Korean radish for this recipe? That’s the only radish I currently have in my fridge and this recipe looks so yummy I wanna try it asap! Thanks.
Judy says
Hi Magda, you should try it, but I’ve noticed that Korean radish tends to turn starchy after being boiled.
Sharon McMasters says
Like you, Judy, I almost always have a daikon radish in th3e refrigerator and never knew the nutritional value of it. I use it mixed in with other veggies, both cooked and raw in salads. I also use it in many soups and stews. I have also been known to shred it into things like tuna or chicken salads. As you may have guessed, daikon radish is one of my very favorite vegetables!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Sharon
Judy says
Hi Sharon, glad I could shed some light on this awesome vegetable. :-)
John says
I haven’t seen a daikon round my way for some time, is the good old turnip a good substitute? Also, is the word “turnip” as funny to a north east American as it to a south west English man? Oh, and it would be great if you write more about hot and cold constitutions sometime, cheers!
Judy says
Hi John, I have never been medically trained––just writing bout some of the what I’ve learned through research and common sense!
Danny says
Boiled daikon is delicious. In my family, we usually throw in a few strips of kombu, and I like to let the cooked daikon steep off heat to allow the flavor of the broth to permeate … :)
Judy says
Sounds great, Danny!