This quick and easy carrot daikon stir-fry is one of my go-to side dishes. It’s healthy, tasty, and goes with any Chinese meal!
What Is Daikon Radish?
Daikon radish, (萝卜 – luóbo in Mandarin or lo bak in Cantonese) is a large, white root vegetable with green leaves. Eaten across Asia, daikon radishes can be added to soups, used in stir-fries, pickled, or consumed raw in salads. Like other types of radish, daikon has a slightly spicy flavor when raw, but is mild when cooked.
Daikon is also an incredibly healthy vegetable! It is high in Vitamin C, phosphorus, and potassium. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it may also help aid digestion and detoxify the liver!
Look for firm, bright white daikon radishes around 10 inches long at your local Asian grocery store. Avoid radishes with bruising or brown spots, or radishes that feel soft when pressed.
Why This Recipe
Bill actually asked me to post this simple and unassuming recipe. I cook it for us every other week during the winter months, and he loves it. It’s quick, easy, tasty, and healthy.
The natural sweetness of the carrots are the perfect counterpoint to the daikon. For our readers who can’t consume sugar, know that adding carrots, onions, or corn to a dish can play a similar role in balancing flavor.
Another element that “makes” the dish is the oyster sauce. Daikon and oyster sauce are the perfect pair––why else would we always serve radish cakes (lo bak go) with oyster sauce?
If you’d like to make this dish vegan, simply use a mushroom-based vegetarian oyster sauce!
For other simple daikon recipes, check out our Boiled Daikon and Braised Daikon with Salted Pork & Glass Noodles.
Carrot Daikon Stir-fry Recipe Instructions
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for for 20 seconds.
Add the carrot, and stir-fry for 30 seconds––the oil should turn an orange color.
Add in the daikon, turn up the heat to high, and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
Add the Shaoxing wine (if using), oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, salt, water, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir to combine, cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until tender.
Uncover, add in the rest of the chopped scallion, and mix everything well. When the daikon is translucent and tender, the dish is done.
NOTE: If you’d like sauce in the dish, increase the water to ½ cup. Then mix 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until combined. Add the slurry at the end, and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Quick Carrot Daikon Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 slices ginger (julienned)
- 3 cloves garlic (smashed and chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (about 75g, julienned)
- 1 1/2 pounds daikon radish (700g, peeled and julienned)
- 1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 scallions (sliced on a diagonal)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for for 20 seconds.
- Add the carrot, and stir-fry for 30 seconds––the oil should turn an orange color. Add in the daikon, turn up the heat to high, and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
- Add the Shaoxing wine (if using), oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, salt, water, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir to combine, cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until tender.
- Uncover, add in the rest of the scallions, and mix everything well. When the daikon is translucent and tender, the dish is done.
You inspired to cook traditional dishes, just like my parents use too,thankyou
I did this tonight but added a sliced broccoli stem and 2 birds eye chillies to give it a kick. My husband who prefers his daikon raw really enjoyed it!
That’s lovely, KC, so glad you guys enjoyed it.
I made this tonight to serve along with Char Siu. Oh! What a meal – I added fresh baby spinach and it was awesome. I love daikon and usually have some at hand. I’ll be making this again.
Great, Lynne, happy eating :-)
Hey gang, I A-DORE the new function to adjust the quantities based on the number of pax to serve. One thing, though — the info in parenthesis, to the right of the ingredient, stays the same. So, for example, the 1.5 lb radish (700g) still reads (700g) even when adjusted to 2.25 lb and so on.
Hi Helen! Yes, we noticed that when we added the functionality, and on recent recipes we have separate metric and US measures so that doesn’t happen anymore. Will keep up that format from now on!
Really useful recipe for using up carrot and radish. I added green pepper for extra colour. It was super tasty!
Sounds great! I am glad you enjoyed it.
I just cooked this! So simple and so tasty! Thank you for the recipe!
You are very welcome, Sarah.
I was looking for an easy daikon recipe. This one hit the spot. Quick and easy. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe.